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Bencher BY-1 Paddles

This is a Bencher BY-1 Paddles from Dennis K6DF's Key Collection page. 
Dennis K6DF's Bencher BY-1 Paddles.  Click to go to its page on Dennis' website
This Morse key is termed a "paddle key" or "paddles".  It is used with an electronic keyer and is essentially two on/off switches.  When the right-hand paddle is pressed, the electronic keyer sends a series of dashes.  When the left-hand paddle is pressed, the electronic keyer sends a series of dots.  Some electronic keyers, known as "iambic keyers", also send a series of alternating dots and dashes if both paddles are pressed together.

Paddles together with an electronic keyer take much of the effort out of sending Morse code compared to purely mechanical keys and enable high speeds to be achieved.  However, they also tend to cause unwanted extra dots and dashes when the paddles are held too long.


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