so ive been trying to get back into CW after maybe a 15 year break and things have changed a bit with my setup. picked up an old Bencher BY-1 paddle at a hamfest last month and im using it with the keyer built into my IC-7300 and something just feels off. like my dits are coming out cleaner than my dahs, or maybe the other way around, hard to tell when youre also trying to copy at the same time.

i think the tension on the paddle might need adjusting but im not sure where to start. i messed with the gap a little and it helped slightly but now i feel like im squeezing too hard trying to make up for it. been practicing with the G4FON software which is great btw, but when i go to actually transmit its like my hands forget everything. anyone else gone through this coming back to CW after a long time away? wondering if its the paddle, the keyer settings, or just me being rusty

oh man this sounds exactly like what happened to me when i came back to cw a few years ago. the muscle memory is still kinda there but its like it gets scrambled when theres actual pressure to perform. what helped me was just slowing WAY down, like embarrassingly slow, 8 or 10 wpm even if you used to run 20+. your hands need to relearn the rhythm without the brain panicking.

on the paddle itself, the gap adjustment on a Bencher is pretty forgiving, you want just barely a business card thickness between the contacts, some guys go tighter but i find that leads to exactly what you're describing, squeezing too hard and double-clicking dits all over the place. also check the icom keyer speed and make sure the weight setting isnt cranked up weird, sometimes those get bumped. the 7300 keyer is decent honestly, probably not the paddle or the radio its just rust, give it a few weeks of daily practice even if just 10 minutes

i had the same thing with a BY-1 and what i found out was one of the contact screws had gotten slightly loose from transport and the gap was inconsistent depending on how hard i squeezed. worth checking that everything is snug before assuming its a keyer timing issue. also the icom built in keyer is fine but if you ever want to go down a rabbit hole, the Winkeyer USB is kind of the gold standard for feel and a lot of contest guys swear by it for smoother iambic operation. not saying you need it just saying theres a whole world there if the bug bites you again