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1-5 of 5 messages
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RE: Homebrew morse code key?
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by WB6BYU on June 22, 2008
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Many different types, depending how fancy (or whimsical) you want to
be.
Perhaps the most common is to use an old hacksaw blade with a knob
on the end and a screw head for the lower contact. I've had good
results with an old spoon: I could grasp the bowl as the knob, put a
screw in the board below it for a contact, clamp the handle in another
piece of wood, then adjust the distance between the handle clamp and
the bowl for the desired tension and the bend the spoon a bit to get
my prefered throw (how far you press the key before it makes contact.)
Hacksaw blades have also been used for various types of keyers and
"sideswiper" keys.
Beyond that you can get creative. I've seen one built from Lego blocks.
Microswitches are a good start for the contact mechanism, but anything
that makes contact and opens again will work. One of the ARRL code
practice oscillator projects used a piece of printed circuit board
sticking out as the key. Clandestine transmitters might use a small
push button switch.
One of my favorite home-made keys was pneumatically operated: I
found a pink plastic toy bear that squeeked when you pressed his
stomach, then removed the squeeker and replaced it with a length
of plastic tubing with a balloon on the end that was positioned beside
a microswitch. Pressing the bear's tummy caused the balloon to
enlarge and push the switch. Not only did it look non-traditional, it
actually worked pretty well up to 20 WPM.
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RE: Homebrew morse code key?
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by W5FYI on June 23, 2008
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How simple? Just touching the bare ends of the two wires together will close the circuit, but that's not technically a key. Soldering the wires to a couple of copper washers and holding one to tap against the other makes a simple sender, but still not a key. Instructions for a fairly simple paper clip key are on the web at www.qsl.net/w0pwe/Finished_Projects/Paperclip_Key/Paper_Clip_Key.html. And Dave Ingram once presented his Wild Wacky Wood key, made from a re-engineered clothes pin, in one of his CQ Magazine columns.
I imagine any piece of wood, a strip of metal from a tin or aluminum can, a couple of brass thumbtacks or screws, and a wooden drawer knob is all you'd really need for a really simple key. But I think you'll also find that a well-built commercial key is so much more reliable and "user friendly," and more likely to give you the air and attitude of a "professional" amateur.
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RE: Homebrew morse code key?
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by AB8ZX on July 4, 2008
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Really, the only limitation is your imagination. I know that sounds funny and 'new agey', but it works here. My brother in law figured out how to make one out of a beer can once. I'm always thinking up ways of making a set of contacts for a rig.
All that aside, I still love using a well adjusted and tuned bug or key. There's a time for everything. Make yourself an oddball key/contact and use it only on Tuesdays or something. Just for the fun of it. I wouldn't use a key like this for contesting or busting pileups, but it could be good for casual qso's.
I'm a hardcore basement tinkerer, so I really get into stuff like this.
Something I'd like to try: make a set of paddle contacts (dit, dah, ground), but set it up so your left hand is dit and your right hand is a dah. It would be like playing the drums (yes, I am a drummer). something like this would be 'handy' for bicycle mobile.
That reminds me, I've read about QLF (left food cw), I don't know if that's a joke or not, but it's an interesting idea (again, I'm a drummer, haha!)
73 all!
jason ab8zx
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RE: Homebrew morse code key?
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by M3CAX on August 26, 2008
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Hi,
take a look at http://www.morselabor.de and click on Morsetasten (= morse keys). You will find all kinds of homebrew morse keys made of all sorts of material. Maybe you will spot some good ideas to build one yourself.
73 Daniel M0ERA (ex M3CAX)
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