My Quest for the Ultimate Key

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I have to make a confession right up front, and I have the vain hope that it doesn’t kick off one of those perpetually pointless code/no-code discussions: Ever since I got started in ham radio, more than 40 years ago, I have been working 99.9% CW on HF. The way CW is produced has changed so much over time, from straight keys to bugs to single levers to Iambic paddles, keyers with and without memory features, various keyboard designs, that there was enough novelty to keep me busy searching for yet another, better way to create dits and dahs, and I never took a serious look at other modes of operation.

My first key, living in Germany then, was a Junker straight key. I remember it well because I still have it sitting on the top shelf in my display case. It made a major dent into my pocket money budget, but although I couldn’t have guessed it then, even after all these years it is still one of the best straight keys that I have ever worked with. I have tried a couple of candidates to take its place, but none of them survived as long.

When the N2DAN Mercury paddle appeared it spawned, and does to this day, many similarly designed offspring, like the Hensley and the N5QVF paddles. They provided a level of precision and stunning looks that surpassed the old Hamco, and I bought and tried quite a few of them. Since I really couldn’t afford keeping expensive designer paddles around just for the pride of ownership, I sold most of them to make financial room for the next one. (In hindsight I wished I hadn’t done that, considering the prices that some of them fetch on eBay these days.)

About two years ago I finally found my ultimate Iambic paddle in Italy, made by Piero Begali. His keys are manufactured on expensive computer controlled machinery and embody a level of precision and beauty that seems virtually impossible to top. His Magnetic Classic key, and especially the brand new “Signature” key that incorporates some ideas that I discussed with Piero, represents everything that I ever wanted in a Iambic paddle, and he keeps refining it in subtle ways that only very experienced operators would notice.

When you listen to signals on the bands you’ll sometimes hear incredibly fast operators with a perfect fist. Most of the time you realize pretty quickly that the other guy is using a keyboard - the errors they make, which are very different from errors you make with a key, give them away. But sometimes you’ll hear signals that obviously don’t emanate from a computer. And that is how I found my latest challenge in the quest for the perfect key...

Alberto Frattini, I1QOD, is one of the fastest operators on the planet. And I’m not talking 599 contest exchanges here, but rag chewing with his rarefied group of EHSC buddies at speeds in excess of 60wpm. (It goes without saying that they don’t use electronic CW readers.) As impressive as that is, what left me totally awestruck was when I learnt that Alberto mostly shuns the electronic crutches that mere mortals like myself have to use even at far slower speeds, and that he does much of his operating with mechanical keys.

Let me make another confession: I’m a lousy golfer. But, like most of my golf buddies, and despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I have this unshakable conviction that, if I would only buy the clubs that Tiger Woods uses, I could somehow perform like Tiger Woods. I guess in that same spirit I set out to determine what kind of miracle key Alberto is using. My search turned up photos of some incredible keys that he made for himself. I’m showing two of his keys here, a variation of the “Swedish Pump” straight key, and his incredible dual-lever magnetic bug. Both are works of art that appear to come out of a jeweler’s shop. (Although Alberto was an aircraft mechanic before his retirement.)

I suspect that Alberto could probably still outrun me by touching two bare wire ends to produce CW, but I’m pretty sure that in any CW shootout with mechanical keys Tiger Woods doesn’t stand a chance against me now.

Keys and paddles these days have far transcended what they originally meant for me. They are not just a means to produce code but, at their finest, are affordable technical sculptures that embody workmanship and beauty in their own right. You could collect and admire them even if you are not a CW operator, although the subtle differences in construction can probably only be appreciated if you actually use them. After a while you begin to realize that a great key is more than a collection of parts. There are quite a few keys out there that use many of the right ingredients and are nevertheless mediocre at best because their creators didn’t understand what makes a great key or compromised in the wrong places. And there are a few rare keys that are far better than a look at their technical specs would lead you to believe. The best keys that I own these days leave no doubt that my CW abilities are the limiting factor, but I have found satisfaction in understanding and admiring their artful design that will make this a never-ending quest for perfection.

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