Iambic Keying (WAS: Straight key first?)

[Mike Morrow-3]

I like **some** iambic keyers.  

The important thing in any discussion of iambic keyers is WHAT MODE(S)
does it use.  When an iambic dit-dash sequence is being sent, mode B
keyers send a dit if the paddles are released during a dash, or a dash
if the paddles are released during a dit.  In contrast, mode A keyers
never send a dit or dash unless the dit or dash paddle is closed.  If
one is accustomed to one mode, using a keyer in the other mode will be
hell.  It is very important that mode selection be available in any
iambic keyer.

There is no paddle manipulation or any other identifiable advantage to
mode B, but paddle release timing is much more critical than for mode A.
The incompetent and careless design of MOST commercial ham rigs provides
Mode B ONLY.  When I asked the ICOM folks at their Dayton booth about the
reasons for that, the staff was dismissive as if this was an unimportant
question and they didn't care to waste their time on answering it.  No
Icom garbage for me, ever!

This is another area where Elecraft really comes through, with full mode
A or B support on all their transceivers.

And straight key use?  I think it is appropriate to learn first on the
straight key, if only for the tradition of it.  Back in the days when
when Morse exams were given by the FCC, there once was a sending test
that required straight key use.  Also back in those days, the military
sometimes used Morse and straight keys were all that were provided
on many radio sets...a young person just might have served in the military
back then.  But...today it's only tradition, just like the use of Morse
itself.

Rick wrote:

> I took my 2nd Class Telegraph examination in Oklahoma City in 1978.

I took my Second Class Telegraph exam at the Kansas City FCC office,
about that same time.

> He fired up the CW test then left the room.  The test finished, I
> put my pencil down and waited.  No examiner.

The Morse exam for the Second Class had four parts, each requiring perfect
performance for one minute out of five:
1.  20-wpm plain language copy.
2.  16-wpm five-character code groups copy, including numbers and punctuation.
3.  20-wpm plain language, sent with FCC-provided straight key.
4.  16-wpm five-character code groups, sent with FCC-provided straight key.

The only part I had trouble with was item 2.  Five or six errors made in
five minutes spread just right could kill any one-minute of otherwise good
copy.  (And by "trouble", I mean that I didn't pass my on first attempt.)

More than 20 years ago, the FCC got really lazy and decided to issue Morse
credit for the commercial license based on the applicant holding the Amateur
Extra license.  What a joke!

> He took the exam with him when I finished it and promptly lost it.

That technical written exam, Element 6, had 90 multiple-choice questions
and 10 schematic drawing or other short answer questions.  My examiner
told me that I had a passing score based on the other 90 and did not
grade those 10 questions.  I never took a written FCC exam anywhere that
wasn't graded before I left the office or field location.

> "...the examiner lost my test."

That sort of shabby outcome was too often the case with government
administered exams.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's exam results for
the Senior Reactor Operator license was delayed for several people at
a plant I worked 30 years ago.  When results finally showed up, the
office admitted that the completed exams for these people had slipped
behind someone's desk!  Government...gotta love it.

Mike / KK5F
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[Rick McClelland, AA5S]

You're bringing back some memories.  One of the questions in the pool of
my 10 schematic drawing or other short answer
questions was:

Draw a schematic diagram of a maritime battery charging system containing a
six pole double throw switch such
that each of a pair of batteries is either connected to a load or a charger
(and is swapped when the switch is thrown.)

I don't recall the exact phrasing of the question but I do recall that the
toupee was spinning on top of my sixteen year
old head as I tried to work through this question.  I eventually drew the
correct diagram.  I think the 2nd telegraph's
written examination was the most difficult of all the written tests I took,
including the 1st phone written.  I don't want
to start a debate here, that was just my impression.


On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 1:38 PM, Mike Morrow <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I like **some** iambic keyers.
>
> The important thing in any discussion of iambic keyers is WHAT MODE(S)
> does it use.  When an iambic dit-dash sequence is being sent, mode B
> keyers send a dit if the paddles are released during a dash, or a dash
> if the paddles are released during a dit.  In contrast, mode A keyers
> never send a dit or dash unless the dit or dash paddle is closed.  If
> one is accustomed to one mode, using a keyer in the other mode will be
> hell.  It is very important that mode selection be available in any
> iambic keyer.
>
> There is no paddle manipulation or any other identifiable advantage to
> mode B, but paddle release timing is much more critical than for mode A.
> The incompetent and careless design of MOST commercial ham rigs provides
> Mode B ONLY.  When I asked the ICOM folks at their Dayton booth about the
> reasons for that, the staff was dismissive as if this was an unimportant
> question and they didn't care to waste their time on answering it.  No
> Icom garbage for me, ever!
>
> This is another area where Elecraft really comes through, with full mode
> A or B support on all their transceivers.
>
> And straight key use?  I think it is appropriate to learn first on the
> straight key, if only for the tradition of it.  Back in the days when
> when Morse exams were given by the FCC, there once was a sending test
> that required straight key use.  Also back in those days, the military
> sometimes used Morse and straight keys were all that were provided
> on many radio sets...a young person just might have served in the military
> back then.  But...today it's only tradition, just like the use of Morse
> itself.
>
> Rick wrote:
>
> > I took my 2nd Class Telegraph examination in Oklahoma City in 1978.
>
> I took my Second Class Telegraph exam at the Kansas City FCC office,
> about that same time.
>
> > He fired up the CW test then left the room.  The test finished, I
> > put my pencil down and waited.  No examiner.
>
> The Morse exam for the Second Class had four parts, each requiring perfect
> performance for one minute out of five:
> 1.  20-wpm plain language copy.
> 2.  16-wpm five-character code groups copy, including numbers and
> punctuation.
> 3.  20-wpm plain language, sent with FCC-provided straight key.
> 4.  16-wpm five-character code groups, sent with FCC-provided straight key.
>
> The only part I had trouble with was item 2.  Five or six errors made in
> five minutes spread just right could kill any one-minute of otherwise good
> copy.  (And by "trouble", I mean that I didn't pass my on first attempt.)
>
> More than 20 years ago, the FCC got really lazy and decided to issue Morse
> credit for the commercial license based on the applicant holding the
> Amateur
> Extra license.  What a joke!
>
> > He took the exam with him when I finished it and promptly lost it.
>
> That technical written exam, Element 6, had 90 multiple-choice questions
> and 10 schematic drawing or other short answer questions.  My examiner
> told me that I had a passing score based on the other 90 and did not
> grade those 10 questions.  I never took a written FCC exam anywhere that
> wasn't graded before I left the office or field location.
>
> > "...the examiner lost my test."
>
> That sort of shabby outcome was too often the case with government
> administered exams.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's exam results for
> the Senior Reactor Operator license was delayed for several people at
> a plant I worked 30 years ago.  When results finally showed up, the
> office admitted that the completed exams for these people had slipped
> behind someone's desk!  Government...gotta love it.
>
> Mike / KK5F
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

--
Rick McClelland, AA5S
Fort Collins, CO
______________________________________________________________
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Post: mailto:[hidden email]

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Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html