An introduction to the Sideswiper

This video shows how to manipulate the Sideswiper, a very rare key.
There is not much to say about Sideswiper: if you ever find one of these very rare keys, learning to use it will be amazingly difficult.
Dit and Dashes are executed at need either on the left or on the right contact, while the wrist keeps moving in a left-right alternated fashion, never repeating the same contact for two consecutive times.

As far as is known, only few operators on the planet still use the Sideswiper. In Italy, only 5 stations use it regularly: IT9FAL, I1QII, IK0XCB, IZ0DDD, IK0YGJ.

Buying an original Sideswiper is almost impossible, I resolved this problem by asking Salvatore IK1OJM to make for me one of his masterpieces.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• CW
• morse
• code
• sideswiper
• ik0ygj
• ham
• radio
• telegraph
• key

[cpcohen1945]

Carlo --

Sometimes you start a letter with a left-push; other times, you start a letter with a right--push.

For example, there's a sequence "TO" where the "T" is a push to the left, but the "O" starts with a push to the right.

This is very efficient. But it does not match your instructions!

Or possibly, my eyes are not seeing correctly. Charles VA7CPC

[ik0ygj]

Hi Charles, that's right ..

Sometimes, the habit given by paddles to use the dots / dashes on left/right paddle wins over when I start a new word. What really matters, anyway, is to keep alternating while in the same word, this makes the real advantage of a sideswiper. 73's !

[iluvdx60]

WOW! I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED BUT LITTLE SHY TO ASK HOW TO USE ONE. I HAVE NO ELMERS HR. ANYMORE. THERE ALL SK! SO, IT IS REALLY NICE FB EDUCATIONAL VIDEO FOR YOU TO SHARE TO A FELLOW HAM FEW THOUSAND MILES AWAY. I REALLY LIKE IT.

I WAS HOPING YOPU TELL HOW TO ADJUST THE SCREWS. ON A REGULAR CW BUG I HR IT IS AROUND 15 THOUSNADS OD AND INCH. WHAT IS TI FOR SIDE SWIPERS AND HOW TO ADJUST THESE, ET CETERA. 73 GUD DX STEVE

[mrgVideosAR]

Charles, this is true, and also the hard to use the sideswiper key. I have problem with the y letter because of this. My mind know how to do it well on normal keyer way, but very hard to do on the sideswiper. But as Carlo says, always go with unstoppable side to side movement, very different as the normal key in which you construct the letters with dits on one side and dats on the other. It is not an easy task at the beginning, but possible to learn and master with practice. Best 73, Milton

[tuneusin]

Very nice...but where can I purchase a sideswiper from?

73 DE BILL W8LV

[g0vqw]

Excellent video.Unknowingly until now you were my sideswiper tutor.Hope to hear you on the bands.

Sandy

[neilsanderson]

Thanks Carlo. This was a really clear explanation, with some very nice keying. Hope to meet you on the air one day. Neil ZL1NZ/VE3

[sparky42]

I did want to add one more thing though and that is to say that the worst sounding cw operators I ever heard were brilliant .They just aint got no rythem.and oh yes one more thing, being good at cw never made me one red cent ;-)

[sparky42]

a good straight key user can make a straight key sound like a cootie except for the ability to change directions . cw is music and if you aint got it you aint got it . You can inprove however with practice regardless of your natural ability. A lot of highly technicaly oriented ops dont have that good a fist because they predominetly use the other side of their brain that is needed for good cw and vise versa. there's been a ton of things written on this phenom.some have it all .

[stoker20]

You have a FB fist on that thing OM. Very nice to cpi. I never heard of a sideswiper B4. Thanks for posting. AB7TU