so ive been getting back into CW after maybe a 15 year break and picked up a used Bencher BY-1 paddle a few months ago. overall its a nice paddle but something feels off with my sending and i cant figure out if its the keyer settings or just me being rusty or what. im running it into an Icom 7300 and using the built in keyer.

the dits seem to run together sometimes especially when i try to push past like 18 wpm and i get these little extra dits at the end of letters that arent supposed to be there. ive tried adjusting the tension on the paddles and messing with the iambic mode (been going back and forth between mode A and mode B honestly not sure which one i should be using) but it still feels mushy to i guess is the word.

anyone been through this? is there a good way to calibrate yourself back into CW after a long time away or am i maybe just expecting too much too soon. also genuinely curious what mode everyone runs, A or B, feels like theres a religious war about that every time i bring it up lol

oh man the mode A vs mode B thing, yeah you will never get everyone to agree on that one. i ran mode B for years because that was just what i learned on and then switched to A and honestly after a few weeks i didn't notice anymore. most people i know who started without an iambic keyer tend to prefer A. but thats not really your problem here.

the mushy dits issue sounds to me like your weight or ratio setting might be off. the 7300 has a keyer weight adjustment buried in the menus somewhere, not just speed, and if its set too heavy it can make everything blur together at higher speeds. also check that the paddle contact gap is consistent on both sides, sometimes one side sits a little closer and throws off your squeeze timing without you realizing it. id slow way back down, like 12-13 wpm, and just run drills for a few weeks before pushing the speed up. your hands remember CW but they need time to remember it properly if that makes sense.

just went through almost the exact same thing last year, came back to HF after forever and my fist was absolutely terrible for weeks. what helped me honestly was just putting on some W1AW code practice recordings and copying in my head while also sending along with it on a straight key, not the paddle. something about going back to basics with the straight key kind of reset my timing before i went back to the paddle. might sound silly but it worked for me