[GreenKeys] What the heck is a "Selector Key"?

[Doug Alderdice]

Hello Frank,

You are entirely correct, except that the motor-driven selector keys are 
the 62A for the desktop model and 63A for the switchboard stile-mount 
version.  There were "A" and "B" versions of both, the "A" version being 
for a 17-step code and the "B" version for the 27-step code.  The Type 60 
style selector keys like Derek was offering are the spring driven models 
that are coded to pulse out one station's code sequence.

I have a photo of a 62A selector key on my telephone web page, in the 
switching section: http://mysite.verizon.net/dalderdi/phones/#switch

73,

Doug, KA2WFT

At 08:29 PM 3/12/2009 -0500, kf9nz at juno.com wrote:

>  I am sorry I have been offline for a couple of weeks and missed this
>thread.  I am quite familiar with  60 type selectors, and can tell you
>more than you want to know about them.   The 60A key and the 60C did
>exactly the same thing -generated the code in exactly the same way.   The
>60A mounted in a desk top base with contact springs so that a spare key
>could be installed quickly.  The 60C was made to mount in the stiles of a
>telephone switchboard, and the motor ran on 48VDC as opposed to the 60A
>which ran on 120 AC.
>         Typically the 60A key was used by a Train Dispatcher (which I was
>part time for a while) to signal the train order operators (which I was
>for 12 years) on his piece of railroad.  The Dispatcher's line was a
>party line, sometimes over 200 miles long.  Each station where there was
>an operator had a 160 or similar selector set which had selector receiver
>60AP or BP in it.   When the Dispatcher needed to talk to an operator he
>punched two  red buttons and then one black button.  The numbers on the
>red buttons governed the first and third strings of pulses and the middle
>string made up the difference.  The total number of pulses was always the
>same.  Only the number of pulses between the pauses was different.  The
>selector key then operated two hefty relays.  One turned the 250 VDC on,
>and the other was a pole changer.   The polar DC signal was then fed into
>a humoungus transformer primary.  The secondary was connected to the
>line.  The result was (nominal) 3 -1/2 cycle AC which caused the polar
>armature of all the selector receivers on the line to operate and drive
>the code wheel you can see in Jeff's videos.   Small pins fitted into
>holes in the code wheel determined if the code wheel  was held in an
>advanced position by an arm, or fell back to the starting position and
>thus never reached the ring position.     After 12 years as an Operator I
>became a comm maintainer/lineman and fixed the durn things.   To think
>that two NOS keys still exist is equivalent to finding a 1920 automobile
>brand new-never-been- run.  I am ignorant of the use of 60 type selectors
>being used in TTY selective calling, but if so I am enlightened.  I can
>tell a few stories about this stuff, but it isn't very relevant to
>Greenkeys which is what we're here for.  Somewhere I have some original
>Western Electric booklets that describe the system in detail.
>
>Frank
>On Tue, 3 Mar 2009 21:15:06 -0600 "Derek Cohn/WB0TUA"
><vibroplex at mindspring.com> writes:
> > Hi Gang,
> >
> > I picked up a box of "teletype" parts recently and inside were two
> > NOS boxes.  One was marked "Selector Key 60A" and the other was
> > marked "Selector Key 60C".  The boxes are dated May 1957.  I've
> > posted photos on the web to help with the ID:
> >
> > Here is the selector 60A:
> >
> > http://www.mindspring.com/~vibroplex/selector60a.jpg
> >
> > Here is the selector 60C....it includes an envelope with some little
> > part in it (I haven't opened the envelope):
> >
> > http://www.mindspring.com/~vibroplex/selector60c.jpg
> >
> > I was planning on tossing both of these on eBay...if anyone on the
> > list is interested in these, please let me know.
> >
> > 73 and thanks for any help you guys can give me,
> >
> > Derek Cohn
> > Morse Telegraph Club - Alton Chapter
> > Office UD, Sine DJ
> > Amateur Radio Station - WBØTUA
> > 1969 Brunswick M274A5 Mechanical Mule