Instruction manual
From March 2009 QST © ARRL
can’t be switched off.) The
PM2000A reads average
power and SWR with the dc
power disconnected.
The accuracy of the
meter tested was reason-
able except for 1 kW peak
power readings, which were
quite high compared to the
Lab equipment. The 4 page
manual gives instructions
for calibrating the PM2000A
to
match readings from a
known power meter, and an
easy screwdriver adjustment
brought the errant read-
ings into agreement. The
PM2000A is equally at home
in the shack or in the field.
Manufacturer: Palstar,
9676 N Looney Rd, Piqua,
OH 45356; tel 937-773-
6255; www.palstar.com.
Palstar PM2000A, serial number 9209
Frequency range 1.8-60 MHz
Power range 1-2000 W
Power requirement 12 V dc, 50 mA
(ac adapter included)
PEP measurement Active
Size (height, width, depth) 4.5 × 3.5 × 4.5"
Price $160
Actual Power (W) Indicated Power (W)
Frequency (MHz) 2 14 28 50
5 W CW 4.7 5.7 5.7 5.8
5 W 50% 4.7 5.7 5.7 5.8
100 W CW 89 96 97 98
100 W 50% 89 96 96 98
100 W two-tone – 100 – –
1 kW CW 850 960 900 –
1 kW 50%* 1410 1430 1610 –
1 kW two-tone* – 1620 – –
SWR Accuracy
1:1 SWR 1.15:1 1.15:1 1.25:1 1.45:1
2:1 SWR 1.9:1 1.85:1 1.9:1 2.3:1
Insertion loss (dB) <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1
*1 kW PEP readings shown are prior to user calibration; see text.
– = Not measured.
Reviewed by Bruce Prior, N7RR
ARRL Technical Advisor
Dual-lever paddles control electronic
keyers by using two levers that can be moved
independently, normally toward the center.
The operator causes the keyer to produce a
series of Morse dits by closing one paddle
lever contact and Morse dahs by closing the
other. Other paddle designs use a single lever
that the operator moves to one side for dits
and the other side for dahs.
A dual-lever paddle offers some interest-
ing possibilities for sending technique. In
iambic modes, closing contacts with both
levers simultaneously yields an alternating
series of dits and dahs. With keyers featuring
dit and dah insertion modes, holding the dit
lever while tapping the dah lever inserts one
dah into a series of dits — for example, to
produce the Morse letter L. Similarly, you can
produce the letter Q by holding the dah lever
closed for two dahs, then tapping the dit lever
to insert one dit before the final dah.
This review highlights six high end
dual-lever keyer paddles with quality pivot
High End Dual-Lever Keyer Paddles
systems that rotate on a vertical plane.
1
Prices
range from around $300 to $600. Three of the
paddles use repelling magnetic return, two
have attracting magnets, and one employs
springs to provide return force. Four paddles
sport long levers and plastic or acrylic finger-
pieces. The other two have short, lightweight
alloy levers and carbon fiber fingerpieces.
This review attempts to answer some
important practical questions: How easy is
it to adjust the paddle? How high above the
operating surface are the fingerpieces placed?
How does the paddle action feel to either
heavy-fisted or light-fingered operators? How
well does the paddle stay put on the operat-
ing surface? What is involved in ordering
the paddle?
The accompanying table shows paddle
characteristics. The “Dislodging Pressure”
column shows the amount of lateral finger
pressure needed on a fingerpiece to make the
whole paddle move on the operating surface.
ARRL Test Engineer Bob Allison, WB1GCM,
carried out the measurements using a strain
gauge while each paddle was resting directly
on a typical laminate operating surface, and
again with a thin high-friction pad between
the paddle and the table surface.
Thanks to Stan Schmidt, N7OC, and
Wayne McFee, NB6M, for their helpful input
while trying out the reviewed paddles, and to
Dave Yarnes, W7AQK, for helpful comments
about the text of this review. We’ll start with
the long lever paddles.
N2DAN MERCURY
Steve Nurkiewicz, WA2YBR (later
N2DAN), described his prototype Mercury
keyer paddle in April 1968 QST before the
paddle series even had a name.
2
His article
inaugurated the idea of using magnets, rather
than springs, for tensioning, and the Mercury
set a decades-long standard for handcrafted
paddles.
A professional machinist, Steve retired to
Florida, where he divided his time between
fishing and building Mercury paddles. His
waiting list was long, and although his
inconsistent serial number system is not a
Bottom Line
Finely crafted from top quality
materials, these high end dual-lever
keyer paddles are designed for the
discerning CW operator. Some are
better suited to heavy fisted opera-
tors, while others reward a light touch.
1
There are some other high-end paddles with
waiting lists too long to qualify for this review.
These include the March R-3a (www.qsl.net/
k4qu/) and the ON4MAC MacPaddle (www.
xs4all.nl/~pa0fri/Diversen/Paddlekey/
paddlekey.htm). Top-rated vertical paddles
like the Begali Graciella (www.i2rtf.com)
and the N3ZN ZN-10 (www.n3znkeys.com)
deserve a separate review.
2
S. Nurkiewicz, WA2YBR, “Magnetic Keyer
Paddles,” QST, Apr 1968, pp 35-36.