And why are they not iambic??
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alfred Lorona" <w6wqc@dslextreme.com>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 12:20 AM
Subject: [TenTec] CW A/B modes
There has been much discussion about keying Modes A and B. No one has
emphasized that fact that some letters are easier to send using mode A and
some letters are easier to send using mode B. That is why both modes are
available in some keyers.
If you find that you consistently trip over certain words or certain letter
combinations while sending CW, try the other mode.
The differences between the two modes are really quite subtle. It was first
identified as a design parameter by famed keyer designed Chet Opal, w9to, in
1975. He called it 'echo' for want of a better name at the time.
All keyers are digital devices and use a dit interval as the basic timing
unit. Dashes, interletter intervals and interword intervals are all made up
of multiple dit intervals. Modes A and B differ in, for example, what
happens when the dash lever is held closed and released during the formation
of a dit, the space following the dit or the first part of what would be a
dash - usually the first third of a dash interval. In other words, how long
must the dash paddle be held closed before release in order to send a dash.
Or, saying it another way, how long can the dash lever be held closed
without sending a dash. It depends on the timing of the release as
determined by the keyer design, if A or B.
The same considerations apply for a dit followed by a dash.
And please, folks, don't call the levers 'iambic'. They are not iambic. They
are just paddles. :)
Tnx es 73, AL
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