[Elecraft] Samuel Morse's birthday (Friday, April 27th); good excuse to break out your old hand keys

[Chris R. NW6V]

Good Idea Wayne!

And I'll remind the assembled masses that the unsung hero in the story of
Morse code was a fellow named Alfred Vail - who played Wozniak to Morse's
"Steve Jobs." Vail pretty much invented the dash-dot code as we know it, as
well as the hand key. But it's Morse's name, as owner of the company that
paid for it, on the patents. Sic transit Gloria.

Searching archives, I found a note where Morse urged Vail to increase the
spacing between the characters he was sending because they were running
together. Imagine that! Morse was the first guy ever to complain about
somebody's fist!

73 Chris NW6V


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

Message: 8
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2018 20:24:40 -0700
From: Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com>
Subject:
Message-ID: <48F17A07-A981-4CED-A8C2-4131BDB53194 at elecraft.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

No matter how busy I am tomorrow, I aim to make at least one QSO on this
coming Friday in honor of Samuel Morse?s birth (227 years ago!). I?ll be
dusting off my oldest hand key for the occasion, one with a leg strap and
Levi?s-style button that was used by the South African army circa WW2.

If you have an even older hand key, and you manage to get its contacts
cleaned in time for this auspicious date, please send me a photo of it.
I?ll collect the photos and post them on the Elecraft website photo gallery.

73,
Wayne
N6KR