om, your using the key incorrectly. Let me just abuse a little bandwidth
for a second. I have nothing against paddles, bugs, keyboards, or banging
two wires together. I felt as you, but found that for one going back to the
handkey really helped me increse my speed.
Here's something everyone should try at least once and maybe you'll feel
differently about using a key. I didn't make this up, but read it from a
gent on the cw reflector and when I tried the following, what a really big
difference. I already like handkeys and use one regularly as well as a
paddle, but now i really have a new found appreciation for handkeys.
1. set the tention as tight as you can
2. bring the spacing as close as you can
3. now try sending.
the whole goal is to minimize wrist movment. Yes, that's right! wrist, not
arm, not leg, not anything else, but your wrist.
Your arm will become sore and tired along with your wrist if you send in
this fashion. Of course if your sending using the European style I believe
since the key sits on the edge of the table, your arm is doing a great deal
of work. I tried this and found it not for me.
In any case using an American key which has the slanted lever, you position
this so your arm rests on the table, grasp the knob with your fingers, not
all of them, but your thumb and the first couple, now you pump the key not
beat hell out of it.
In any case try these things my friends and see what you think. Just a
friendly suggestion and take it for what you will.
73 de Scott/n3byy
At 14:45 4/15/99 -0500, Dale L. Martin wrote:
>
>If I were starting out today, I think I would go straight to
>paddles. Forget the straight key, bug, whatever. Straight to
>paddles. I would still be learning about spacing, but not
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