PA3BYW's keys.
Introduction.
About 25 years ago I was an very active CW operator. Here in the Netherlands we worked a lot on 3553 KHz. I passed my CW exam in 1981 and since then I was hooked to Morse code.
I loved the rhythm of it and the magic of the dits and dashes in the noise. Just like music!
I usually used the homemade elbug or my old Junker key. Some people could send QRQ by hand and I never understood how they did that with a straight key?! Later I understood that they were sending with a double speed or sideswiper key.
In the following years I had not much time for my radio hobby but ever now and then I worked a station.
[PA3BYW].
Homebrew S-Wing Sideswiper.
The last years I re-discovered my old radio shack and of course my old keys. On YouTube I saw some video's by Sandy, G0VQW using his sideswipers.
I then thought: that is something I want to do as well. So Sandy thank you very much for your interesting video's!
But I had no Cootie key so I had to make something to work with. I made a very simple (and ugly..) key using brass strips and wing screws for adjusting the contacts.
I heard that some people had a 'nickname' for their cootie so I called mine: "S-wing" referring to the wing screws.
This is recent history: all this took place about 4 weeks ago. I first practiced an afternoon before coming on the air. My first QSO's my sending was not very good but I am getting used to it now. It is just like learning to play guitar (like I do).
I was not very pleased with the looking of the key so I am making another one now which will look better (I hope).
[PA3BYW].
Homebrew De Kaai Sideswiper.
The base is made of oak wood (100x50x20 mm). I putted some polishing wax on it.
I am using a custom made brass clamp witch can secure the key to the table. In the front of the base there is a hole for the clamp. This means, that I can't rest my arm on the table but I don't care.
All parts are made of brass witch I bought in the local hardware store. The central pillar actually is a brass water pipe fitting witch is modified for the purpose.
It was a lot of soldering, sawing and filing.... The spring blade is a piece of an old hacksaw as you can see.
The length of the lever is about 100 mm. The finger pieces are guitar picks (distance 14 mm). This time I used tension springs instead of magnets. This far I am satisfied with it.
The contacts came from an old telephone from my junkbox.
I'm damping the contacts with a small piece of rubber, witch gives me a very quiet key and a smooth feeling. The contacts on the backside are for connecting the wires. They were connected from the inside by drilling a hole in the wood. So you can't see any ugly holes in the bottom.
Well about the nickname: Kees, PA3DEB gave me the suggestion to call it "the Brass-key", because I play the flugelhorn in a brass band, but I rather give it a short Frisian name. So here it is: "de kaai" (tr: the key).
[PA3BYW].
Homebrew Travel Cootie.
Well it's a homebrew again. This time I wanted to have a very small key which I can use during my holidays and also in the shack. The base is made of meranti wood (I believe) measures: 70x35 mm. All parts are brass. The lever is a small brass strip of 70 mm. The leaf spring is a modified piece of an old hacksaw.
The finger pieces are guitar picks witch were trimmed to become a small key. The contacts came from an old telephone from my junkbox. To prevent excessive vibration I mounted a small piece of baize (felt) beside the lever. The wire connection is on the backside. In the front you see the custom made clamp which can be used to secure the cootie to the table.
[PA3BYW].
Homebrew Combikey.
Here is another homebrew key: the "Combikey".
I used brass again. In the pivot point I used a small ball-bearing which I found in my junkbox. The contacts are from an old bipolar relay. They are damped by a small piece of rubber. The fingerpieces are guitar picks.
With a small switch I can use this key as a sideswiper key or as a single lever elbug. For elbug use I make a very small contact gap and for sideswiper use I adjust the contacts a little wider.
[PA3BYW].
