Morse Key

[shipbuilder]

I designed and built this American-style side-swiper bug key myself, completing it a few days ago. I found this type of morese key a lot easier to use than the conventional up-and-down types favoured in Britain, espcially when I was in passenger liners with a huge amount of radio traffic to send. I started with a Japanese bug key that I purchased in Cape Town in 1965. Eventually, I purchased a Vibroplex morse key in Houston, Texas, in 1977, and used it regularly until I left the sea in late 1992. A few weeks ago, I decided to try and build my own. It works great. The vertical pillars are old used rifle shells. Took it to the local model society today, but usual thing - not a great deal of interest! It has a valve (tube) oscillator fitted, and a small loudspeaker mounted underneath the vibrating arm that produces the dots (operated by thunb). The dashes are made manually with the forefinger.
Bob

 

[DocBlake]

Giving up your I-Phone?????

Nice work!

Dave

 

[shipbuilder]

I don't have an I-Phone! :lol: Generally, I dislike modern technology, although I do like using computers, scanners, printers etc. If I design or build anything electronic, it is is only with valves (or tubes as they are called in the US). Quitting the electronic "rat race" in late 1992 after 32 years, was one of my better decisions! But in ship modelling, I prefer to be more up-to-date, usually from the 1890s to about 1965, where most modellers seem to prefer to build much earlier ships.
Bob