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Reviews For: American Morse Equipment Dirt Cheap Paddle Kit (DCP)

Category: Keys & Paddles

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Review Summary For : American Morse Equipment Dirt Cheap Paddle Kit (DCP)
Reviews: 22MSRP: 39.95
Description:
Miniature size iambic paddle
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.americanmorse.com/dcp.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00224.8
KA9P Rating: 2021-05-19
Great Value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very happy with the DCP kit. Wanted something lighter than my Code Warrior Jr. and a little more solid and consistent than my KXPD3 when operating seated portable. The DCP fills the bill on both counts.

It's great having a solid, affordable portable paddle that's not made of plastic or funky springy things like so many of the trail paddles tend to be.

You can spend a lot of time improving the finish, acknowledged on the website, and you'll want to make sure the holes are clean of any bits of metal that might remain after the threads are tapped, before you begin assembly.

Little nits - I was missing a washer and a set screw, and the thumb screws were of different lengths, but this is really minor stuff. You might find the rubber feet are too soft and will cause the base to sway when keying. But I now use mine on a swing arm from the radio cage or a clipboard, and the provided mounting hole works well in both cases.

I may do it again and try to anodize it a trick color, just because, and because at the price, I can see leaving one with each radio. Well done.
VA7MN Rating: 2020-06-20
Nice portable paddle key Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a pretty solidly made item. Although it looks like a toy, it isn't! The thing works very well and can be kept in your pocket. If you get one, I suggest giving it a good polish before you put it together. Also, the instructions say to put in the spring between the paddles after you assemble the whole thing. It's easier to put the washers and spring between the paddles then install that assembly onto the base. Believe me, putting the spring on when the arms are mounted on the base is no easy task and if the spring flies off you may never find it. However I discovered that a spring salvaged from an old ball point pen works just fine. To get a little more resistance, stretch the spring a little bit and maybe put a few more washers on the screws that go through the 2 arms. Adjustments are easy to make and stay put. I actually like usiing it. I also suggest splashing out a few more $ for the solid base.
WB7VTY Rating: 2019-04-16
Great Paddles Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I got my first set of DCP paddles with my PFR3B kit. I like them so much that after using the PFR3B and DCPs for about a year I bought a second set for my FT817nD. Cant think of any reason to give them less than a 5. They are a great set of paddles that I enjoy using on my desk as well as for portable / SOTA use. The price is very right, and they are very easy to assemble. Easily mountable on any sort of bracket or surface you can come up with as they have a clear hole through the base as well as a 4-40 threaded hole. Very happy with them and would recommend them to anybody looking for a nice small set of portable paddles, or even somebody just looking for small paddles for the desk.
WI4G Rating: 2017-06-12
Great, really pleased Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Needed a backpack paddle for the camper and this fit the bill and then some! Hated packing my Bengali and didn't want to spend the weekend operating the straight key at 25 wpm. This is a great kit and great paddle. I plan on ordering from American Morse again for a third option!!
KF2YD Rating: 2016-08-06
Looks Nice & Works Well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I ordered the DCP paddle kit from American Morse Equipment and the kit arrived in about a week. Some of the threaded screw holes were a little tight so I had to re-tap them and then they were fine. I was a little disappointed that there was only one screw hole in it to hold it to a base. I made my own base which required drilling holes and rearranging the wires were they were conected. Remember that the DCP paddle kit does not come with a base and that you have to purchase the optional base separately for an additional $23 or you have to build your own base like I did. Overall I was very pleased how the paddle kit and my homemade base turned out.

W3FIS Rating: 2015-04-23
Excellent key Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great product. Easy to put together. Ran mine through my cartridge tumble polisher to clean it up, especially the paddles, after using some fine emery paper. Mounted it on a piece of wood from local crafts store. Pads on base of key just big enough to form a good "clamp" for the cord -- canabilized cable from Radio Shack -- cut one end off of a 6' stereo cable.
K5TTE Rating: 2014-05-23
Tiny, functional, and good looking! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just got this paddle from a nice ham on eBay.

It adjusts easily and sends perfectly.
The bright aluminum presentation gives
it a cool robo vibe ---- a nice contrast to the
little boxy Palm Paddle, which I also like a lot.

It's yet another one of those backpacker
delights : it takes up hardly any space.
Like other small paddles, it requires a 2 handed
style and deserves a strain relief for the cable,
which I provided on a small domino-sized
piece of wood.

A fine item for a CW guy camping in a tent !

W6AAJ Rating: 2014-05-02
WOW This Paddle is Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I wanted a paddle for my QRP portable ops. I wanted something rugged, small and reliable.

The DCP paddle is PERFECT for that purpose. (This device will not rise to the level of a Begali or other precision paddles. I didn't expect it to do that.)

I can honestly say that I was WOWed when I opened the package!) The quality is simply outstanding as others have said. Doug, the vendor, communicates well and he ships quickly.

As for the kit, I had mine together in about 30 minutes including finding my tools. I added a small hard wood base about 1/2 inch thick to give more bulk to hold when operating. I used my Dremmel to hollow out enough space in the hardwood (sort of like a basement) to accommodate the wiring connection lugs and wire. The key now sits flush on the wooden base.

Yes, there is only one screw hole that is threaded for base mounting but that's not really an issue. There is a second hole in the paddle base you can use for a pin or small self-tapping screw.

I am happy with this purchase and I recommend it to you.


KU3V Rating: 2013-10-13
One Tip Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I love this Iambic key and previously rated it a 5 which I do here also. However in the beginning it drove me crazy. The resistance would always rise over time. I found that the paddles are aluminum and the base is aluminum with a steel pin that supports the paddle and sits in the aluminum base. Also there is a AL top that clamps down over the steel pins and to the AL base. I ended up finding the aluminum was oxidizing and creating a higher resistance over time. Then my transceiver would not trigger or intermittently trigger when I pushed on the paddle completing the circuit. So I sanded the aluminum where it contacts the steel pins or other aluminum pieces. Then I put a small amount of Pentrox electrical joint compound on all contact points which stops the build up of oxide. The measured resistance between parts is now less than 1.5 ohms. It works great since then. Also don't spray the aluminum with any clear coats as that will raise the resistance.
KJ5XX Rating: 2013-05-05
Great little keyer, well engineered, excellent price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just finished my American Morse DCP. I have to say that for $40, I was pretty impressed. The parts are milled to perfection, and the paddle is well-designed.

It is a kit, so you have to put it together, but it goes together very quickly.

The other thing is that the parts do not come pre-polished. This is easily solved. I sanded each part, first with 800 grit water sanding paper, then 1000, then 2000, and finally polished with aluminum/chrome polish. You won't find these grits at Lowes or Home Depot, so go to the local auto parts store (Autozone and O'Reilly's both carry them). Once done, the finish will look just like chrome.

The only problem I had during assembly is that I found I was short 2 #5 washers. The big box hardware stores don't carry anything this small, so I had to send an email to American Morse to get replacements.

Finally, unless you already have a heavy base in mind, I'd suggest spending $23 more and ordering the Porta-Paddle base. This is a nice, heavy base that is black powder-coated, and looks really nice with the shiny finish on the DCP.

I noticed that one reviewer complained that the DCP only had one mounting screw for the base. That's true, and I thought that this would be a problem, as it would allow the paddle to rotate on the base. After assembly this turned out not to be the case for this reason - there are 4 rubber feet that go on the bottom of the paddle and actually hold the bottom up about 1/8" off the base (allowing clearance for the 3 wire terminals). When the single mounting screw is tightened, the 4 feet compress against the base, providing a very solid mount which does not rotate.

For a total cost of $63, I can't think of a nicer paddle.