My mailman has told me more than once that my oversized mailbox was a good idea. The standard size USPS Priority Mail boxes fit inside like a glove, meaning less paperwork for my carrier and less hassle for me.
Since yesterday was a holiday, I assume everyone's mail was fairly heavy today. My box was full, and what filled it mostly was a priority mail parcel containing not one, but two semi-automatic bugs.
These were sold by another collector who apparently was just getting rid of extra keys. I bought them worth the money, two in one auction.
The first was a Telegraph Apparatus Co. “hole in the wall” bug. This was a consortium company started during World War II involving CW ace Ted McElroy and the Hallicrafters Co. The TAC plant was in Chicago.
The TAC bug is complete with the exception of the bakelite thumb piece. It's the standard model with great painted base. It's dirty but in excellent original condition. It doesn't look like this key's been used in quite some time. My plan is to clean it up, replace the thumb piece and maybe put it back on eBay. These keys alone often bring more than what I paid for both of them.
The second key I initially though I would disassemble and use it for replacement parts for other keys. It's a Lightning Bug, and after looking it over, its in excellent shape.
The base has been repainted plain black (and rather poorly at that), and the thumbpiece replaced with a plexiglass one. The finger piece is missing. I replaced the finger and thumb pieces and the key came to life. The contacts were clean, and apparently this key had been refurbished for use and then stored. It only took a minute to have it adjusted to my liking. I used it to check in to the KSN this evening, and it handled very well.
The only thing the key needs is the brass Vibroplex nameplate. No nameplate, makes ID'ing the year of manufacture very difficult. Judging solely by the key's hardware (it's chrome plated rather than nickel plated), it would have to be 1940-50 vintage. The circuit closer knob material is the early bakelite, so its probably closer to 1940 than 1950. All this is a guess, of course.
But the key plays quite well, making it difficult to part the thing out. The base needs to be refinished; while its black and shiny, whoever did it made no attempt at sanding or priming.
The top parts (the metal parts above the base) are in excellent shape, and I had planned to strip parts off this key for the much rarer Vibroplex Zephyr model I have. The triangular plates are a bit on the rough side, and the Lightning Bug has excellent parts that would improve the Zephyr.
Perhaps instead I'll use one of my Champion keys as a donor for the Zephyr … and donate the Champion name plate to the Lightning Bug.
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Thunderstorms rolling through the area last night made it nearly impossible to get on 80 CW using 100 watts. OK, maybe it wasn't as bad as I've heard it, but I was the only check-in on KSN last night, and it took all the DSP, NR and filtering I could conjure up to manage to complete the net. Thankfully there wasn't any traffic or ragchewing. Even the roundtables higher up the band seemed to have called it a night due to static.
With nothing else to blab about, I'm pulling the switch. G'nite and 73 … de KY4Z … dit dit ….