Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: GHD Telegraph Key GH-GD507

Category: Keys & Paddles

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : GHD Telegraph Key GH-GD507
Reviews: 1MSRP: 329.95 (chrome)
Description:
Iambic Paddle with Optical Contacts
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mtechnologies.com/ghd/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0015
NV7E Rating: 2007-12-21
Optical paddle recommended for Flex 5000A Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been using GHD paddles for several years. They are of excellent Japanese workmanship. The GHD name comes from the company's owner, JA7GHD. The best ones use a unique design which have no physical contacts at all but use optical sensors in place of physical contacts. This produces a very smooth, predictable output. You need to hook up a dc input of about 12vdc to run the paddle. I have an another GDH optical paddle very similar to the GH-GD817A but with an older model number. Now I also have the GH-GD507 optical paddle. The latter is really the same except for the different footprint.

I recently received the Flex 5000A software defined radio. It is a fabulous rig, but one peculiarity of it at least at this point is its tendency to drop "dits" and "dahs" occasionally. My Flex 5000A does this even with good conventional paddles like Begali, March, Vibroplex, etc. All my paddles demonstrated the same symptom until I tried the GHD optical paddles. The optical paddles solved the problem completely. Don't ask me why this works, but it does.

I suppose you could solve the missing dit and dah problem by using an outboard keyer, but this would mean not being able to use the Flex 5000A's own internal keyer, which is the best I have ever used.

Compared to the Begali or other high-end brands I would say the GHD optical paddles are not as easy to adjust, because with the optical sensors you are not adjusting mechanical contacts at all. Instead of turning a screw you move the optical sensors with your fingers. Once this is done you get excellent output as you would expect from the best paddle.

The version of the GH-GD507 I got is shiny chrome. It also comes in an interesting black version which costs $20 more.

ZS6SIG