The AT Paddle:
A Little Gem
Special to The ARS Sojourner
I hike the Appalachian Trail here in Pennsylvania all
the time and I love to operate QRP too. Have you ever tried to balance
a standard paddle on your lap while sitting or lying down? It’s not
an easy thing to do and you spend to much time playing around with your
paddles or key. I use what I affectionately call my AT Paddle.
It weighs in at only a half ounce and with a six foot extension cord that plugs into the back of my K1 it weighs in at less than three ounces! The paddle is made from a stereo plug and you can operate it from any position. If the dots or dits are backwards, just spin the paddle over and it works just fine!
The maximum speed I can operate my AT Paddle at is around 25 – 30 wpm. I might be able to operate the paddle faster, but my brain just won’t do CW faster than 30 wpm.
My AT radio setup is an Elecraft K1 Radio that fits into an orange Mountain Ops soft case. I slip the K1 into this close fitting case and in the front pouch I put my power cord; AT Paddle with extension cord and a small foldable set of headphones. I also slip a small logbook into the case. My 2.2AH battery is placed in my backpack. One amateur told me he just plugs his AT Paddle into the front paddle jack on his rig and operates.
My AT Paddle saves me space and weight and works great while I kick back and lie down against my backpack. So put those heavy and bulky paddles and keys away and use this little gem of a paddle!
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Edward R. Breneiser, WA3WSJ, is an avid outdoorsman, QRP filed operator and hiker along the Appalachian Trail in the Eastern United States. He live in Reading, PA.