It's been a while since my last update, but I've been keeping busy. My Heathkit HW-16 and I have been prowling the 80-meter band after midnight lately.
I'm still using my old beat-up Speed-X bug. I've been working this evening on a really nice 1927 Vibroplex Lightning Bug I've got, but I'm having a problem with circuit continuity. The pendulum circuit has some resistance in it, as the dits are barely closing the circuit on the HW-16, and it makes the sidetone sound like a sick water buffalo. God awful racket!
I've cleaned the contacts, but I'm leaning now to either the straps and screws on the contact posts having some corrosion on them or the screws at the terminals have similar corrosion. There seems to be some intermittent contact too around the bent lugs on the hinged dah lever — if I jiggle the lever up and down a bit (it has some slop in the action), I get static and noise.
I think I'm going to have to disassemble the offending parts, clean them thoroughly and try again. I probably should use some contact cleaner on the ears of the bent lugs on the dah part of the paddle. I've thought about trying to bend the lugs tighter, but I don't really want them to bind. The trunion pins appear to be corroded, and therein may lie the problem.
Vibroplex has unveiled a new Web site at www.Vibroplex.com — and what an upgrade, too! The company needed to revamp its site, and they've also rescanned their diagrams of their keys. Very nice job overall.
I am going to go play with my Lightning Bug again and see if I can get it on the air tonight. Otherwise I'll revert to my comfortable Speed-X … or heck, I've only got a couple dozen keys to chose from!
73 es CU AGN … de KY4Z SK …. dit dit ….