Iambic Keyer with Basic Stamp for CW (Morse Code)

gpierson

Hi, anybody out there use CW? And especially a Iambic Keyer? I put this together to help me learn CW.



Wondering if you have any ideas on improvements (e.g. pause length or other).

I also don't know what I should have the stamp output if BOTH keys (the 'dit' key and the 'dah' key) are depressed. Any thoughts on that? Right now it simply outputs 'dit, dah, dit, dah, dit, dah...' I know that seems like a beginner, basic question, but that's where I'm at as a keyer lol! Very basic!!

Thanks!

...............

' Iambic key
' Use resistor on the paddle leads BEFORE inputs, 220ohm red, red, brown
' Use SPST 1A 12V Reed Relay Switch Radioshack purcahse
'{$STAMP BS2}
'{$PBASIC 2.5}


'Constants

---

'Variables

---

com VAR Byte

Dit CON 70 ' Short span of time in milliseconds.
Dah CON 2*Dit ' Longer time, 2 times the above.
index VAR Nib ' Index.

'Program

---

Start:


READIT:
IF (IN3 = 0) THEN GOSUB A 'dit
IF (IN9 = 0) THEN GOSUB B 'dah
GOTO start



a: ' SUBROUTINE FOR Dit
HIGH 1 ' Send a dit.
HIGH 14
PAUSE Dit ' Short silence.
LOW 1
LOW 14
PAUSE Dit

RETURN

b: ' SUBROUTINE FOR Dah
HIGH 1
HIGH 14
PAUSE Dah ' Short silence.
LOW 1
LOW 14
PAUSE dit

RETURN

jones

gpierson wrote: »

I also don't know what I should have the stamp output if BOTH keys (the 'dit' key and the 'dah' key) are depressed. Any thoughts on that? Right now it simply outputs 'dit, dah, dit, dah, dit, dah...' I know that seems like a beginner, basic question, but that's where I'm at as a keyer lol! Very basic!!

I haven't been "radio active" in a long time, but I don't think things have changed. The answer to your question depends on which switch was closed first. Plus, there's mode A and mode B. See http://wb9kzy.com/modeab.pdf

[edit] to expand on that a bit, if the dot switch closes first, it should be "dit dah dit dah dit dah" as you currently have. If the dash switch closes first, it should be dah dit dah dit dah dit". Mode A vs B refers to what happens when the paddles are released.

As for what is better, that's a touchy question. It's all in what you like. Here's an interesting perspective: http://www.morsex.com/pubs/iambicmyth.pdf

Personally, I always used a single-lever Vibroplex paddle so I never worried about it. One thing I would change is the dot-dash timing. Your dash is a bit short, the standard being three times the dot length. Here's a reference for standard CW timing (ignore the Farnsworth technique stuff if you like): http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/x9004008.pdf

Bob WB6EOU

erco

Looks fantastic! I've been meaning to build one, just too busy. Seems like a nice BS1 project. I still have the WB4VVF AccuKeyer I built 40 years ago, works great, that's my gold standard. Do you have paddle memory and auto space between characters? If so, you're done IMO.