Topband: CW rhythm, swing, speed

[Donald Chester]

Jim K9YC <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com> 30 June 2023 18:22 wrote:
>> I reluctantly changed over to an Electronic keyer about 5 years ago

> In the '50s, I used a Vibroplex that a cousin had used in the Navy. I
> switched cold turkey in the late '60s.

I did just the opposite. I had used an iambic keyer for several years, mastering it to the point that I could change over from bug to keyer in mid-word without a glitch.  But I never could send solidly and reliably with the keyer.  I always made mistakes, and after more than a few minutes sending, I was correcting a mistake every other word. Then about 10 years ago at Dayton,  I picked up a 1925 vintage Vibroplex Original, one of those with gold stripes painted on black Japan finish on the base.  It was an inexpensive fleamarket find, a well-worn basket case, likely having seen decades of service at a railway telegraph station, but I was able to repair and restore it.  Although the mechanism still has plenty of slop due to years of wear, it sends velvet-smooth, with no  contact bounce, a real pleasure to use. My electronic keyer and paddle have been collecting dust on the shelf ever since.

Don k4kyv
Don k4kyv