Brian Ward - VK2WBJ

Gda Kevin.
My key arrived today in excellent condition, It is now plugged into the keyer and sounds and handles beautifully. Your work is very professional, especially the chrome work. I could not help but to think back many years ago when I was pounding out CW traffic all day in Papua/New Guinea & other ports, how much easier and more pleasant it would have been if I had the HCD key. Such is life.

tnx/73 Kevin.

PETER BUCKMASTER wrote:

My name is Peter [G1DQF] and I suffer from Parkinsons Disease. For those that do not know this makes me twitch a bit and shake a lot. After about 12 months I started to crack sending code using an old Kent twin paddle key. Then I met Kevin at an event at Tuxford Windmill. I was logging at the time.

He had his prototype key with him. I sat at the side of him, still logging, and there followed a day of wonder. I was truly amazed at, not only his ability to send and recieve, but also the key.

The speed was , at times, tantamount to RTTY. I had to save up and get one of the CHEVRON keys when they were in production.

My brother Ken [G6VGN] and his wife Sheryl [G0BYQ] bought me CHEVRON number 046 to cut a long story short. The night we went to Kevins to pay for the key, expecting a delivery in a few weeks, was amazing. I left Kevins with tears in my eyes and the CHEVRON clutched in my hands.

With the problems I have this key is excellent. Precise minimal paddle movement, and it does not move about if I twitch. No more chasing keys around the desk. Ideal for any speed and perfectly balanced.

Nothing can cure my problems but the CHEVRON helps me to combat them.

I look forward to meeting other CHEVRON users on the air soon.

Thanks to you Kevin es see you soon.
73 VA dit dit

Bill, W5SG, FOC 1863, HSC 1861

There have been so many superlatives presented about the Chevron key it would be hard to come up with anything more substantive. Suffice it to say, it is the most fluidic paddle I have ever used; the characters sent seem to just flow without effort.
My past experiences with magnetic paddles left me wanting in that I felt the initial break-over with the magnetic flux field to be distracting. I do not sense any of this with the Chevron. I have arthritis and the pressure from my thumb and index finger is not balanced and I have found the adjustment for the magnetic attraction to overcome my problem perfectly.

As others have mentioned, I have found that I am able to increase the speed on the keyer without the mistakes that I was making with my old paddle. I am not a paddle collector and after a few days with the Chevron, my old reliable G4ZPY VHS paddle went up for sale on QTH.COM and now has a new home.

Thanks to Kevin and Alan for the exquisite piece of workmanship that they have designed, machined, polished and delivered.

#016 HCD Dan Atchison N3ND

I have been fortunate to have owned or used many, if not most iambic paddles in my 43 year amateur career.  They range from the smallest and least expensive to some of the most expensive paddles manufactured.  The Chevron paddle falls somewhere into the latter category, but you will understand by the end of this review that, in my opinion, it was a small price to pay for the value you receive.

These remarkable paddles are manufactured, one at a time, by master machinists, and its expert craftsmanship is outwardly identifiable by its outstanding good looks.  They have such a beautiful luster that even a jeweler will admire.  Indeed, they are a piece of jewelry whose “eye candy” appeal is second to none.  But the real refinements are those which are not necessarily visible to the naked eye.

Attention to detail is something that many manufacturers overlook whether it’s a concern for production costs or a general lack of awareness of the end user’s true desires.  Certainly the Chevron key is built by those who love, cherish, and understand CW and the CW operator, but it goes much deeper as evidenced by their manufacturing criteria.  Even the smallest detail has been met with keen observation and thought.  Quite honestly, I believe these are built as a labor of love.

• Each paddle lever’s weight distribution is balanced perfectly to the opposing lever.  The same is true to the external dimensions of those levers.  There is simply no variation between the two levers on any single key – they are impeccably matched.

• The alignment of the ball bearing block is done by CNC machining.  This process eliminates variations that could possibly disturb the fragile rotation of the levers.

• Most other manufacturers of paddles rely on the bearing assembly or spring to commute the ground return for the paddle output.  This has proven unreliable for some type of electronic keyers which require a very low resistance closure.  Not so with the Chevron.  The Chevron uses a small, silver-braided and flexible tie between each lever and the ground-block, or base in this case.

• All adjustments are made through fine-threaded, close tolerance screw assemblies.  This allows a person to easily make very minor adjustments without having to go back and forth, and back and forth to get the right setting to their individual tastes.

• Cable connections to the key are done with very small banana plugs.  Why?  So you can change the dit and dah lever without having to unsolder and re-solder either a plug or a connection to the key.  I was equally impressed with the supplied cable (plug style of your choice) sent with the key.  It is a small diameter, shielded, rubber covered audio cable.  The choice of rubber insulation allows this cord to be extremely flexible and lie flat on the operating table.  Try that with PVC covered cable.

• The lever paddles are made from acrylic.  These fairly thick “finger pieces” exhibit no give or over-travel when you are keying, unlike many paddles out there.  Over-travel gives a mushy feel.  Additionally, the “finger pieces” are designed to allow a person to raise or lower them independently and upon personal preference to where their hand / fingers wish to rest.  Available in several colors of your choice, and this is cool, the gold color is actually gold burned into the acrylic.

• Even the feet.  Yes, the feet on the base.  Even as heavy as these paddles are, the way some people aggressively attack a key, enough sideways exertion may cause paddles to “walk” on the operating desk.  Not so with the Chevron.  Remember, we’re talking about attention to detail.  The Chevron uses rubber feet that have been designed to eliminate such a concern.  They really hold.

Of all magnetic tension keys I have used, I prefer the type that repels the lever to its resting point.  This means that the lever requires more weight to activate it, but it snaps back to its resting point quicker.  The immediate snap-action back to the resting point means that the lever is fully prepared to be exercised again for the next character formation.  I find this works best for me to send accurate Morse QRQ.

So, that’s a lot of detail, but how does it work?  I deliberately waited six weeks to use the Chevron before I wrote a review.  Why?  Because I wanted to make sure that I was not falsely enamored with them when I was really only trying to justify the expense. 

Quite simply, the Chevron has the best feel, the most perfect touch of any key I have ever tried or owned.  I can only conclude that it’s because of all the attention to detail; thus the reason for citing that early on.  Its feel is something which must be experienced; no written description can adequately express the exhilaration you get when you sit down with the Chevron.  These keys can take all the pounding you want to dish out, but I challenge you that to caress the Chevron will reveal its hidden qualities.  There is nothing finer.

There is no need for me to own another set of paddles.  My collection is complete.  I own Chevron #16.

Bill Brady G0JWB
Chevron Key Number #011

I recently took delivery of my HCD Chevron, full brass, twin lever paddle key. Kevin kindly delivered the key personally to me despite him living a considerable distance away. It was kind of him to make the trip.

Upon unpacking the key my first impression was that it looked very impressive and pleasing to the eye. A very careful inspection revealed that the key was constructed and polished to a very high standard. The standard of the engineering is faultless and has obviously been done with great precision and care. The overall finish is impeccable. One feature I particularly like is the contact gap adjusters use a very fine micrometer thread, this is extremely useful if you like a very small gap between the contacts.

The next thing was to connect the key to the rig via my usual outboard keyer and see how it performed. Kevin had also fitted a gold plated plug of my choice to the keying lead. Having attached the key and adjusted the gap settings to my liking I had a little off-air practice. I found the key to be extremely light to the touch and very responsive. The feel was ultra smooth and a delight to use at any speed. I have always liked a key that was light to the touch but the Chevron surpasses every key I have used to date. Interestingly, because the key was so light to the touch, I found it necessary to readjust my sending technique and now use even less pressure on the finger pads.

It is my view that the “Chevron Key” has been designed and manufactured with the serious Cw operator in mind, I know Kevin builds each unit by hand and takes great pride in each individual key. I have certainly fallen in love with my “Chevron” because it is absolutely a delight to use on the bands.

I appreciate that we all have our own preferences when it comes to selecting keys and know some of them can cost a lot of money, however, if you are considering making an investment and final choice you could not choose a better key than the Chevron.

I am not associated with and have no vested interest in Chevron Morse Keys. I am simply a very satisfied user.
I congratulate Kevin M0AGA and Alan G4HCD for their efforts in producing such a superb product.

Chevron Morse Key #005 John De Primo
K1JD

There are some very nice paddles here in the shack (Mercury/Bencher, Begali Graciella, and previously a WBL V22) so Chevron SN #005 had stiff competition when it arrived a short time ago. Kevin, M0AGA, a good friend, and Alan G4HCD have done an outstanding job leading the design, prototype and fabrication efforts. Right out of the box, I was able to run the code speed up and send relatively error free whereas most new paddles have required a (sometimes extended) period to adapt.

Personal preference adjustments are very easy. The contact spacing adjustment screws have super-fine threads which I’ve set to about 0.1 rotations from contact closure - VERY close. Happy to say, the Chevron has not shown any tendency to close by itself when set like this, a problem realized in many keys due to thermal instability and/or other design issues. The magnet gap settings allow greatly variable closure effort from very slight to heavy. The wide range of adjustment should accommodate most operator preferences.

Magnetic paddles like the Mercury have a very distinctive feel when breaking the magnetic field. Although also a magnetic design, the Chevron feels completely different; “neutral” is the word that comes to mind. One definitely gets the impression that the levers are perfectly matched and balanced and tolerances are held tight.

Heavy-fisted telegraphers (like me) hit paddles hard while sending which can cause contact bounce-induced errors, especially when the contact gap is set very close. I have not been able to induce ANY contact bounce errors with the contacts set near the closure point. Based on experience with otherwise excellent paddles, this is an astonishing achievement. Also, even with my heavy fist the paddle stays put on the desk.

The key’s clear protective coating in no way alters the natural hue of the metals. My key has bronze levers and base with other parts in brass. The subtle contrast between the pinkish bronze and the brass parts is beautiful. Don’t be surprised to see a few swirl marks in the finish as the keys are hand polished.

I would not elect to gold plate this particular key but believe that gold plating is now being offered as an option.
Measured in terms of enabling faster and cleaner CW right away, this paddle sets a new standard. It is an exceptionally fine key. In an era when telegraphers seem to be an endangered species, it’s comforting to know that the drive to achieve ever higher standards in key design and assembly is still very much alive.

Chevron Morse Key #15

Jack Ritter WØUCE
User Comments:

Never before have I been allowed the privilege of selecting component material, finger plate color and a personalized name badge for any hand key, bug or set of paddles.  Purchasing Chevron #15, anticipating its arrival and putting it to work on my operating position has truly been a most unique and delightful experience. 

Every one of Kevin’s e-mails from order confirmation to his response, when I advised him #15 arrived safely, exhibited his sincere dedication to producing the best keying device ever made and, to the absolute and complete satisfaction of his customers.  Kevin kept me informed of the assembly process and progress by providing periodic updates and photos as my key went through Chevron’s build and quality control steps.  I can honestly predict that Chevron and only Chevron will go to such lengths to make a customer feel not only special but bring buyers together as a family of users. 

I knew from photos and specifications that the key would be solid but when the package arrived I was brought to reality; this key is something very special.  I was like a kid at Christmas as I carefully opened the well protected key package then holding it in a soft cloth so not to put finger prints on its beautiful finish;  I simply sat down and stared at this magnificent piece of machinery in all its beauty.   Pictures do not do justice to this device.

Every CW operator wants and expects something special from their key as each device must be set to meet the user’s feel and touch.  Using my Chevron quickly made every other set of paddles I own obsolete.  The only problem I encountered while setting up and now using #15 was caused by my well established fifty-two year old bad habit of slapping bugs and paddles versus caressing the finger plate.  Adjectives to include “smooth, unique, easy to set, comfortable and simply outstanding” do not justly represent how #15 feels. 

After a very few adjustments to spacing and tension settings to match my touch and feel preference, I immediately noticed my sending speed increased even if keyer speed was not changed.  Once my caressing skill improved to overcome slapping the finger plates my sending errors declined and after a week’s use I am now close to achieving #15’s sweet spot adjustments.  My Chevron key is everything Kevin said it would be. 

Now the rest is up to me to improve my sending skills to match #15 inherent capabilities.  I now have two most prized possessions, the original hand key from the Ocean Liner Queen Mary and Chevron Morse Key #15.  Thank you, Kevin and Alan, for a most enjoyable buying experience and the finest keying device I have ever used.