[CW] Keys - A windy post for the New Year

[Fred Adsit]

As for the title, I am not known for brief postings. :-) If I get one
here, I dig a holes I cannot get out of, but I am sincere, and it often
re-creates or gives new life to an old thread in which all of us are
interested or we would not be on these reflectors.

Interesting discussion of keys goes on here at times. :-) I have had a
Lionel J-38 for quite a while and it has never had any real "snap" to it.
I settled for it, since I use hand keys very rarely, having used one of my
Vibroplex bugs for a hand key when it seemed necessary. I had tried a Nye
(see later on the page(s)).

Anyway, recently I picked up, free, an old Vibroplex Original and since it
had a long shaft, I got a bug tamer for that one. It works at VERY low
speeds and considering it is just a run of the mill Original, if it were
the only bug I had, I would be satisfied (and that includes not having
that top "jewel" which I have experienced with far more expensive keys
which are very smooth with very little up-down slack to permit smooth
action.

Now back to the J-38 type of key. When I picked up the free bug, I also
spotted a hand key and took that too. (this was OK - everything on the
table was free :-). I cleaned it up, and with help from Tom W1TP, we
figured out what this VERY SNAPPY key is, close enough anyway... It is a
#1451 FOOTE-PIERSON LEGLESS KEY: This looks like the Bunnell Triumph key
but shorting lever stamped FOOTE-PIERSON. Base stamped LEGLESS KEY,2-A,
W.U.TEL. CO. No photo. at following location:
http://www.chss.montclair.edu/~pererat/m3000.htm .

Tom told me the following about it, and it works so well, I will never
need a new hand key. I made a base for this one and it works just great.
Here is what Tom said:

"It is a common general purpose land line key designed by Bunnell and made
by the tens of thousands 1880s through 1950s.  Some were stamped Western
Union and others were stamped by the distributor, in your case, Foote
Pierson. The only way to narrow the creation date is to look very closely
at the knurling and connecting post design.  I would guess 1920  +/- 20
years for the usual Foote Pierson ones.

They sell on ebay for $15-20." So if you are willing to clean up a used
key, I would recommend this small investment.

Either that, or just go to Morse Express and buy yourself a Nye 312-003
(it has a shorting switch and the -001 does not)  plus the aluminum base
plate for it. I don't own but have used one of these and it is so simple
yet so very satisfactory. He has the new Navy knobs too if you prefer
them. I have no connection with Morse Express / Milestone Technologies.
But if New is what you want, and you don't want to try a Triumph series,
try what I said. I can't believe you would be disappointed. I realize if
you are a diehard hand key operator you might want to invest in something
far more elegant and expensive. Fine. But hey, these keys I am talking
about are not about to _break_ under heavy use :-). On the site, read the
testimonials. You'll perhaps see some familiar names there.

As for paddles, I have a Nye SSK-001 (big old-fashioned key with huge
paddles and great action, purchased new from ME/MT), a Vibroplex Iambic
from a ham auction (not the one with magnets), a J-M March which some
think is lousy but I think is the living end, a Bencher BY-2 which needed
its spring stretched but now has the feel that I prefer and therefore I
find little fault with it, and all I use as single-lever paddles, not
bothering to use iambic keying. Many wonderful keys have come and gone
here as I cut deals, but what I have will do me, and the one that will
never get connected to the rig again is that Lionel. I thought it was
fine, but little did I realize... I also have a fairly rare and ancient
Signal Electric hand key with great action, but it and the Lionel are "on
display".

Fred Adsit NY2V
Happy New Year!
ZUT - CW Forever