Homebrew Push down Paddle

[EA2BD]

Hello dear SOTA mates,

it all started back in January this year, when I received an unexpected letter in my mailbox:

It wasn’t a standard QSL card but my dear friend Luc ON7DQ added a couple of spare relay contacts on a cardboard in the letter to encourage me building a new paddle, what a surprise!

It seems this older project made him plan this nice gift for me.

A light Carboard single lever paddle is born!

Hello, dear SOTA mates, A friend of mine says I am a bit freak trying to squeeze my SOTA kit by reducing its weight more and more… Just for fun I decided to build a new homebrew Morse key, this time using Greyboard. Greyboard is a thick and dense paper-based material, mainly used for packaging or building models. [kk] It is available in several different thicknesses. I took an A4 sheet 1,5 mm thickness to build my paddle. It is light but strong enough and I decided to use it because it is…

After evaluating what kind of paddle to build with them, I decided to improve a past experiment with paper clips:

Homebrew Micro paddle (CW) with paper clips

Hello, In a recent activation I found I had forgotten my CW iambic at home. This is not the first time it happened to me and I decided to build a homebrew iambic that I would always carry in a pocket of my rucksack. Its features should be: very compact and lightweight low profile to avoid any damage when stored and during the hike simple operating principle and built unexpensive parts rugged enough for portable and country side, and capable of being operated…

This time, a new version could be done with the professional looking relay contacts!
But to make things even more interesting I thought:
What if I build a left hand version and keep my right hand free to write my log?

This is the result of the project: the light Push down Paddle is born!

To see it in action look at the video:

Push down CW Paddle

I was very lucky to find and work Ed DK1WI so easily on my first try of this paddle. Thanks Ed.

What paddle will I build next? I’m running off ideas… or not?

Thanks Luc for providing the parts. That is real ham spirit.

VY 73 de Ignacio (now ambidextrous !)

[ON7DQ]

Great job Ignacio !
Keep on “inventing” and building …
73 Luc, ON7DQ

[EA2BD]

Hi Luc,

I just weighted the paddle: it is 8 gram for the paddle and 23 gram complete with cables and plug. Not bad!

I thought I should give a name to this new key; the SoTapping is born!

If you want to send some more material I promise to develop new concepts.

This international collaborative project recalls me a famous closing scene:
“Luc, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”

73 de Ignacio