Ever wondered which paddle has the lightest touch ? The new Model P1 Touch Sensitive Keyer from Sumner Eagerman, WA1JOS, is a paddle/keyer combination with no moving parts. The P1 is just one of a range of innovative products. Here's an introduction by Sumner -

My name is Sumner Eagerman (WA1JOS) the owner of CW Touch Keyer, and was first licensed back in the 60’s when code was a requirement for all license levels. I’ve been an active ham since then and enjoy CW for most of my contacts. Over the years I became tired of trying to obtain the smoothest and closest paddle action out of my more expensive mechanical paddles, so I built and tried many touch paddle designs both commercial and from magazine articles, but was never satisfied with their short or long term performance . . .

. . . thus, I set out to design my own touch paddle and incorporated the following key design parameters: CW Touch Keyer Products are designed for CW operators who prefer a paddle set with the lightest available touch, no paddle movement and no clicking sounds. All touch products are designed with state-of-the-art capacitive sensing circuits, similar to those used on the new iPOD ® products. The significant difference between my touchpaddle products and all others made or published in articles, is that each time a unit is turned on, the paddles are measured for capacitance, relative to it’s environment, and individually calibrated. This results in highly reliable touch sensing circuit without the need for ground wires or serpentine paddles. I use only solid, gold-plated, metal paddles that will not oxidize and provide a lifetime of smooth light touch action. Touch operation is not dependant on moisture and or resistance and responds solely by the capacitance introduced by your fingertips. All my products draw less than 2 mA, or less, of standby current and are powered by means of an internal 9V battery or an external power source from 6-15 volts, making them ideal for QRP and field operation. Most products I manufacture are available in kit or wired and pre-tested form. Growing up in the 50s and 60s I always preferred kits to wired units. I guess it’s the Heathkit still left in me. Presently all models are in DIP and thru-hole design making it easier for the novice to experienced kit builder. CW operators who are accustom to resting their finger tips on the mechanical paddles will most certainly have difficulty acclimating themselves to the “no touch” operation of my paddles. However, most CW operators I have surveyed, leave between ¼” to ½” of isolation between their fingertips and paddles during CW operation. It is these operators who will truly enjoy the quick response and smooth performance offered by touch paddles. No moving parts Highly reliable No falsing Very light touch Free from paddle or contact oxidation No serpentine paddle Requires no ground counterpoise Low to moderate cost Built in electronic keyer My final design resulted in such an enjoyable touch paddle/keyer and after being beta tested by high-speed CW operators, I decided to market it in various forms. It’s been a year now since I introduced and sold my first model and sales continue to grow with rave reviews. My newest product the Touch Tapper, model TT1, resulted from an experiment to see if I could send clean code by merely tapping in a downward motion, versus the side to side motion of standard paddles. To my enjoyment it presented a comfortable and very smooth method of sending code. With very little practice anyone can become proficient in this method and have fun doing so. All my products are built to order, in a little town called Norton, Massachusetts about half way between Boston and Providence, RI. If you have any questions regarding my products I can be reached via email at Cet e-mail est protégé contre les robots collecteurs de mails, votre navigateur doit accepter le Javascript pour le voir or at 508-285-7600. The website is www.cwtouchkeyer.com iPOD a registered trade mark of Apple