Well, I finally got around to hooking up my Kent paddles to the 710's keyer, and it works great! Only thing is, the radio has to be in one of the two CW modes, but you don't need break in (BK IN) to be turned on in order to be able to monitor your keying, and since I have TX INHIBIT turned on, there's no issue with RF getting out. I think I'm all set!
Some people have complained about the horrendous key click the 710 was putting out on the monitor, which I also experienced. It's a loud click on the trailing edge of the envelope as the key is released. It gives an annoying echo effect that can tend to mess with your cadence. However, I have discovered it only happens if the AF is turn all the way down. I found that if you turn the AF up a little bit (for me, I turn it up until I hear a click through the speaker), the harsh trailing edge key click goes away, and is replaced by a nice, percussive attack on the leading edge of the envelope which I find to be reinforcing, and quite nice.
I already got my "CQ"s sounding good at 18 wpm. Guess I'll just start working on the rest in dribs and drabs. No rush as I don't have my ticket, and I can't TX from here anyway.
Thanks for all your input! I couldn't have done it without you.
