Instruction manual

From March 2009 QST © ARRL
BEGALI SCULPTURE
The Begali Sculpture has captured center
stage as a state-of-the-art dual-lever paddle.
The Sculpture is like an exceptionally fine
musical instrument. It can be played by
people at any skill level, but it’s no wonder
that experts have snapped up this engineering
and artistic masterpiece. Begali makes nine
regular paddle models and three straight-
keys, plus limited editions.
Because the electrical connections are
recessed in a machined bottom channel, the
four high-friction feet on the Sculpture are low
profile, adding to its stability. The Sculpture
thrives with light-touch keying, but at 2.87
pounds it is just heavy enough to remain
stationary when used with a heavier style.
Finger pressure of 1.56 ounces on the levers
is required to dislodge the Sculpture on a
laminate operating surface, the same as for my
much heavier N2DAN Mercury. (My Mercury
has seen almost 15 years of service, so its cork
bottom has likely become more slippery.)
Supplemented with a friction pad, 1.94 ounces
of finger pressure moves the Sculpture.
The Sculpture’s race-bearing action is
so smooth that the instrument begs to be
petted gently, especially when operated at
high speeds. The paddle allows a wide range
of contact-space and paddle-tension adjust-
ments using fine-thread finger screws. There
are no locknuts for the adjustment screws,
and I don’t think they are needed. Cleverly,
the space between the paddles is adjustable
from 0.4 to 0.6 inch. My year-long experi-
ence with the Sculpture has taught me the
joy of paddling with extremely close contact
spacing and feather-light tension.
Pietro Begali has rendered the Sculpture
in AISI-304 stainless steel, an austenitic
(nonmagnetic) material considered more
challenging to machine than the brass used
for most paddles. The Sculpture’s tension
mechanism uses neodymium magnets
embedded in the end of the two tension-
adjustment screws. Turning a screw moves
the magnet closer to, or farther from, its
repelling magnet mate mounted out of sight
on the paddle lever.
Fingerpieces extend from 0.4 to 1.9 inches
above the operating surface, allowing a variety
of finger positions without adjustment. The
Begali Sculpture Web page offers links to vid-
eos of accomplished high-speed CW operators
manipulating the Sculpture’s fingerpieces.
The Sculpture’s aluminum-alloy levers and
stiff but lightweight carbon fiber fingerpieces
are quite short horizontally. With a 1:1 lever-
age ratio, it takes very little motion to close its
14 karat solid-gold convex contacts. Begali is
now offering optional red or blue aluminum
fingerpieces
1
⁄8 inch longer than standard for
operators who prefer more finger contact.
My Sculpture paddle arrived from Italy in
an exceedingly well-padded package. A thin
plastic dust cover is standard, but the cover
limits the travel of the contact-space adjust-
ment screws, requiring wider spacing than I
prefer. A wider plexiglass dust cover would
offer a significant enhancement.
The Sculpture came equipped with a
3.5 mm stereo socket in the rear, wired so
that the right-hand paddle governs the tip
contact rather than the more-usual ring. In
the process of reversing the paddle wiring, I
damaged the socket. So, I removed the socket
and hard-wired the cord to the paddle. It
would be helpful if Begali clearly indicated
the plug connections.
Manufacturer: Officina Meccanica Pietro
Begali, Via Badia 22, I-25060 Cellatica, Italy;
www.i2rtf.com ; e-mail [e-mail] .
(Pietro Begali’s daughter Bruna handles
friendly communications with English-speak-
ing amateurs via e-mail or telephone.)
N3ZN BRONZE MODEL ZN-9A
Tony Baleno, N3ZN, is a civil engineer
and a life-long amateur machinist. He makes
a variety of high quality keyer paddles, all
of which share similar features including
lightweight 6061-T6 aluminum levers and
shimmering stiff carbon fiber fingerpieces to
minimize the mass to be moved while key-
ing. They also include neodymium repelling
magnetic return mechanisms.
The ZN-9A is intended for operators who
prefer short and low fingerpieces, which
come in several styles and range from 0.8 to
1.8 inches above the operating surface. Those
short fingerpieces are calibrated to offer a
1:1 leverage ratio, like the Begali Sculpture.
Customers may opt for
1
⁄4 inch longer finger-
pieces when ordering, and several optional
styles and colors are also available.
Each finger screw on N3ZN paddles is
fine-threaded and controlled with additional
friction provided by an internal plastic ball
and a vertical set screw. No locknuts are
needed, so adjusting the key, even in the
midst of a QSO, is very straightforward.
Our ZN-9A arrived in a well-packaged
double carton. It is the only paddle is this
review group equipped with a cord —
68 inches long with a 3.5 mm stereo plug,
soldered to the paddle. Out of the box, the
ZN-9A was adjusted perfectly to my taste,
with light tension, very close contact spacing
and no vertical play.
Minus the cord, the Bronze Model ZN-9A
weighs 2.11 pounds, plenty of weight to stay
put while operating with light tension. With
heavier tension, adding a friction mat helps
keep the paddle from migrating on the operat-
ing surface. Finger pressure of 1.06 ounces
on the levers is required to dislodge the
ZN-9A on a laminate operating surface, in-
creasing to 1.16 ounces with a friction mat.
The ZN-9A is optimized for low-position
and light-touch keying. It’s the most movable
of the paddles in this group. This key uses
three rubber feet, which makes it more stable
when operating on an irregular surface. For
a flat surface, however, four feet would offer
better stability. In addition, the feet are high
enough to allow significant rocking move-
ment even when the paddle is not sliding
across the operating surface.
In response to customer requests, N3ZN
Keys has added a heavier version, the
ZN-9B, which weighs just over 3 pounds. That
paddle has a larger base, and it includes four
larger diameter high-friction, low-profile feet.
The feet can be installed with added washers
for operators who prefer a taller fingerpiece
height.
Although the ZN-9A is smallest, lightest,
and least expensive paddle in this group, its
quality is first class. At first glance, the mod-
est ZN-9A design seems unremarkable. The
big surprise is hidden. Unique among these
six paddles, the ZN-9A is equipped with three
race bearings for each lever, one at the top
and two at the bottom. Probably because of
those extra bearings, its keying action is the
smoothest of all the paddles in this review.
That silky action makes the ZN-9A a serious
rival to the Frattini and Begali paddles. The
improved high-friction foot system for the
ZN-9B model, which I was not able to test for
this review, will likely seal the bargain.
When I ordered the review paddle last
year, Tony was making each paddle to order
and it took 38 days to arrive. He says he
is ramping up production, so waiting time
should go down.
Manufacturer: N3ZN Keys, 74 Green
Meadow Ct, Pittsburgh, PA 15239;
www.n3znkeys.com.