[Elecraft] vibroplex bug

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

-----Original Message-----

On Jul 26, 2007, at 12:51 PM, Ken W5HYN wrote:

>
> FYI, Vibroplex offers an extension arm (called Vari-speed) to slow 
> down their bugs and it makes fine tuning speed easy.  I put one on
> my old Lightning Bug and it will slow down to below 15 wpm.
>

I bought my first bug 55 years ago as a 5 WPM novice.  That arm  
wasn't available then, so I drilled a hole in a piece of steel and  
attached it to the top of the weight with a longer screw.

Bob, N7XY

--------------------------

Clothespins and (my favorite) large alligator clips hung onto the pendulum
have done such duty too. Position them so they don't interfere with the
damper action. 

The thickness of the springs in Vibroplex keys has varied widely over the
years, which has affected the minimum speed they would run. That was a
serious problem for many commercial operators at maritime land stations who
had to QRS to 15 wpm or so. At some facilities they weren't allowed to run
over perhaps 20 wpm. One of the keys I own today was given to me by the
widow of an old buddy who sailed as a radio officer during and after WWII
then worked as an operator at coastal station KPH for years before retiring.
In the 1960's for one reason or another he bought a new Vibroplex bug, one
of the ones with the thick, fast springs. His solution was to add a cable
clamp to the pendulum! It works, but it makes for a very heavy feel! I
prefer to use it with an alligator clip to extend the length of the
pendulum. Making the shaft longer has a much greater effect on the speed
with less weight. 

There's a picture of my old buddy, Les, at his key with the cable clamp
weight while operating at KPH at:

http://www.radiomarine.org/historic-5.html

Les (LR) is in the top picture. Note the cable clamp on the bug in the lower
right corner of the picture.

My favorite remains my E.F. Johnson version of the Speed-X bug. It's
probably my favorite because I got mine back in '52, a few months after
earning my General class license. It has a really nifty weight control: a
simple clutch that releases the weight when squeezed so it can be slid back
and forth without messing with thumbscrews, etc. And it never works loose
<G>. And the adjustment range easily runs from about 13 up to over 40 wpm.
The Johnson version of the Speed-X still turns up regularly on the on-line
auction places. 

Ron AC7AC