Chickadee Tap - Straight Morse Code Key

The Chickadee Tap is a compact, ultra-lightweight straight Morse code key designed for amateur radio operators who want a simple, durable, and highly portable CW key.

Built around mechanical keyboard components, the Chickadee Tap takes a different approach to the traditional straight key. The keyboard-style switch provides a crisp, consistent action while allowing the entire key to remain incredibly small, lightweight, and durable.

Designed with POTA, SOTA, QRP, and portable operators in mind, the Chickadee Tap takes up very little room in your radio bag and adds almost no weight (Under Half an Oz) to your portable setup. Its durable construction makes it ready for the field, whether you're operating from a park, summit, campsite, or your home station.

Key Features

• Traditional Straight Key Operation — Simple, familiar CW operation without an electronic keyer.
• Mechanical Keyboard-Based Design — Uses keyboard components for a responsive and consistent key press with switch life over 50M Cycles!
• Ultra-Lightweight — Just under Half an Oz
• Compact & Portable — Small enough to easily fit into a POTA, SOTA, or QRP radio kit.
• Durable Construction — Built to handle regular use at home or in the field.
• Simple Connection — Connect it to the straight-key input of any amateur radio.
• No External Power Required — A straightforward mechanical key that doesn't require batteries or charging.
• Open-Source Design — As with all my designs, completely 100% Open Source: https://github.com/TurkeyBoards/Chickadee

Built for Portable CW

When you're carrying your entire station into the field, every ounce and every inch of space matters. The Chickadee Tap was designed around that idea.

Rather than carrying a large traditional straight key, the Chickadee Tap gives you the basic functionality you need to send CW in a much smaller package. Toss it in your radio bag, backpack, or portable station kit and you're ready to operate.

It's an excellent companion for Parks on the Air (POTA), Summits on the Air (SOTA), QRP operations, field kits, emergency communications, and everyday CW practice.

Simple. Lightweight. CW.

No complicated electronics. No batteries. No oversized hardware. Just plug in your Chickadee Tap and start sending.

73 and happy keying!