Zach,

Although the topic is sale of a bug, I commend your interest in cw. I have never made a phone contact on hf because the deal to myself was I would only do so once i could copy 20 wpm perfectly. grin Well I have not quite accomplish this yet, so now I do not even have a hf rig capable of phone. grin

73
Scott

On Jul 3, 2013, at 6:38 PM, Zach Shifflett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I'm incredibly excited about starting with cw.
> I didn't, as everyone on this list knows, have to learn cw to get my
> technician class license, but I'm learning it anyway.
> Cw is a good deal of the reason I became a ham in the first place.
> I always admired cw opperators, and used to love those old war movies
> where the communications guys were tap tapping away at cw.
> I discovered these old Gordon West tapes, and they have been really
> helpful for learning the code.
> They're definitely a bit hoky, though I prefer to think of them as retro.
> There's also a morse code app called morse trainer that I use for my iphone.
> It takes random quotations, or articles from Wikipedia if you like
> that better, and sends them at variable speeds.
> This app is a real treat, because you can just pull it out and
> practice on the go anywhere.
> Hope this didn't diverge too much from the original topic, but I am
> very excited about cw.
> I hope I can have better luck with cw than I do with the 2m repeaters
> in my area anyway.
> 73,
> Zach, KK4RUZ
> 
> On 7/3/13, Alan R. Downing <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> Hello guys,
>> 
>> The subject of Scott's post made me think of CW in general, and
>> keys/paddles
>> more specifically.  I had been mostly a phone operator for quite a few
>> years.  When I was licensed as a Novice back in 1962, I of course had to
>> use
>> CW, and I continued using it for some time after getting my General,
>> Advanced, and ultimately my Extra.  But somewhere along the line I sort of
>> gave up CW, probably out of pure laziness.  However, in the past 5 years or
>> so, I decided that it was time to have some fun on CW.  I never had any
>> trouble copying code, up to about 35 WPM or so, but my fist was sure rusty.
>> This was partly due to a serious medical problem, and the meds necessary to
>> ease the pain.  In 2008 I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and as a
>> direct result, I have been on powerful narcotics to deal with the pain.
>> The
>> side effects of taking drugs like that impacted on my fist, even though I
>> knew what dots and dashes needed to be sent, my fist would simply not
>> respond quickly enough.  In any event, I decided that I needed a better
>> iambic paddle, and after some research, I ended up buying a terrific
>> magnetic paddle from Begali.  For those that aren't familiar with Begali,
>> it
>> is an Italion company that used to make precision parts for exotic sports
>> cars.  Well, the owner decided to retire, but he didn't want to close up
>> shop, and lay his valued employees off.  Being an avid CW operator himself,
>> the owner decided that he would manufacture the best keys and paddles
>> available in the world, and so he has.  Begali paddles are precision made
>> on
>> computer controlled machines, and are made out of the finest alloys, such
>> as
>> Titanium, aircraft grade Aluminum, and carbon fiber.  The paddles are
>> naturally expensive, but boy what a feel they provide.  There are a dozen
>> or
>> more different models, all which are made of different alloys, and all of
>> different shapes and weights.  I first bought a model named the Magnetic
>> Classic, which uses magnets rather than springs.  Spring tensions change
>> with temperature, and also over time.  Magnets are not subject to varying
>> temperatures, and there is no mechanical vibration or  binding to deal
>> with.
>> With a key that uses springs, they need to be readjusted from time to time.
>> I also remember having to readjust the distance that the arms have to
>> travel
>> before contact is made.  With magnets, there is none of that.  The magnetic
>> Classic is a beautiful piece with gold plating, and is at the lower end of
>> the Begali price spectrum.  I don't mean to say that it is cheap, just that
>> it costs less than most of the paddles they make.  If I recall correctly,
>> the key cost me about $275 at Dayton a couple years ago.  Liking the
>> Magnetic Classic so well, I decided  to order a real beauty called the
>> Stradivarius.  This model not only uses magnets instead of springs, but it
>> has no pins and ball bearings as most keys employ.  Instead of pins and
>> bearings, this one uses torsion blades.  There is absolutely no friction as
>> there is with the normal pivot arrangement when ball bearings are employed.
>> Now, I don't want to suggest that there is a lot of friction when precision
>> bearings and pins are used, but with tortion blades, there is absolutely no
>> friction at all.  The combination of magnets and torsion blades result in a
>> mechanism which is almost impossible to believe.  The Stradivarius cost
>> about $450, but it was worth every penny of it.  Instead of gold plating
>> that is on my first paddle, this one is plated with Titanium Nitrate which
>> is black, giving the unit an industrial look.
>> 
>> Will all of this make me a better CW operator, I don't know, but it sure
>> feels great to use, and everyone that visits my shack can't help noticing
>> the paddles, even those who know nothing about CW or ham radio.
>> 
>> Best 73, KD7GC
>> 
>> 
>> Alan R. Downing
>> Phoenix, AZ
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>> On Behalf Of Scott Howell
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2013 1:23 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Vibroplex bug for sale
>> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> I have a Vibroplex bug, number 201849, for sale. The bug was purchased =
>> directly from Vibroplex a couple of years ago and is in very good shape =
>> for its age. There is a bit of wear on the corners which was present =
>> when I purchased it. I also will include an extension that slows the =
>> bug's speed down to somewhere around 10 wpm or a little slower. I'm =
>> selling it because I have another bug here someone gave me about 15 =
>> years ago that was a gift. I really don't use the bug very much and =
>> would like to find it a good home. I'm asking $100 shipped/insured or =
>> make a reasonable offer.
>> Please contact me directly at [log in to unmask] to avoid cluttering =
>> the list.
>> 
>> 73
>> Scott/N3BYY
>>