[SECC] Keying - which hand?

[Bill Coleman]

> On Nov 16, 2018, at 9:04 AM, Hal Kennedy <halken at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Bringing along a new novice and he (now me too) is curious about handedness.  He is a lefty but keying with his right hand.  I'm right/right.
> 
> I'd like a little informal survey...
> 
> Which is your dominant hand and which do you key with?

Right / Right. I can’t imagine learning to use the paddles with my left hand — I have enough trouble with my right! 

I’ve seen lots of good CW ops at NQ4I who can send good 30-40 wpm CW with paddles during a contest. That’s not me. I can barely send 25 wpm CW with paddles, and certainly nothing complex. During a contest, I use the keyboard feature of the software if I have to send something that’s not pre-programmed. Begin able to type 80-100 wpm comes in handy at that point….

Here’s a follow-up question — what sort of paddles? I’ve always used dual paddles with Iambic keying with dot and dash memories (I believe this is called Iambic B). I have a bug, but I’ve never been proficient enough to get on the air. I’ve seen and heard good ops with single-level paddles and bugs. 

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Web: http://boringhamradiopart.blogspot.com
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901