DX Engineering Customer/Technical Support Specialist Wayne Smith, K8FF, Recounts the Invention of This Beloved, Breakthrough Iambic Paddle
The story of the Code Warrior telegraph key began in 1997 at the Dayton Hamvention®, one of the largest gatherings of amateur radio enthusiasts in the world. While chatting with a friend from California, I was presented with an intriguing challenge:
Could I design a new telegraph key to be used as a fundraising project for the NorCal QRP Club?
At the time, magnetic keys were rare, and I had long been fascinated by the idea of using magnets instead of traditional springs. This was my chance to bring that vision to life.
Determined to create a practical and efficient design, I got to work and developed a prototype. I sent it to NorCal, and they loved it. They asked if they could use it as a fundraising project, offering it as a kit to hams interested in building their own. By the end of 1997, the CW instrument (originally called the K8FF Paddle) was launched as a kit. The response was overwhelming.
Over 1,600 kits sold in just two months at $30 apiece, raising thousands of dollars for the club. Enthusiasts shared their experiences, talking with each other (this was very early Internet times) and posting updates on how they were assembling, painting, and polishing their keys. I received thousands of emails from builders worldwide, asking questions, offering suggestions, and expressing their excitement. The kit was also featured on the cover of QRP magazine along with a detailed dimensional drawing for the true home-brewers.
In 1998, after a successful run, NorCal decided they no longer wanted to handle the distribution and returned the design to me. As a recognition of my work, they honored me with a design award for the project and gifted me with the very first kit. At that point, I wondered if I could take the concept further, so I built 20 identical production versions to see if it could be manufactured consistently.
With one of those units in hand, I returned to Dayton Hamvention that year and met with Vibroplex, a well-known name in telegraph keys. They were immediately interested, and that meeting set the stage for its transition from a club kit to a commercial product. That’s when Vibroplex gave it a new name—Code Warrior.
It was sold as the Code Warrior Jr.
Over the years, an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 units have been built and sold. The magnetic key design that I once dreamed of has now become a widely accepted concept in the amateur radio world. Before the Code Warrior, very few keys used magnets, but they are a common feature today. I took inspiration from Steve Nurkiewicz, N2DAN (SK), who experimented with magnetic keys in the 1960s, but his designs were expensive. My goal was to create an affordable, accessible version—and the NorCal key turned out to be the best balance of performance and ease of assembly.
Even after all these years, the Code Warrior Jr. remains available through DX Engineering and Vibroplex (which changed ownership in 2009). The design has since been copied by a Chinese company that produces a low-quality knockoff. A friend of mine purchased one and confirmed that the craftsmanship doesn’t come close to the original.
One of the aspects of the Code Warrior that hams have loved is its portability. A production Code Warrior Jr. has been used on the VP8ORK South Orkney Islands and VP8GEO South Georgia Islands operations and other remote locations due to its rugged, lightweight design. Its compact design even allows it to fit in a car’s cupholder, making it an ideal choice for mobile operators and POTA activations.
Looking back, the journey of the Code Warrior has been an incredible one—from an idea born at Dayton Hamvention to a beloved telegraph key that has found its way into the hands of thousands of hams across the globe. It was mentioned several times in the Compendium of Automatic Morse Code by Ed Goss, N3CW. It’s a reminder of the ingenuity and collaboration that make the amateur radio community so special.
Watch the Code Warrior in action in this segment from “CBS Sunday Morning”:
Do you own a Code Warrior key? I’d love to hear your experiences with it—where you’ve used it, how you’ve customized it, and what it means to you. Share your stories in the comments below!
