The eBay “bug” struck again recently … I haven't been bug chasing for quite some time, so maybe I was due a new bug, eh?
Actually, I've been trying to slack up on eBay after making several “big” purchases — which both have “Icom” on them. In May I couldn't resist a great deal on an IC-746PRO, and about 3 weeks later I snagged an Icom IC-706 .. of course, I already had one 706 mounted in the shack that I have devoted solely to the 6-meter band (I keep it on the 50.125 MHz calling frequency any time I'm awake).
Why a second 706? I've just about decided to ditch my plans to run the Kenwood TS-50 in the Durango. Not that the TS-50 is a bad rig — its a super rig, and gets great reports. I've used the 706 enough that I simply just prefer using it. Besides, the price was right on it. It works great, I took it to Field Day and ran it on 6 meters and HF.
I still miss the filters in the 746PRO and my PRO3. The poor PRO3 hasn't been used in weeks. I love the rig, don't get me wrong, but the 746 is no slouch. I like both rigs, and the 746 is decent on 2 meters too.
As much as I enjoy the full-color display on the PRO3, the single color blue display on the 746 offers me better visibility from across the room. My computer desk is across the room, and at a glance I can simply see the 746 better from a distance.
Part of me enjoys using the 746 because I don't mind so much if it gets struck by lightning, lol! The PRO3 would make me nuts if I lost it, lol! Not very sane reasoning, is it?
But back to the bug part of this entry …
I recently won an auction for a 1920 Vibroplex Original in excellent original — as found — condition.
The impressive parts of this key include the fact that the gold pinstriping is intact all the way around the key, and it has the not-so-common Vibroplex “bug” logo sticker on the base — not many of these around today.
The key was sold with a Western Union sounder and apparently the two worked together. The initials “G.R.” are engraved neatly on the side of the damper of the bug.
The bug, as show in the photo, has two paddles rather than the traditional finger and thumb pieces. I don't believe these pieces are originals, but probably are period pieces. This key worked for a living, judging by the wear on the contacts.
The nickel plating looks pretty good, but the key overall has a healthy coating of eight decades of dirt. I suspect that if I cleaned it up it would really shine again. I'm not sure yet what to do with the base. If it didn't have the sticker on it I would simply try to wash the base clean. I don't want to damage the sticker, so I may be forced to simply leave the key as is, or only clean the metal parts.
I'm leaving my options open. I may try to recreate the Vibroplex sticker. That way I could restore the key and have it back as good as new.
The base would clean up very well as is, it only has chips around one corner or two. That sticker is the problem and the attraction to the key.
The key has the old style pin-lever dash lever, and once I cleaned up the contacts it actually worked pretty well. During shipping the key took a hard hit and it damaged the lower pivot. This isn't uncommon; a hard hit will often break the wall of the pivot point on the upper or lower trunion. It's an aggravation too because so many wonderful keys are damaged needlessly. The best way to do it is to pack the key properly or go ahead and remove the keying lever to prevent damage. Not hard to do either way. I went ahead and gave the seller good feedback, I repaired the key and its fine.
The sounder looks pretty good too, and who knows, I might try to wire it up with the new bug. That would be a hoot, and probably a pretty good demonstration for the radio club or school. Maybe I need to get two sounders and make a telegraph line, eh? Hmmm…
I took one the 1945 bug that I cleaned up recently (see previous entry below) to Field Day where I guess I was the only person who really seemed to give a damn about it. I'm not sure many peopel actually realized what the hell it was. So much for my education program, lol!!
I'll keep my eye open for more bugs …I've let several “good deals” slide through my fingers after trying to answer the question “How many more identical post war Vibroplex bugs do I need?”
I've also bypassed several not-so-rare Speed-X bugs, but I have to admit I really like those keys. They're pretty sweet to use, and have a good speed range. Old Les Logan made good keys, lol.
That's enough for this time … 73 es CUL …. del KY4Z sk ….. dit dit ….