Dit and dah memory - good or bad?

[Hjalmar Skovholm Hansen]

Hi CW fellows

I am training a lot to be a qrq op, and Now just beyond 40 wpm in sending.

I am used to use dit and dah memory keyer iambic b , but do you Think it Will harm me When getting higher in speed.

Have heard that dit and dah memory is not good for qrq - what do you Think ?

Best regards

Oz1jhm
Hjalmar

[Rich Langford]

Hi Hjalmar,

I use mode A for my keying but I find once I get to 40 WPM my sending is so bad I can no longer send reasonable Morse. So I am teaching myself to send using a keyboard and use the teaching program 'Mavis Beacon' I have recently started to use the keyboard on the air and I find it a lot easier and less tiring than using a paddle to send at speeds higher than 40 WPM. Hope to meet on the bands  for a chat one day,

Vy 73 Rich G4FAD.. 

[Joe]

I agree with Rich. A keyboard is the way to go at higher speeds. I can send 20 wpm with my J-38 straight key for a minute or two before passing out. My Vibroplex bug sounds good at 25 wpm and my Bencher gets me to 35 wpm. Above that I have to go to my keyboard. I have had very little luck using Iambic B.

Joe, W3GW

[Chris SQ8LUV]

For me dit and dah memory is absolutely not good for qrq sending. I had to change to iambic A and this works fine to me.

[Chuck Broadwell, W5UXH]

If I understand correctly, Iambic type A and type B both use dit and dah memories, it is just the precise timing algorithm that defines the difference between the two iambic types (or modes, I tend to use either term).

I learned to send on the W9TO keyer that of course had no "memory" and also the dash side of the paddle had precedence over the dot side so with my back-to-back J38 key paddle when both sides were closed the dash "won".  This meant that in my youth my fingers learned that I could be sloppy when sending a character like V and take my time getting off the dot side.  Thus in later years as keyers developed, with the Curtis keyer chip in mode A, I could still send the letter V fine, but in mode B I would end up sending "VE" because I do not get off the dot side before the dash has started.  This is due to how the algorithm makes use of the memories at specific times during the formation of characters.

If I were to try to send on a W9TO, or any old style keyer that does not have "memory", I would not be able to send at all.  Believe me, I have tried it.  So the newer hardware or software algorithms in keyers, with "memory" is what my fingers have adapted to, but only the type A timing.

For those who learned to send with type B (it used to be that the early rigs with internal keyers only offered type B timing) are fine with B but make more errors if they end up trying to use type A.  I can't say that one type is "better" than the other, it is mostly a case of what you have become used to.  

I think for anyone wondering about which mode to use, spend time with each and see if you migrate to one or the other.  I do tend to feel that type B puts more demand on precise control of the finer movements though.

Also, I do not use "iambic" keying, I slap back and forth for the letter C and all other characters.  For those who have not seen the Marshall Emm discussion of iambic keying:  Iambic Keying - Debunking the Myth

I have never read it carefully, but many find it interesting to study.

Chuck, W5UXH

[Chris SQ8LUV]

Yea, when I said iambic A I meant no "memory" at all, sory. Now can't imagine to work QRQ with any "opposite sign memory" but what is interesting to me, when I used single lever paddle I could't just transmit without iambic B :)

[Chuck Broadwell, W5UXH]

I suppose even though it is not possible to produce a "squeeze" with a single lever (both sides closed at same time) it is still possible to close the opposite side before the previous element has completed, so some of the differences between mode A and B timing would still apply.

I had never thought about that before, and thought with single lever paddle the Iambic mode would make no difference.  It becomes difficult to think of all the possible combinations :)

[Chris SQ8LUV]

BTW,  Hjalmar thanks for a QSO just few days ago on 40m :) 

[Hjalmar Skovholm Hansen]

Hi guys... Very interesting to read your comments. And krzysztof tx fer qso, but i Can not remember you Call ;0)...

[Hjalmar Skovholm Hansen]

Hi Chris ...just checked my log and did find you 30 May ....Will look after you so we Can have a lot of more fun..

[Chris SQ8LUV]

Yea, great, see You on the band sn Jalmar :)