Zero-gravity CW paddles?

Ok, I confess, I’m a bit of a klutz when it comes to sending Morse Code. I started out, many years ago, with straight keys. I never got along with the typical flat knobs, I preferred “Navy Knobs” – the kind with a big round thing on top that you can really get a firm grip on and a wide flat disc below. The original purpose of the flat disc at the bottom was to discourage operators from touching the high voltage contacts underneath. There was always the possibility that an inattentive operator would touch the metal parts of the key – in the good old days of the electric telegraph, that is, whereupon his sending speed would either suddenly accelerate to 100 wpm or drop to zero, permanently.

My issue was my nervous tight grip. That resulted in me pounding brass in a very literal sense, sometimes lifting the key right off the table. But then I acquired a very nice set of Bencher paddles as part of a package of QRP gear I purchased from another ham. Paddles require a very light touch and so I learned to relax and control my heavy fist.

Over the years I acquired several more sets of paddles; I even built some of my own – with varying degrees of success. As well as being a klutz I am also of a miserly nature. A set of paddles is really just a simple two-way switch; why the heck should I spend hundreds of dollars for something I can build from an old hacksaw blade and a dollar’s worth of hardware?

And then, my growing interest in portable operating out in the Big Blue Sky Shack took hold. Now I needed paddles that were small, lightweight but still rock firm and stable. Hmmm? SMALL, LIGHTWEIGHT, STABLE – pick any two! New problem – small, lightweight paddles have a tendency to go skating across the table unless the operator has a very, very light touch. I do not.

And so it came to pass that I attended a local hamfest recently and picked up yet another set of paddles. They were inexpensive, which checked the miser’s box in the shopping list. They are also small, very small, very lightweight and … not so stable! Frankly it would take the touch of an angel to operate them without chasing them all across the table. I call them my zero-gravity paddles.

I really like my zero-gravity paddles but I had to find a way to stop them going on haphazard excursions across the table whenever I touched them. Their tiny rubber feet did not provide enough friction to keep them from moving around, so what could I do?

Oh no John, no John, no John, no!

Alrighty then, this first attempt was not my most inspired idea. Carrying a bench vise out to the field is pretty impractical – but it works fine business!

There had to be a better way. As Sir Isaac Newton could have maybe once said: “A set of paddles that are stationary or in motion continue in that state unless acted upon by an external force.” Well, speaking as that “external force”, I knew the onus was on me to create an equal and opposite force to oppose the force of my less than delicate keying.

As a young high school student I was fascinated by another famous scientist over in the Land of Hope and Glory. Among his many notable scientific achievements Michael Faraday was a pioneer in the field of magnetism. His discovery of a magnetic field surrounding a wire carrying electric current was perhaps the spark of genius that would later lead to the development of radio.

Thank you Sir Isaac and Mr Faraday

I am no great scientist myself but I am willing to learn from those in whose footsteps I am not worthy to tread. Now the solution that emerged from the mist was as simple and obvious as it could possibly be – magnets.

Drawing on the work of Sir Isaac Newton, the force of friction was insufficient to overcome the force of my over-enthusiastic keying, but thanks to the work of Michael Faraday, the force of magnetism is more than sufficient to solve the problem.

So, I carefully removed the glued-on rubber feet and replaced them with small, strong magnets. The paddles came inside an Altoids mint tin – actually a very old Altoids tin that is probably worth the price I paid for the paddles. Altoids were originally made in Great Britain (actually in Wales) before corporate buyouts moved production to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

That tin serves two purposes – it keeps the rather delicate paddles safe during storage and transport, and also acts as a base for the magnetically secured paddles. Now everything works as it should (except for my keying perhaps). These paddles have a very nice feel which improves my sending accuracy.

The ham who sold these paddles to me did mention the original source which I promptly forgot. If you recognize them perhaps you could let me know in the comments. And, if we meet on-the-air, these are most likely to be the paddles I’ll be using.

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