# morse keys



## de paor (Apr 14, 2008)

anyone got any idea where one can be bought relatively cheaply for nostalgia purposes. Can be cheap copies if such things exists, just to stick on the mantlepiece so the grandchildren could se what we worked with fot all those years
rgds
Jim


----------



## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Try doing an eBay search for morse keys.
There are currently 25+ of varying descriptions for sale.
Including a Marconi 365EZ if you can afford it. Usually go to about 150 Euros.

Cheers
Kris


----------



## mikeg (Aug 24, 2006)

Jim,

Suggest you try Ebay especially if its only to be an ornament. Be aware though that some collectable morse keys can rise to extraordinary prices.
I hope you find what you are looking for.

Mike


----------



## mikeg (Aug 24, 2006)

Kris, great minds think alike (==D) 

GN SU Mike


----------



## de paor (Apr 14, 2008)

Marconi Sahib said:


> Try doing an eBay search for morse keys.
> There are currently 25+ of varying descriptions for sale.
> Including a Marconi 365EZ if you can afford it. Usually go to about 150 Euros.
> 
> ...


thanks for suggestion to both Kris and Mike
rgds
jim


----------



## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I wonder if anyone remembers the ETM-4C electronic paddle key, often advertised in Signal magazine. I still have mine (must be 30 years old now). Used to buy them from a place somewhere near Manchester.

It has a small memory in it, which with a bit of fiddling, could hold an obs message (which you can than crank out at high speed if some of those speed freak chinese operators at XSG give you a hard time).

It took a bit of getting used to, (dots on left and dashes on right), but once you got the hang of it, made for perfect morse, with no wear and tear on your arm even after sending one of those 800 word stores orders.

Lovely bit of kit, but pretty much a paperweight now.


----------



## freddythefrog (Dec 15, 2007)

Hi bob
Yes i remember that key quite well, bought one, sold it to a friend of mine, he still has it to this day and he still uses it on the amateur bands.
This one is about 37 years old now--still going strong, and yes Manchester was the place where i got mine. regards FTF


----------



## Mimcoman (May 18, 2008)

When I first had an ETM-4C, I used to turn it upside down, until I changed over the paddle wiring. I also have a 5C, where the paddles are "correctly" wired, but the speed control works backwards (ie turn it clockwise to slow down). Never bothered to rewire that.


----------



## NoMoss (Mar 14, 2007)

BobClay said:


> I wonder if anyone remembers the ETM-4C electronic paddle key, often advertised in Signal magazine. I still have mine (must be 30 years old now). Used to buy them from a place somewhere near Manchester.
> 
> It has a small memory in it, which with a bit of fiddling, could hold an obs message (which you can than crank out at high speed if some of those speed freak chinese operators at XSG give you a hard time).
> 
> ...


Being only a paperweight is true of my key- although it is used as a bookend. Mine is one that came from the 'old' Niton Radio station when we were moving up to our new station. It is a long arm silver coloured key which still has its bakelite cover and is mounted on a large piece of brass to keep it still. The type number is: P.S. No. 213 A.

I never really like using bug keys because I couldn't get to practice using one with a sidetone that wasn't connected to a live transmitter; sending rubbish would not have gone down well with the Post Office or DWS. Incidentally the DWS had their own bug keys wired in with just the paddle on a long cable which allowed the operator to move the key out of the way of the typewriter or teleprinter. Many blokes operated the key left handed 'upside down' and used their right hand to hold a pencil.


----------



## Earthmover (Jul 24, 2008)

Ted, I used a squeeze paddle and all the ones I looked at were wired with dots on the left but I found that the middle finger was quicker than the thumb so swapped wiring over and put the dots on the right. I used to run a Yaesu FT902DM which would send at about 45 WPM wound up full. didn't get a lot of sense from anyone tho' at that speed. (as stated on other pages) I took it to The Falklands with me and used it on 20M with a wire dipole which I made before I went down there. as soon as I sent DE VP8BDC or VP8MPA (The Mount Pleasant Airfield special event call) I was inundated with others calling me as VP8s didn't have to pass a CW test to get an HF licence so it was a real rarity to hear CW on VP8 if anyone has a copy of the RSGB mags from 12/84 to abt 5/85 in the stns heard you'll find these calls. ... -.- . .


----------



## NoMoss (Mar 14, 2007)

R651400 said:


> A coast station morse key recently went for £350 on ebay, number 29 in following.
> 
> http://www.morsemad.com/marine.htm


Perhaps my bookend is worth something after all!
Another reason I struggled with sending morse was that I broke my wrist in a car accident in Singapore in 1965 and it took a while to heal. Trying to send morse at 30 wpm didn't help. Blokes at the other end telling me to send faster didn't help either!


----------



## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

*Falklands Amateur Licence*

For Earthmover. 

Thumbnail of my Falklands Islands Amateur Licence. I had a Clansman transceiver onboard the CP tanker Fort Toronto and sent my first CW CQ on 14068 Khz at 2140 GMT on 11 Mar 83. Immediate reply (and subsequent QSL card) from G3HRY in Newport Pagnall. Then I reckon about half of the Northern hemisphere tried to contact me-a right pile-up. All this from a 15 foot whip about 50 feet above sea level. 
Great fun.

Regards

Rab T


----------



## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

From Marconi Mariner house magazine in the 70s


----------



## clydesider (Aug 3, 2008)

*Morse Key (I have one)*

(A) If you read about my request for a morse key in this thread you will see I am looking for a special type, but I do have a " Bath type" morse key that was used on the Sunderland Flying boat in good condition. It was better than not having a representative key for these types of boat. The Sunderland was a development of the Short Bros Empire class C, however I digress.
The one we need is the same as our colleagues bookend key.

I am willing to let you have my key in part exchange for an Empire one, mine cost me £25, but this type are available as are the others on E-bay.

Unfortunately as far as some of us are concerned especially pensioners like me, the Marconi Type were deemed in their day to be the Rolls Royce of keys so I am told, and consequently a bit too steep a cost for us to obtain.

Clydesider


----------

