SM3DTQ
TenTec Orion HAM transceiver, TS-480SAT transceiver and Kent single paddle at SM3DTQ
Stright keys at SM3DTQ.
Mini key for CW Morse code. A real master piece with a great feeling and very nice to look at.
Kent single paddle is something I really like. It is a paddle that fits my style. I like a distinct paddle with small gaps that behaves trustful in speeds from 100 to 200 cpm during long rag chews.
It took me several months to appreciate the feeling of Vibroplex paddle. So I nearly didn't used it in beginning. Then I notised my CW had less missprints the days I had problems with other keys. It was also easier to run in slower speeds around 70 to 100 cpm. So I started to use it more and more and today I use it nearly as much as my Kent.
Bencher keyer is a soft keyer. When I get visitors I notise some prefer a soft key and some prefer the distinct keyers represented by Kent and Vibroplex. A good paddle and certain days I think it's great to have the possibility to play with a soft paddle like Bencher. The different alternatives helps me to enjoy CW every single day all the year around.
Super CMOS electronic keyer. Probably I have 7 or 8 different keyers in junk box and than the ones built into the transceivers. This one is the best. When I was told so, before I bought one, I didn't agree about that possibility. Today I doo. Fully.
I am not a builder of mechanical things but I try. This is my small mictro paddle. It works. One day I will make a more good looking one but probably it will be as uggly as this one.
It had been great if the TS-700S had been equipped with a sensitive receiver. But it is old. It is great and I really appreciate Kenwood and this old station. It works nice for me with the external pre amplifier. Then I get the right sensitivity.
This is the Daiwa RX100G. It is great to help up the weakness of TS700S. In cobination I get a great rig.
My aluminum tower for the low band yagi. It also host a 10 el horisontal yagi for 144MHz, a 6 element vertical yagi for 144, a vertical dipole for 144 and a vertical dipole for 432. Then some of my wire antennas use this as a guide.
From the middle tree right down to the water I have my 80 meter vertical tuned for the CW part around 3510kHz.
My rotary dipole for WARC bands with an dipole for 6 meter / 50 MHz tuned for CW and SSB.
JRC NRD-525 is a nice receiver for lower frequencies. This one is equipped with several filters but unfortunally not any for narrow CW. I scan band segments with it (squelch on) to see openings or band activity. I dont't do BC DX-ing on medium wave to often but it is great for that together with my 20 meter long vertical.
It is hard to finance the HAM hobby but I do as good as I can. This pix is from one of that SM3DTQ shows at a quayside summer 2007.
Vibroplex Brass Racer. I found this paddle suits me and my type of CW very well.
SM3DTQ
Some comments - HAM-station SM3DTQ.

SM3DTQ - Inge
One of the most enjoyable things with HAM-radio is the CW. Today with all Internet, handy phones, eMails and such,
it is very relaxing to have a real rag chew on CW. I really like to let the hours flow within a nice CW chat. Probably
many HAM:s don't like the rag chew but for me it is a real pleasure on CW. I'm sorry if I made the QSO too long.
CW by keyer or by stright key?

I worked my first twenty years with the
smaller key on this picture. Only stright key
all these years on all CW QSOs. Today I
mostly use the one in the middle but still
think the nearest one fits me better. Well, to
be honest i work 99% of my CW QSO with
electronic keyer. The stright keys is most in
use during tuning linear.

I really wish I had a bit more energy to work
with the stright keys. However, since I like
rag chewing it is more conveniant with a
faster speed and relaxing with the keyer.



My mini key.

A dear friend of mine forwarded me this little
exciting key in order to have me back in
stright key. It is a master piece with a real
good feeling. However, it is too nice so I
can't afford to worn it out. Instead I do some
off-air with it, just in order to feel something
real nice and to be a proud owner.

Compare it to the 2 Euro coin and imagine
the perfect feeling. It even came to me in a
real wooden box.



My old favorite paddle is Kent.

A HAM friend recommended me to try this
one years ago since I wanted something
more distinct. Beside this I can't use IAMBIC
so for me a single paddle is enough.

This one is distinct and fast running. From
the beginning it was even to hard, but it was
what I was looking for. After some years I
still loves it and it is amazing how easy it is
to work long QSO:s with a single paddle.

I made a new plexi to it to get the same
distance between fingers - centre - contacts.
I prefer that balance.

Vibroplex is close.

This is also a very precise paddle. A real
work horse. When I first got it I was not
impressed at all. It was just an other paddle.
Now I must admit it's a great one. It never
hangs with small gaps. I never adjust it. The
principal of machanics is very similar to the
Schurr paddle. These days I have made new
plexi paddles. Slightly longer and wider.
Then it is very close to the Schurr but little
bit more difficult to adjust for the right
feeling.

The funny thing are when I have a bad CW
day and a lot of missprints, then this paddle
helps me a lot and also improves the spaces.
I just wish it had been in chrome all over.
Then it had looked a beautiful.

Bencher is my soft paddle.

After some years with a HAM COMM keyer I
got this Bencher as a Christmas gift. I used it
over 10 years but for my type of keying it is
a bit too soft. I never feel the real CW. But,
for others Bencher is a favorite.

I have modified the keyer to get a smaller
gap between the paddles. I just moved the
right paddle to the left of the metal. It
improved the feeling for me. If you look
carefully you see it on the picture.

Well, I use the Bencher sometimes and
enjoy to switch between different paddles. It
gives a good feeling and makes it fun to
work same stations with different keyers.

My favorite keyer - Super CMOS III.

I never get used to the keyers in the
transceivers. I had a TS-870SAT once and
that keyer was the perfect one for me. No
delays, very distinct and easy to use. If I
had known better I had kept my TS-870. It
was good enough for me but I thought other
transceivers were better."Green grass on the
other side of the river". Now I know better.
TS-870SAT will always be in my mind. It's
not the best but it is real good.

Some transceivers and many separate
keyers later, I have found the same feeling
in this home brewed Super CMOS keyer.

Now CW is fun again but for some time it
wasn't. I just wonder why so many
manufacturers of transceivers not can
produce a modern one without signal delay
on CW. It must be a piece of cake, if they
really are interested in CW.
This is junk.

I have never said to anyone I am good at
mechanical things. But I needed something
small to bring with me during all QRP
sessions from my leisure boat. Beside this it
is even more important with a small paddle
at air borned vaccations or business trips.
This is fully OK for rag chewing. It has also
been working for a couple of years without
any problems. Uggly but a work horse.

Hopefully, one day it will be replaced with
something neater and better looking... but I
can't promise that.

The positive is I can use this one with the
built-in keyer. :)

Old but somewhat outstanding.

Well, I don't use this one often for lower part
on 144MHz. It is a TS-700S. I like to operate
on low part CW, mostly when we have winter
nights and the arctic light. Instead I use the
FT100D with some more features and better
power. But this transceiver is doing good and
I use it on 145.500 FM. It has an audio that
is excellent. I also have measured it and
tuned it and it has very good prestanda,
except sensitivity. With some higher output
power I had used it on CW and SSB. 10W is
low for my linear. For Aurora SSB QSO this
rig is great in receiving mode. The sensitivity
is not good but I have added the Daiwa
preamp below.

The Daiwa preamp.

I didn't trust this unit when it first came to
me. In fact I didn't connect it in quite a long
time. Today, with the TS-700S, I smile every
time when I hear, or don't hear, a weak
station. Then I switch this unit on.

I fully beleive there are many better
preamps in market than RX110G but I know,
for sure, I have had a bunch that not is
worth to be called an preamp. The RX110G
helps a lot.

This one will never leave my shack and if I
get another one I will smile in stereo.

Antennas.

The TS-700S is connected to the vertical yagi
but that one is difficult to see on this picture.
The horisontal, for low part of 2 meter, is
easier to see. Hopefully I will be able to
remove all 144 antennas from this tower and
put it on a separate rotator. It is difficult to
have the 144 pointing to the north for aurora
and also look for openings on low bands with
that yagi.

The changes are planned for 2007 and
hopefully be ready before snow is coming.
When it is done the page will be updated.

Wire antennas is fun and I try to do one
change every year, to get something new to
play with during the long winter.

This is not only trees.

No, this is a funny antenna to play with.
From the center tree I have a 20 meter wire
down to about 3 meters above the water of
the river. It gives a nice vertical for 80
meter. The groundplane is elevated on the
river bank as well as copper wires at the
bottom of the river, Indalsalven. Great river.
Look at a map and see yourself.

During winter the vertical is good for DX and
during summer I use it even within Sweden
and distances more than 400 km.

Up in the trees I also have a resonator
matched dipole for 80 meter and a 84 meter
horisontal loop.
WARC bands and 50 MHz.

This is my multiband antenna for WARC. It is
a rotary trap dipole. I also added a 50MHz
dipole to it. Of course a small yagi had been
nice for 50MHz but so far we have very
funny regulations for 50MHz here and I am
not to active at 50... but will probably be.



Back to electronics.

It is great to hear that this older receivers
still are keeping up in comparsion. Perhaps
not on 20 meter but on 80 and 160 it is doing
fine. My NRD-525 is fully equipped with extra
filters but not any CW. I use it mainly for
monitoring what's up on SSB part and for
general reception. The audio on this one is
quite good. If you listen to MW the difference
to a transceiver with GC is remarkable.

I had a NRD-535 earlier and sold it, since I
couldn't see any reason to have a receiver
like this. It took me 3 months until I missed
it and another 3 months to get the right one
for me.

Did I say I use the scanner in it a lot
monitoring 3529 to 3542kHz to see if there
are something to chat with.
This was a bit about my equipment and the story behind some of the units. I like HAM-radio but I also have other
interests. One is music. Playing on a keyboard or an accordion is nearly like CW. You get something out of it.
Perhaps not always enjoyable but still fun for the person behind the keys. The important thing is to have fun. Every
day is important and not a single of them will come in return. 73 ES CU ON ANY MODE ES ANY BAND DE SM3DTQ @ +
A great feeling.

My Schurr is a very precise mechanical tool.
Myself I prefer distinct paddles but not too
hard when it meets the contact. This
onegives a great feeling.

However, CW is not an easy thing to do but it
is fun and I gets more and more fun with the
years. It hasn't to be perfect, not even great
as long as you have fun and it just is a
hobby. Well, the Schurr paddle have given
me a nice dimension of CW.

In search of exellence for my CW!

I know HAMs that can buy a paddle and than
run it from the first day and forever. I'm not
so good at it so I need a perfect feeling to be
able to rag chew in higher, or lower, speeds.

After many paddle tests and years of wishes
I suddenly found the perfect paddle for me.
It is Vibroplex Brass Racer. It doesn't give
the nice feeling as Schurr but for me it gives
a compromise of good feeling, easier to get
spaces between characters and the
possibility to run it in all speeds I can work
CW. I love this paddle and all hours of
pleasure it gives me. The magnetic tension
gives comfort and my hand just want to
work CW.

I didn't beleive in it from beginning but after
some adjustments I realised a new feeling.
After I got the Brass Racer the other paddles
start to be dusty.