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write your own review of the Island Keyer 2.
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K8AEX
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 4, 2007 11:25
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Excellent Keyer
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This keyer is not only easy to build but out performs my transceiver built in keyer. I have been a cw operator for 45 years and have used various bugs and keyers but none can come close to the code generation of this one!
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K8RBW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 19, 2006 22:57
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Very Good Keyer
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I ordered and built the unit with the optional six gang switch and KEYALL MOFSET accessories. After purchasing the keyer directly from Chuck, I purchased the supplementary hardware for it that is sold by Morse Express. Morse Express makes no provision in their instructions for the the addtional accesssories, but I had no trouble placing everything snugly in their black project box. I then labeled everything with a Casio label printer with white on clear tape. It is very compact and looks and works great. The memory is huge. The only drawback I can think of is applicable to those of us with arthritis and nerve damage in our sending hand. You have to totally erase a lengthy message you are recording and start from the beginning if you make an error.
I consulted Chuck during the building process. He was very responsive and made numerous useful suggestions. The build (including drilling and labelling the project box, etc.) took me about ten hours. I am a slow builder because I print off all CD instructions, bind them in spiral binders for building and future reference, and read them several times before I commence work.
It is a lot of keyer for the money and designed by a great guy. It is wonderful for portable use.
As a Chicagoan of more than 30 years may I say: "GO DETROIT TIGERS"!!!!
73 de Dick, K8RBW
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W2UP
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 3, 2006 07:23
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Ooutstanding keyer and value
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've been using the Idiom Press CMOS Superkeyer III (aka Logikeyer) for a number of years. I built 2 of them - one for each radio in my SO2R station. The only drawback, being a high speed CW guy, is its max speed is "only" 60 WPM. I searched the reviews on eham.net and stumbled across the The Island Keyer 2. It listed its max at 70 WPM. I contacted the designer, Chuck Olson, WB9KZY, and asked him if it would be possible to increase that max to 80 WPM. He said he'd check into it and a few days later said he would custom program the chip for me for 80 WPM (no extra charge), if I wanted it.
Bottom line, this keyer works great, and I highly recommend it. It seems to be a well-kept secret in that I don't know anyone else using one. It is virtually identical in features (more memories and programming features than you'll ever need) to the Idiom Press keyer line, but at a fraction of the cost.
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KT5X
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 30, 2004 18:28
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Best keyer at any price
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This keyer offers more features, more memories and more programmable aspects than any keyer I have found. It has all the features of the famous and fine Super-Keyer III and then some at a fraction of the price. Chuck, you do great work! P.S. I love your "Son-of-Zerobeat" visual CW zero-beat device, too!
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WB4CVZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 29, 2003 19:54
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A Very Good Deal
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I received the kit a few days after I ordered it. It went together very easily in a few hours. Everything else required to complete the keyer is easily obtained from Mouser Electronics or other sources. The keyer is easy to program and a lot of fun to play with!
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K8AC
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 9, 2002 11:45
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Nothing like it for the price!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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As usual, Morse Express had the package on my doorstep in a couple of days. The keyer worked the first time I inserted the batteries and has a most impressive collection of features. I really like the small Radio Shack "stick" box, as it allows me to sit the keyer beside the keying lever for easy access to the memory buttons. The buttons supplied as part of the hardware kit appear to be the good old Radio Shack units with the red buttons, as used on many MFJ pieces. Those can be intermittent at times, but you can fix that by creating a small slot in the black plastic body with a Dremel tool, and then squirting some DeOxit into the inside through the slot. The documentation and construction tips that comes with the keyer kit is well done and complete.
By the way, you really don't need the two miniature pots mentioned to control the keyer weight and sidetone frequency as those are setable via key-entered commands. If you decide you really need the pots, I found that Radio Shack carries a miniature screwdriver-adjust 100K pot that fits on the board perfectly and the cost is just over a dollar per pot.
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AE5X
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 18, 2002 08:41
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Excellent keyer
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I ordered this kit from Morse Express and had it two days later. Built it in a few hours and installed it in a metal case. I also ordered the hardware kit containing the off-board parts: speed pot, memory switches, piezo speaker, battery holder and jacks. I had to replace 1 of the six switches with others from Radio Shack as it made intermittent contact when closed. Other than that, this is an excellent keyer and far, far surpasses the TiCK I'd been using. Can't wait to put it to the real test in this weekend's CQWW contest.
John AE5X
Outdoor QRP & 80m DXing: http://www.ae5x.com
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AA1BW
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 12, 2002 16:31
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Just fantastic
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I ordered the kit about 6 weeks ago. It was here in Hungary in 2 weeks. Put it together in 4 hours including a custom made cabinet. It is just fantastic. I like CW, and it just does all I need. I played for days with the memories, but I just could not fill all with data. I got to like it so much, that ordered another one, and this one is also finished, put into a very small compact cabinet for backpacking, contesting. This is so far the best keyer I have ever seen. Considering the price, you can not beet it.
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