touch key for CW

MK3!!

so, I decided that the keyer needed a niced enclosure than the pill bottle

as I have made a few guitars in my time I had some fret wire laying around.

I reckoned a strip where my hand rests would be an improvement on the lug......

so, some offcuts of rosewood, and ovankohl.......

as I was assembling the whole thing I managed to break a leg off a tranny, so I tried it without the darlington pair, just a single BC639 on each side. Delighted to discover it works fine!!

Improved touch keyer:

power from a 9v battery added.  the earth terminal is on the case of the pill bottle so it's easy to always touch it when sending

so, prototype works, next step is to make it for real.....

what I'm THINKING is to have the earth spud on a panel in front of the touch plates.

I have guitar fret wire, which I could press into a slot across the front so that where ever my hand sits, a good contact will be made.

unless I'm wearing marigolds of course!!

So, I decide to move onto the Mk2 paddle, a touch keyer

I find this nice circuit recommended on a forum.

I nip into school and scrounge a handfull of transistors, and in half an hour I'm done.

soldering was simple, the cablecame from a dead set of headphones......

like this, with the soldering Iron still plugged in beside it, it worked fine.

so I wrapped all the wires to avoid shorts, switched off the soldering iron, fire up the glue gun to add some extra support where the screw eyes go through the lid of the pill box and test it again.

all good

one weird thing.  while actually applying the glue, with the glue gun in very close proximity to the pins, it triggers the electronic keyer......

anyway, assemble it into the pillbox and test again

still good.

switch off glue gun and put it away, and settle down to trying a few QSOs and.......

NOTHING!!!

after a lot of tinkering and testing, I discover that it works really well when there are (electrically)  noisy kit operating, but not if there isn't.

My Salvaged PC power supply switched on and running on the desk?

all good

touch the case of the supply?

nuffin!!

Ah well, at least i know it works (in the right circumstances!) and it's easily reversable so that if you like to send dits with your thumb, you hold it one way, dahs with the thumb, just flip it over.

and now to Mk3!!

after the weekend's SA contest, there are just a few new entries in the distance chart......

ZL2IBF	New Zealand	11381
PR5B	Brazil	6243
HS5NMF	Thailand	6069
OA1F	Peru	5971
PY2EX	Brazil	5927
PY4HO	Brazil	5734
JA7QVI	Japan	5729
HD2A	Ecuador	5699
PY4RGS	Brazil	5624
PP1CZ	Brazil	5566
PW7T	Brazil	5214
N2PW	USA AZ	4936
HK1NA	Colombia	4776
PV8ADI	Brazil	4705
YV5DTJ	Venezuela	4599
PR7AR	Brazil	4582
PJ4/SP9FIH	Bonaire	4463
PJ4/SP9FIH	Bonaire	4463
N9RV	USA MT	4257
N9RV	USA MT	4257

some DX and new countries over the weekend.

a few competitions gave me my first Israel, and a bunch of Brazilians.   I HEARD a Argentinian, ans several Australians, but didn't make contacts.

PJ4/SP9FIH	Bonaire
4X4DZ	Israel
K9OM	USA FL
PY4RGS	Brazil
PP1CZ	Brazil
PV8ADI	Brazil
PW7T	Brazil
K8BTD	USA OH
NB1N	USA MA
PR7AR	Brazil
VE3CFI	Canada ON
DL1DA/PVA	Brazil
N3RS	USA PA
K4BAI	USA GA
PY2EX	Brazil
PY4HO	Brazil
K5EK	USA NC
K3WWT	USA PA

so the keyer arrived in the post today and after raiding the cable box (don't ever bin a cable!!) I was able to weave together a loom of wires to connect the knife paddle to the rig.

half an hour's practice and I reckoned I could give it a go on the air.

DJ3EF was the poor guy on the other en of my feeble attempts!

so, first impressions?

a bit of practice and I'll get the hang of it, definitely less painful to use than straight key, but its a bit too springy.  and if I release the handle it can swipe across and thump the other side.

I need to damp it's travel.... maybe a little foam rubber?

I'll tinker!

for a 1st prototype, I'm very pleased, but work still to do!

I'm thinking about another direction, with a solid vertical bar with a switch on each side.  that'd loose the springiness, but the switches would need to be very free moving........

on the air yesterday and today?

OK1PGS/AM was my first aeronautical mobile contact.  just an exchange of calls and sig repts, so I don't know what he was flying, and he doesn't have an email addy on QRZ.com to ask him.....

the long distance stuff?

delighted to break a pile up and get my first into Tajikistan

K9LJN	USA IL
w1pid	USA NH
kb2uzy	USA MA
EY7BJ	Tajikistan

Making a homebrew CW paddle.

OK, my back problems are giving me pains in my arms, and overdoing the straight morse key is giving me RSI in my right wrist, so something needs to be done. 

ONE possibility is an air key, more to follow, but first, I'm going to have a go at a paddle.

as usual, budget to be kept at a bare minimum!

so, I had to get some other stuff at B&Q anyway so I threw a few other bits & pieces into the trolley.

bolts, nuts washers and 4 L brackets.  add a kiddie's knife that all our kids have outgrown and we get.......

for a base I'm not going to waste a nice piece of mahogany or cherry on a prototype, so I found a left over bit of spruce..... 

so start by drilling a hole in the knife blade.....

then mock up how things will sit......

then after checking clearances, get the screws into the wood...

which looks like this from the end.....

I reckon I have up to 5mm play in the gap, not that I'll need it.  If this all works, then I'll transfer it onto a nicer piece of wood and maybe make the brackets a little less Heath Robinson.

for those not in the know, earth goes to the centre, one wire to the left contact, one to the right, then a stereo cable to a jack plug into the electronic keyer.

now all I need is for the electronic keyer to arrive in the post from ebay land!

Updates to follow......

Tuesday - Thursday...

a few interesting contacts......

K0TPP	USA MO
CN8YZ	Morocco
NS9I	USA WI
N4MWN	USA VA
UA0WW	Asiatic Russia
W4KRT	USA FL
FM5BH	Martinique
9K2MY	Kuwait

I also won a keyer on ebay, so I need to get a CW paddle.  PLANS are to build one, using a knife as the paddle.

pics to follow!

Friday - Sunday?

a dirty great solar eruption knocked the bands dead, only a few signals trickling through.

Monday?

very hit and miss. 

I could HEAR several stations in New Zealand, as well as my first from Greenland and way north of Norway at Svalbard.  my best contacts?

PJ4/SP9FIH

an island in the carribean
and the other way, HS5NMF in Thailand

so the latest top 20 for distance......

ZL2IBF	New Zealand	11381	CW
PR5B	Brazil	6243	SSB
HS5NMF	Thailand	6069	SSB
OA1F	Peru	5971	CW
JA7QVI	Japan	5729	CW
HD2A	Ecuador	5699	CW
N2PW	USA AZ	4936	CW
HK1NA	Colombia	4776	SSB
YV5DTJ	Venezuela	4599	CW
PJ4/SP9FIH	Bonaire	4463	SSB
N9RV	USA MT	4257	CW
N9RV	USA MT	4257	SSB
K1AY	USA FL	4179	CW
N4BP	USA FL	4148	CW
KJ3X	USA FL	4136	SSB
N4TB	USA FL	4119	CW
W4SVO	USA FL	4113	SSB
K4WI	USA AL	4109	CW
K4MF	USA FL	4074	CW
N6AR	USA FL	4074	CW

nice day on 20m.

I HEARD Brazil, China, Bahrain, Mali, and some other interesting stuff, but didn't get back to them.

interesting contacts I DID make.....

K0TPP USA MO
EA6/DL9LBQ Ibiza
CN8YZ  Morocco
 RA9KY Asiatic Russia (repeat)
EA9UG  Ceuta and Melilla
and......
ZA/IZ4JMA a first in Albania

so as promised, contacts of note.....

OA1F in Peru early on 5th
A71QM Qatar late in the evening of the 6th
CF3A Ottowa Canada just after
KA1EFO USA MA evening of 8th

as well as a host of Europeans.

so, repeat readers well see a change.  I've joined clublog, so rather than having the big string of callsigns, you can how look at clublog for the info.  I'll still include the new countries, new states and the extreme long distance stuff, but no more big long lists, OK?

I've finally got the Philips PRM8010 into the car. 

there were bumps along the process.....

firstly there was a nasty burning rubber smell which I tracked down to the cigartette lighter plug that I was testing it with.

then there was a lot of alternator whine coming through, so I got a supressor (good old ebay!)

so now it's in the car, and I called for a radio check and a nice friendly bloke did that for me, and then GI6LCJ who sold me the radio came on to say I was making the trip to him too, which was nice of him.  just the speaker to mount securely, and I'm sorted.

a ew late on Monday evening to add to the total...... but a few days without drifting off 20m CW.high point?

a new country is always a high point, especially if its a LOOOOONG way away!!  so early morning HD2A in Ecuador was a goodie.  I'm claiming it, even though I didn't get a full call return. he replied mi08m. I KNOW the signal made the trip, so there's a pin in the map!

F5MDM	France
EA1KB	Spain
SP9FKF	Poland
DL1MFZ	Germany
IT9QAU	Italy
RW4CUO	Russia
UA9MAX	Russia
UT4FB	Ukraine
UA1CE	Russia
UA6FZ	Russia
OK2BBR	Czech Rep
DL2BA	Germany
SP6AML	Poland
OK1MIK	Czech Rep
OK1ED	Czech Rep
YO5CDF	Romania
HD2A	Ecuador
UR5PM	Ukraine
OM1ADM	Slovak rep
HA2NEP	Hungary
IK2UEX	Italy
UA3DFD	Russia
IZ1DXF	Italy
LZ1IT	Bulgaria
OK1HWI	Czech Rep
I3DBD	Italy
YU1CA	Serbia
OM3JS	Slovak rep
UX0KR	Ukraine
IS0SZU	Sardinia
VE2GDI	Canada QC
SV1CQN	Greece
W2OKM	USA NJ
OK2BEJ	Czech Rep
WA2BLE	USA NY
SP3FGQ	Poland
YU7FL	Serbia
W8PO	USA KY
IZOCCD	Italy
EA1BOT	Spain
RU2FZ	Russia
RX9WN	Russia
F6EAZ	France
IK1GKH	Italy
UX3HX	Ukraine
UA3BX	Russia
UA3QIM	Russia

so Equador does into the distance top 10 at #4......

ZL2IBF	New Zealand	11381
PR5B	Brazil	6243
JA7QVI	Japan	5729
HD2A	Ecuador	5699
N2PW	USA AZ	4936

Easter weekend.... another big contest, so rather than huff and grump I decided to play along.  as my wee protest I looked up each station on QRZ.COM so that I could say "Thanks John, Good luck"at the end of the contact......

so, from Friday evening until now, (monday afternoon) a good old time for putting pins in the map wih new contacts into Cyprus. Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Kazakhstan, & Kosovo  A bunch of Canada & US contacts, but no new states......

UT4FB	Ukraine	ES9C	Estonia
EU6KA	Belarus	RF9C	Russia
OM3LL	Slovak rep	US1I	Ukraine
DF6NW	Germany	S59N	Slovenia
RW3WA	Russia	S51AF	Slovenia
OK1AQW	Czech Rep	KC3R	USA PA
RL3BZ	Russia	KM3T	USA NH
S51UJ	Slovenia	VE3DZ	Canada ON
SQ7IQM	Poland	CF3A	Canada ON
KJ3X	USA FL	Z39A	Macedonia
OL9Z	Czech Rep	KM3T	USA NH
E7DX	Bosnia & Herz	WU2A	USA GA
OL7M	Czech Rep	KK9A	USA NC
WP2Z	USA NJ	RT4F	Russia
SO2R	Poland	EE1W	Spain
EA7KB	Spain	RL3A	Russia
IR5X	Italy	II1A	Italy
S53M	Slovenia	GJ2A	Jersey
EW2A	Belarus	SQ7DQX	Poland
RG3K	Russia	II9P	Sicily
CN2R	Morocco	9A28EU	Croatia
RM3Q	Russia	RT4RO	Russia
HG4F	Hungary	WX3B	USA MD
P33W	Cyprus	NX0X	USA MN
LX7I	Luxembourg	DL4RBI	Germany
LZ4RR	Bulgaria	E72GF	Bosnia & Herz
TM1T	France	Z61DX	Kosovo
W3KL	USA MD	OE8PRK	Austria
HK1NA	Colombia	OH6MM	Finland
CR6K	Portugal	DL7ARH	Germany
RX6AM	Russia	SP6QKP	Poland
UP0L	Kazakhstan	DK3SB	Germany
N9RV	USA MT	LA8BGA	Norway
NV1N	USA VT	OK1US	Czech Rep
RC9O	Russia	EA2IF	Spain
PI4ZI	Netherlands	OK1RO	Czech Rep
PR5B	Brazil	DK8LG	Germany
VE3DZ	Canada ON	OH2BN	Finland
8P5A	Barbados	DL4BBJ	Germany
K3ZO	USA MD	DL5SVB	Germany
VE9HF	Canada NB	HB9TPT	Switzerland
VO1JNS	Canada NL	HB9ALO	Switzerland
KD4D	USA MD	SP4GSW	Poland
NN1N	USA CT	F6AUF	France
9A33P	Croatia
W3FV	USA PA

so the top 20?

BIG Changes!

ZL2IBF	New Zealand	11381
PR5B	Brazil	6243
JA7QVI	Japan	5729
N2PW	USA AZ	4936
HK1NA	Colombia	4776
YV5DTJ	Venezuela	4599
N9RV	USA MT	4257
N9RV	USA MT	4257
K1AY	USA FL	4179
N4BP	USA FL	4148
KJ3X	USA FL	4136
N4TB	USA FL	4119
W4SVO	USA FL	4113
K4WI	USA AL	4109
K4MF	USA FL	4074
N6AR	USA FL	4074
W4DXX	USA GA	4068
8P5A	Barbados	4057
K0LUZ	USA FL	4056
KP2MM	US Virgin Islands	3987