Instruction manual

From March 2009 QST © ARRL
gerpiece height above the operating surface
is identical to my original, ranging from 1.1
to 2 inches. Contacts for a cable to the keyer
are recessed on the bottom of the paddle,
with an exit hole in the back for the cord. I
tied a knot for strain relief before soldering
the wires to the three terminals.
With one exception, everything about this
Bencher Mercury exudes quality. That excep-
tion is inherent in the design of the original
N2DAN Mercury: the adjustment screws are
coarse-threaded and require locknuts to keep
adjustments in place. Adjusting for extremely
close contact spacing was quite tricky. I
found a close match at the point where there
is almost no sound when the contacts are
closed. After adjustment, keying with either
Mercury model is equally pleasurable.
Although they can be adjusted for close
spacing and light touch, both the original
and this beautiful mirror-finished Bencher
Mercury are better choices for operators with
a heavier touch.
Manufacturer: Bencher, 241 Depot St,
Antioch, IL 60002, www.bencher.com.
GHD GH-GN599DX
This sparkling chrome paddle was made
by Toshihiko Ujiie, JA7GHD, from the main
Japanese island of Honshu. The product ar-
rived promptly and nicely packaged from
Morse Express, a long-time Colorado dis-
tributor of CW products.
With some patience, I was able to under-
stand the English translation of the original
Japanese instructions. The keyer cable con-
nects to prominent widely spaced top posts
at the rear of the paddle rather than being
hidden beneath. The posts are far apart, so
the three wires of a connecting cable must be
separated, leaving them vulnerable to bend-
ing stress in normal operation.
The GN599DX is the only model in this
review to use compression springs rather than
magnets for lever tensioning. Spring tension
for each lever is adjustable separately. The
flat gold-plated silver contacts are offset at a
45° angle, allowing them to strike one another
with a subtle sliding action and making them
automatically self-cleaning. That feature effec-
tively prevents adjustment of the contacts for
very close spacing. When adjusted too closely,
the contacts operate inconsistently, initiating a
series of dits or dahs spontaneously.
The GN599DX is a complex design, and
that complexity turns the adjustment process
into a fussy trial. Four tiny race bearings
govern the lever pivots. The ample-sized
acrylic fingerpieces sit from 0.9 to 2 inches
above the operating surface.
As delivered, the paddles were a bit loose
on their vertical axes. I fixed that in a few
minutes using wrenches from my toolbox.
The levers are made of heavy chrome-plated
steel, and they are relatively long, making
them vibrate slightly during keying action
like both Mercury models.
At 2.84 pounds, the GN599DX is compa-
rable in weight to the Begali Sculpture, but
with a larger footprint. Three rubber feet give
this paddle acceptable stability, but they are
higher profile than necessary since there is
no wiring beneath the paddle. This paddle
is not a candidate for outdoor use, so four
high-friction, low-profile feet would be better
for operation on a flat surface. Finger pres-
sure of 1.38 ounces on the levers is required
to dislodge the GN599DX on a laminate
operating surface, increasing to 1.56 ounces
with a friction pad.
The GN599DX paddle is a reasonable
choice for operators who prefer heavy keying
action and wide contact spacing. Operators
who want the virtually-silent operation of
close contact spacing and light return action
will probably want to choose a different
paddle.
Manufacturer: GHD Key Co Ltd, Simo-
mukouda 24-14, Tomiya-Cho Akashi,
Kurokawa-gun, Miyagi, Japan 981-3326;
www.ghdkey.com. US distributor: Morse
Express, 10691 E Bethany Dr, Suite 800,
Aurora, CO 80014; www.mtechnologies.
com.
FRATTINI PROFESSIONAL
DELUXE
Alberto Frattini, I1QOD, is a retired air-
craft factory manager as well as a champion
high-speed CW master and DXer. His ma-
chine shop is in a small town by the Ligurian
Sea near the Italian Maritime Alps.
The Frattini product line includes five
dual-lever paddles, five straight keys and
three semiautomatic bugs. His dual-lever
paddles use Sterling silver contacts, OT 58
UNI 5705-65 brass for the base (coated to
resist corrosion) and levers, and neodymium
(Nd
2
Fe
14
B) repelling magnets for return ten-
sion. A characteristic of repelling magnetic
paddles is that the magnetic force increases
as the stroke progresses, producing a snappy
action. Instead of race bearings, Frattini uses
a tiny steel sphere above and below each piv-
oting lever in his paddles. The wide-bodied
design is a gleaming beauty.
Our review paddle arrived elaborately
packaged in 44 days. The Professional De-
luxe weighs 3.48 pounds, almost as heavy
as the Bencher Mercury. This heavy weight
renders a friction mat unnecessary. A very
impressive 2.5 ounces of finger pressure on
the levers is required to dislodge the paddle
on a laminate operating surface. Oddly, the
paddle moved from its original place under
less finger pressure — 2.12 ounces — with
the friction pad. The Frattini is by far the most
immovable of the these six paddles.
The I1QOD paddle has the smoothest
action of the long-levered paddles in this
collection, probably because the brass levers
have relatively low mass and are well bal-
anced. Its four low-profile and high-friction
feet, elevated by round brass risers, give the
paddle extra stability.
Even when adjusted for wide contact
spacing and heavy return tension, the vibra-
tions characteristic of the other long-levered
paddles are pleasantly absent. The large, red
triangular fingerpieces droop down from
2 inches to 0.6 inch above the operating
surface, making this paddle adaptable to
different keying styles.
The return tension and contact gap screws
have medium threads, but they include
locknuts so adjustment is a two-handed
process that is hard to accomplish on the fly.
Finer threads and a friction system would
eliminate the locknuts and make adjustment
easier. Once tightened, the adjustments don’t
budge.
Patch cord contacts are nestled in the
midst of four feet on the bottom surface and
are not recessed in channels. The Professional
Deluxe is a better choice for fixed station use,
rather than for portable operation where the
operating surface could be irregular.
After making careful adjustments, high-
speed operator Wayne McFee, NB6M, chose
the Frattini paddle as his favorite among these
six for sending in the 35-40 WPM range.
Wayne also liked the action and simple
adjustment systems of the Begali Sculpture
and the N3ZN ZN-9A, but he would have
preferred longer fingerpieces (optional) for
fast sending.
Manufacturer: Alberto Frattini, Via S.
Domenico, 183, 1-17027 Pietra Ligure (SV),
Italy; www.i1qod.it; e-mail i1qod@inwind.
it. (I haven’t spoken with Alberto on the tele-
phone, but he handled my English-language
e-mail communications just fine.)