I had long been needing a set of paddles for use during camping trips and field operations. In my junk box I had a Switchcraft panel switch that had leaves that could be disassembled and I had thought of using it to make a set of paddles for many years. Finally, I took it apart and reassembled a few of the leaves into a set of paddles. I used an old unused Panoma box to enclose the paddles and I had to fashion a small piece of wood into the enclosure to properly center the leaves. Just for a size reference, the screws on the lid are 4/40 screws.
To easily connect different cables to the paddles, I installed a 1/8" stereo type jack in the rear. Since not all of my radios are wired the same, I just flip the whole box over to switch which lever is "dits" and "dahs".
To use the paddles, I either hold them with one hand and send with the other or use a piece of double-sided tape to adhere the paddles to a rig or table. Even though they are small, the paddles are very durable and hold up well to being just thrown into a bag and carried with the rest of my equipment.
