Palm Morse Keys - end of an era

Dieter at Palm Radio has decided to cease production for health reasons. Most suppliers have no stock left anymore. :frowning:

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I understand Kent ( http://www.kent-engineers.com/ ) might be in a similar situation ;-(

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I have known for a few months but I was reluctant to mention anything until Dieter made a public announcement. Specialist products made for a small market by individuals are always liable to disappear at short notice.

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That’s sad to hear, I have all their keys and they’ve just been great !!
Maybe someone else will continue producing them in the near future…
All the best Dieter…Ed

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Very sad. My Palm Paddle has been an example of excellence in construction and durability in use.

One day I may learn how to send properly too!

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I spent some time looking for realistic alternatives - only to conclude that there really are not any.

I did stash the last Mini Paddle in my desk drawer though… (offers not accepted).

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Thanks for the information Richard, glad I got the Pico Paddle in time. Really bad news. I hope someone can step in and continue production.

73 Phil

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That is very sad news to hear.

I have the Mini Paddle, Portable Key (PPK), and Code Cube. They are very well designed, the quality of manufacturing is exceptionally good, and they are a pleasure to use.

All the best to Dieter for the future.

73’s
David

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OK Richard - now when do you offer an alternative?

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As I mentioned above - there is no realistic alternative.

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The construction of the Palm Paddle uses such a simple but reliable way of mounting the paddles; it was the right solution. The contacts are bombproof as well, as there are no bearings through which electricity must flow. Is there no interest in selling on the brand and letting someone else have the tooling?
de OE6FEG
Matthew

Great Morse Keys thanks, used one for 6 years now on SOTA/portable ops and have a spare in my shack for jobs on the bench. Thanks Dieter for the keys and replacing a faulty lead for free.
Ian vk5cz …

Glad I ordered my Pico when I did.

I spoke to Dieter and asked for the chance of someone else taking over the brand or production, but he says that is not realistic :frowning:

Pretty sad news, the three Palm paddles I own are such masterpieces of engineering…

73 de Martin, DK3IT

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Sad news, my Pico Paddle is very well made and fits perfectly onto the KX3. Only wish I could send better with it. More practice.

Sorry to hear Dieter is in bad health, guess this comes to us all in the end.

Will treasure the Pico for a long time.

73, Wal VK2WP

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I can understand that. There are a great many specialised parts in their product range with inherent tooling costs. Passing the business on would likely require a huge amount of documentation to be done by Dieter to pass on the knowledge.

Our large shelf of Palm products is now just a few items left in a small box.

Martin,
Having seen the work you have done in other areas, I feel sure you could adapt and modify the Palm design and produce a new item.
I also have a Palm mini and really like using it. It is sad that the brand will not continue, I hope Dieter knows how much his work was appreciated.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2UH

Hi Andrew,
yes, a 3D-printable clone design as open-hardware seems like a viable alternative. But I would like to start this only if Dieter is fine with it; I do not want to get into legal trouble or even latent negative social vibes.

73 de Martin, DK3IT

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If you get permission, I will buy a kit from you.

Was able to order a Palm PPK key from Marshall at Morse Express today, he still has some in stock:

Mike

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