Sunday, April 10, 2016, 10:30 p.m. — If you are like me, you browse eBay often (probably more than your XYL would like, HI!) … and you probably saw the key pictured above listed several times in recent weeks. I had meant to bid on it in the past but just didn’t follow it closely enough. This last time it listed, I made it a point to follow. I was the only bidder.
I have a soft spot in my head — er, HEART — for homebrew keys, so I was interested in this key if it wasn’t going to sell as a price in the stratosphere. I needn’t worry much because I was the only bidder (the previous listing period, the key didn’t attract a single bid).
Homebrew keys general reflect the skill and ingenuity of the craftsman, and this key is no different. At first glance, the key seem a little out of proportion. The key is larger than any other bug I know — even any of the various Mac Keys and TAC bugs.
And this key has some neat features.
ABOVE: For starters, the return spring on the keying lever (to return the left to the right after making dits) is not a coil spring. It is a leaf spring bent into a “U” shape (see above). The spring tension is adjusted with the lock nut between the spring and vertical support (again, see above).
When I unpacked the key, it took me a moment to figure out the lever return system, as I had expected some sort of coil spring; no, none to be found. The only problem I have with the system is that at its lowest setting the spring still exerts too much force. I could bend the leaf spring more, but I don’t really want to muck it up, you know?
The hinge arrangement for the dah lever resembles the double pivot design of the early McElroy Mac-Keys. The lever parts are, as Daddy would say, “Hell bent for stout.”
Physically, the key is one of the largest in my collection. Not only is it tall, the parts have a lot of mass to them. Keying this key requires some effort … its not an effortless key to operate like a Bencher BY-1 or other such key.
ABOVE: Overall, the key is very well thought-out. Check the keying lever arrangement above. Note the slotted, headless adjustment screw to the right of the lever return spring. You can the contact gap between the dah lever and it contact with this screw — a very nice touch because you can adjust that independent of any other adjustment on the key. On a Vibroplex style key, there’s some interaction between the travel adjustment at the rear of the pivot frame and how the dah contact spacing ends up at the front of the keying lever. The adjustments can be really fine tuned with this arrangement. Again, note the massiveness of the pars. The contact posts are on the order of 3/4-inch or more in diameter. Svelt, it is not.
If you check out the top picture of the key, you’ll see there are no traditional terminals on the base. That’s because the maker put them on the side of the dot post and one of the vertical uprights (see above). And check out the dot contact … the adjustments screws do not have heads like traditional keys, but are slotted with lock nuts to secure them in place.
ABOVE: The damper is a very simple wheel affair, though I didn’t realize it until I saw the photos, there’s probably supposed to be a rubber grommet or o-ring on the damper wheel. I assume the thumb screw on the damper post is another ground terminal if needed.
ABOVE: Here’s another shot of the lever return leaf spring and its adjustment. The leaf spring works well, its just a little too stiff to suit my tastes. The leaf spring attaches with a bolt, so it would be possible to make one with less tension to suit individual preferences.
ABOVE: Unfortunately, I don’t have something to set next to the key to indicate his size in comparison to other keys.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. Tonight while I was waiting for the CW net, I took time to hook up the key and play with the adjustments.
The key has a feel similar to other massive keys — like the McElroy P-500 and the “Hole in the Wall” bugs. There’s a lot of weight in motion when you use the key. The biggest adjustment I had to make was the throw for the keying lever (rightward throw). The lever travel was way too much to send decent code with the key, so I took time to adjust the lever for less travel and so the lever would strike the damper securely. I really liked the independent gap adjustment on the dah lever; it made it easy to reduce that gap without mucking up the rest of the adjustments.
The key is noisey to operate. I need to check on adding an o-ring to the damper wheel. Beyond that, it works pretty well … it takes much more than a light touch, but I think that could be changed with a replacement leaf spring for the lever tension.
RIGHT PLACE AND THE RIGHT TIME? (XYL DISAGREES). I submitted a bid earlier this week on a key that I never expected to win — a 1937 McElroy Mac Key what was listed on eBay.
You may have seen it — it was painted an unsightly shade of bright red — a color that never crossed my mind for a Mac-Key. Other than the color, the key looks pretty good. It has “Property Of” on the left side with the “U.S. Navy” ground off the base. These bases were leftovers from Mac’s contract with the U.S. Navy. As expected, the key has the small aluminum nameplate.
AND NEXT … I was checking new eBay listings and stumbled across a brand new listing for a Bunnell bug produced for the U.S. Navy. This isn’t listed as a J-36, but as CJB 26009, contract no. 1181, and serial number 2. The key was listed with its matching case, and what caught my eye is the case as an identical nameplate on it that matches the one on the key, only the nameplate on the case has serial number 3 and specifies on the plate “Case for Speed Key CJB 26009.”
The seller has it listed for $65 (!) and I couldn’t pass it up. It’s in pretty good condition overall and has a wedge cord. It is missing the weights, and it looks like the owner put some wiring to provide better electrical connection between the keying lever and the pivot frame.
I’ll have complete reports with photos on these keys in the near future.
73 es CUL de KY4Z SK … dit dit …