KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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REVIEW: QRPGuys Iambic Mini Paddle

Posted: 10 Apr 2016 11:22 AM PDT
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I really wanted to like this little $15 paddle, especially after the great
experience I had building the QRPGuys code practice oscillator. Being in
the ham radio business myself, I applaud the QRPGuys for jumping in and
trying to produce products that make ham radio more fun.

Unfortunately, I just dont like this paddle.

First of all, assembling the paddleÂ*seems more difficult than it needs to
be. I should have paid attention with the products webpage said, Allow a
couple of hours or so to build. It took me about an hour and a half, and Im
not an inexperienced kit builder.

There are lots of parts. The parts list showed 50 parts, and there are lots
of little nuts, washers, and screws. The hardest part is attaching the
paddle arms to the spacers. This is done with #2 hardware, and its a real
pain toÂ*get the #2 lock washersÂ*and nuts on the screws. And, I have fairly
small hands and fingers. I can only imagine how much more difficult it
would be if my hands and fingers were larger.

Another feature that I didnt care for is the lightweight shim material used
for the levers. I dont think they are stiff enough. The assembly
instructions say, The .010 thickness paddle leaves provide a light touch. A
user could make a leaf with thicker material for a stiffer touch.

I think that what the QRPGuys should really do is to either includeÂ*two
sets of levers—one thin and one thick—or offer the stiffer material as an
option. Knowing that I generally like a stiffer feel, I would have chosen
the thicker material when I purchased the paddle had I been given that
option.

Finally, before Â*you purchase this paddle you really should know exactly
how you want to mount it. As shown in the photo above, its designed to
mount to a homebrew enclosure, and there are no provisions for other
mounting schemes. You wont be able to use this with your KX3, for example.
I think that severely limits the applications for this paddle.

One possibility is to use a longer screw in between the two paddles and
mount it to a metal plate. I might look into doing something like that.

The bottom line is that if you know exactly where youre going to mount this
paddle, then this paddle could work for you. On the other hand, if you dont
really have a specific application for it, youre probably better off not
buying this paddle.

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