# Samson Morse Key



## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Coming up on 30 years since this key last sent a dit or a dah in a working environment. Retrieved it from a box in the attic this morning. It's looking a bit rough so I guess I'll have to clean it up a bit, although it's unlikely it'll ever be used again.
Kind of sad isn't it ?
I bought it in the 70's and I remember driving up to somewhere near Manchester to pick it up, although I can't for the life of me remember where. There used to be a regular advert in the Signal for these, and this old fellow served me well up until final payoff in Singapore in 1986.
The paddles aren't original, the ship took a big greenie over the bow one night and the key was thrown off the bench, breaking one of the paddles so I had to make a couple of replacements out of an old sheet of paxolin.
I can still tickle it a bit although I might get bollocked by Portishead until I've got a bit more practice in.


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## Farmer John (Feb 22, 2012)

I am not being silly asking this, could you explain the use and so on?


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

For sure. It's for sending morse code. Basically, it's a switch that turns on and off transmission from a radio transmitter. A very crude form of communication in one way, but don't let that fool you, computers use a not un-similar method.

Normally a morse key looks like an up and down plunger switch, and the operator clicks it up and down marking out the morse code by the length of time he opens and closes it, dots and dashes. Combinations of these dots and dashes make characters; letters and numbers.

This key uses two switches (the paddles on either side) one of which when closed produces dashes, the other dots. The timing of these being determined by internal electronics. If you close both switches, the key transmits dots and dashes in sequence, di dah di dah di dah ... and so on. So, an operator has to develop a somewhat different way of transmitting his data, using say two fingers or thumb and finger working as a pair to produce the morse characters. It does take a bit of practice, but it makes for perfectly timed morse and much less physical effort (yeah, I know, bashing away at a morse key might not seem like hard work, but after a length of time and given the concentration required for you to read your message and translate it to a series of timed transmission pulses can be exhausting.)

Hope that helps.


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## Mayday (May 26, 2009)

Farmer John said:


> I am not being silly asking this, could you explain the use and so on?


This is the type of implement which enabled some Radio Officers to send very bad morse code.
Never knew an electronic keyer who could send eight dots perfectly although I knew many who tried often.
Many an RO using an up and down thumper could send almost perfect morse.


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## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

Hi,

The keyer you have was made by Spacemark Ltd of Altrincham, Cheshire. They made several models of the ETM series of keyers and I have a magazine here from 1975 with their normal half-page adverts, cost of their top-spec model was £42, not cheap. Their advert also features the German Junkers straight keys, of which I own an example, a classic key IMHO.

73

Searcher


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Thanks Searcher, Altrincham, yes that definitely rings a bell about my journey northward.
Mayday, I guess we'll have to agree to differ. Once mastered the Samson was a beautiful key to work with in my experience, and I was trained on a thumper.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

I'm with Mayday. I never could see any benefit in a bug key - if there was one probably the companies would have supplied them.

John T


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Personally I don't consider this to be a 'bug key.' That's a different kind of animal. On visiting a Russian ship in Madras about 40 odd years ago I was taken on a tour of the radio room which turned out to be twice the size of my little Bank Boat Marconi set up, and the transmitter looked more like something out of the engine room than a radio room. 
He had what I think to be a bug key, a side swiper that ironically turned out to be made in the USA after the sparks let me examine it. Russians had a very distinctive style of sending morse, presumably down to those keys.
It's my own personal belief that bad morse is down to the operator, not the key.


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## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

*Bugs, sideswipers and keyers.*



BobClay said:


> Personally I don't consider this to be a 'bug key.' That's a different kind of animal. On visiting a Russian ship in Madras about 40 odd years ago I was taken on a tour of the radio room which turned out to be twice the size of my little Bank Boat Marconi set up, and the transmitter looked more like something out of the engine room than a radio room.
> He had what I think to be a bug key, a side swiper that ironically turned out to be made in the USA after the sparks let me examine it. Russians had a very distinctive style of sending morse, presumably down to those keys.
> It's my own personal belief that bad morse is down to the operator, not the key.


I'd call your Samson keyer an "elbug" or electronic bug key, although as it electronically makes dots, dashes and alternating dot/dash it's not really a bug.

The Bug is a distinct type of semi-automatic manual key made in the USA by Vibroplex with a Lightning Bug as their emblem. It had a manual single dash contact and a vibrating dot contact arm with adjustable speed setting for the dots. You pressed the operating paddle sideways to make either dash or dots, hence as you say, another slang name of sideswiper is often given to this type of keyer. 

The Russian bug key you saw may have been the J-36 military type, a lot went over on the Lend/Lease scheme. You can see one in use on an American aircraft in the film "Island in the Sky". Eddystone in the UK made a bug key too, looks like a large computer mouse and is very collectible. 

Today, hams would call any type of non pump-handle straight key "a keyer" and you can indeed hear some appalling keyer sending on the ham bands but also some good stuff too, especially the high-speed nets which reach speeds no one could sustain on a "pump". 

Me, since developing in my 60s what my doctor calls an "essential tremor" of the right hand, I have invested in a keyboard sender kit and let that do the work, although I still have to read the incoming code, so risk becoming "dit-happy" as well!

73

2004


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Many thanks Searcher, that's very informative. I'll have to clean up this Samson and practice a bit (I don't know what for, nostalgia being the operative word.)
I should mention those Russians were very friendly fellows but drinking with them led to a true endurance test. (==D)


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## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

BobClay said:


> Many thanks Searcher, that's very informative. I'll have to clean up this Samson and practice a bit (I don't know what for, nostalgia being the operative word.)
> I should mention those Russians were very friendly fellows but drinking with them led to a true endurance test. (==D)


OK Bob, well that ETM-4c is one of the classier models with callsign and other memories by the look of it. 

I know what you mean about Russian hospitality! Last time I worked in the Caspian in 1999 was with a mostly Russkie crew on board a locally-chartered survey ship. They had a plentiful supply of homemade vodka (K). The radio station was very 1950s, huge TXs and all the WX FX came on CW from Baku Radio.

Cheers

2004


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## beedeesea (Feb 28, 2006)

I never heard a bug key described as a sideswiper. To me, a sideswiper is a single-lever, horizontal paddle, which enables the operator to make dits or dahs on either side, neither side being restricted to one element.

Brian


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## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

beedeesea said:


> I never heard a bug key described as a sideswiper. To me, a sideswiper is a single-lever, horizontal paddle, which enables the operator to make dits or dahs on either side, neither side being restricted to one element.
> 
> Brian


Searching Google on sideswiper it looks like opinions vary, Brian, and I may be wrong on lumping bugs in the same category. I do have a sideswiper key here, the spring arm is made from a steel 6" ruler and it works OK either as a key or as a paddle for a Hallicrafters valved electronic keyer.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Following this I've also searched on Google (in some ways the most informative, and most cursed way of doing things .. sh1t, whatever happened before bloody Google ? ) and noticed that as in all things, it's not about definition, it's about opinion, which means in the main it's a bag of nails.
However, I stick to my original opinion, the Samson isn't really a 'bug key.' (Ouch)


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## beedeesea (Feb 28, 2006)

Yes, I guess that's the way of things. I have two sideswipers, a "bought-in" GHD, and a converted LTA straight key, using a piece of hacksaw blade. (Wonder would that be regarded as "cutting-edge" technology?).

Brian


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

In #7.............. John, you would if your c/s was ZSHI

David

+


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## Mayday (May 26, 2009)

R651400 said:


> The key in #1 is an el-key and definitely not a bug plus the fact if you squeeze both paddles depending which one closes first will send sequentially dot dash or dash dot continuously making it an iambic keyer.
> A bug key eg Vibroplex is purely mechanical and in the main semi-automatic with the dots generated by a vibrating reed and the individual dashes manually..
> A side-swiper is as described by bedesea in #12.
> Anyone who thinks a normal up and down keyer can outclass an el key has never had to send thousands of groups on a daily basis.


It is not that they "out class" up and downers, they never ever could do that. They were so mechnical and not really a pleasant listening experience. The problem being that we very rarely get the chance to listen to our morse being played back to us, especially the midnight OBS.

If you Listen to a proficient up and downer, we will all recognised that magical thing called "Fist" by the miniscule differences in the dot, dash, space length and slight variations in speed.
With electronic keys, you just did not get fist. It was mechanical morse with a stream of perfect dots, dshes and spaces and could have been sent by anyone.
Hand up all those ROs who had their favourites at DAN, GKA, VIS, 9VG, ZSC and JCS to name a few, you could recognise them.
Hands up all those ROs who thought "Oh sh1t, it's that silly bugger with the bug key".
Mind you, there was always that other dimension used by stations like 4PB: tone.

Regards to all, John M.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

david.hopcroft said:


> In #7.............. John, you would if your c/s was ZSHI
> 
> David
> 
> +


Is that supposed to be difficult?

John T

PS I dunno the difference between bugs, paddles, sideswipers, etc. Never had one or wanted one. I was only there for the beer.


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

My old morse instructor at Leith Nautical College, the late Ted Whitehead, reckoned "bug" keys were for those who couldn't send good morse on an up and downer!
As for sending hundreds of groups I never used anything else but an up and downer for sending the daily output of a KL-7's five letter groups. One of the longest messages I sent was in the region of 7000 groups. Receiving station was alerted by a Z code eg ZDJ 7000, the groups being sent in batches of perhaps 100. On correct receipt of each batch an "R" was sent by the receiving station.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I remember both Ted White and Fred Boetcher at Leith Nautical. I helped Ted with some work on his kit sports car, I can't remember the make, could have been a Lotus. I learned new swear words from Ted. Mr Boetcher introduced me to the intricacies of the Crusader Transmitter amongst other relics of that day. (Sad)


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

BobClay said:


> I remember both Ted White and Fred Boetcher at Leith Nautical. I helped Ted with some work on his kit sports car, I can't remember the make, could have been a Lotus. I learned new swear words from Ted. Mr Boetcher introduced me to the intricacies of the Crusader Transmitter amongst other relics of that day. (Sad)



Hello BobClay. Did you also help Ted to drink his Bass?


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I seem to remember he liked a drink. When I first went up to Leith in 1967 I'd already done a couple of years at sea as a fireman. I chose Leith because I'd never been to Scotland before.
I rode up there one bright sunny August Sunday on a Honda S90cc from my hometown of Stafford. About 270 miles and the M6 ended at Carnforth in those days.
When I got to Edinburgh and settled into digs I was very parched after 8 hours on a 40 mph putt putt so I went out for a drink. The first pub I found was closed, then the second ... and a third. In those days they closed on Sundays!! ... I realised I was a stranger in a strange land.(EEK)


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

Bob! We were in the same digs I believe. The Lambs at Bonnington Terrace.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Yes that's correct. 
I came out on that day and walked straight down the road opposite, the first pub was down there on the left, called the Lord Nelson or something like that. I got all the way down into Leith before I realised my worst nightmare ... all the pubs were shut. (Cloud)


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Well I was there from 67 to 70 and Ted only did morse while I was there. Fred Boetcher did theory and practical.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Well that would make me a student of Ted. He got me through it so I've no complaints. I suspect from what I read here he'd be sceptical about the morse key but he was very much old guard. When he got fired up though it was very entertaining, like a boiler lifting its safety's. :-D


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

King Ratt;1921802 ...
As for sending hundreds of groups I never used anything else but an up and downer for sending the daily output of a KL-7's five letter groups. One of the longest messages I sent was in the region of 7000 groups. Receiving station was alerted by a Z code eg ZDJ 7000 said:


> Wasn't there a Q Code for that too? Or am I kidding myself?
> 
> John T


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

R651400 said:


> Qrq...45


I've heard of a "trick question" .... is that a "trick answer"?

John T


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Not sure I understand this reference to 1st Class all the time, as if they were somehow in a position to make better judgement. By the time I wanted to upgrade my PMG 2nd I'd been at sea 5 years and the General was in. Further morse training was unnecessary and as far as I'm concerned that was a good thing as I was doing the General in parallel with the MED.
I went through the morse training for GCHQ because it was mandatory even though I was well experienced by then. I never saw or heard a morse signal again afterward. They paid me while doing it so who was I to complain. Their standards were somewhat more exacting than either General or both PMGs.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Bob, not sure but I think there was a perceived discrimination between 1st and 2nd Class ticket holders in the coast stations. Just going on previous posts on other threads.

Curious to know what the "more exacting standards" of GCHQ were. Can you say or would you have to kill me if you did?

John T


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Well they were higher than 1st Class in terms of speed and had to be error free for obvious reasons.

This is all a long time ago now and I've long since handed in my Aston Martin and Walther semi-automatic [=P]

I don't know how it was for other members who left the sea as the Merchant Navy declined but for several years I floundered for a bit. I worked in various jobs in telecoms, MOD Donnington, BT (pole climbing) but I didn't see much future in those, so GCHQ beckoned ('dark and deep')
Proved to be a more satisfying job than I had anticipated although it involved a complete subject career change which I thought in my early 40's might prove a bit much. (It's a strange business having worked for nearly 30 years with all the subsequent training and experience and then finding yourself having to start over.)

All water past the prop now. (Jester)


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Thanks Bob. Sending fast morse just comes with the territory but not much point if the punter at the other end can't read fast morse.

I expect most of us will have experienced the "career change" thing ... just shows how versatile we are. 

John T


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## GBXZ (Nov 4, 2008)

_As for sending hundreds of groups I never used anything else but an up and downer for sending the daily output of a KL-7's five letter groups. One of the longest messages I sent was in the region of 7000 groups. Receiving station was alerted by a Z code eg ZDJ 7000, the groups being sent in batches of perhaps 100. On correct receipt of each batch an "R" was sent by the receiving station.[/QUOTE]_

And after all that you could receive a service message on the next broadcast “ Your message held undecipherable this station please check and repeat”

Rgds GBXZ


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

Yes GBXZ. Your 192104z Mar 16 Gr 7000. Undecmes!
ZKL ZIC SN#41

73

KR


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

If my experience of the trip down to the Falklands without the MOD fit is anything to go by then said Government departments are a vast unstoppable spinning wheel transmitting vast amounts of information to all targets regardless of whether they need it or not. (Hence I was getting huge detailed weather forecasts for Port Stanley and the area all the way back to Southampton.)
Still ... it was good practice. (Smoke)


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## Robert Wheeler (Feb 17, 2009)

And here's the earlier basic version - the ETM-2b. 28 years in a box, this one. Your thread leader, Bob, got me to dig this out and wonder if I also ought to give it a bit of a sort out and see what my morse sounds like these days.
Bought in '74 and stayed with me for many years till I went for a posh Vibroplex iambic key which I, regretfully, sold later on after leaving the sea.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Is that the vibroplex on the right ? ... that's a very smart looking key.


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## IanSpiden (Jul 18, 2008)

Bob ,, Teds Car was a Lotus Super Seven , the other hobby he had was sailing model yachts. I never had any problems with his morse either 1st or second class, I did both at Leith , Boetcher was great at theory and I had Griff in the cabin.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

OK thanks for that. Ted saw me clumping around on a series of old British Bikes (BSAs, a Triumph and a Norton) and developed the idea I might be of use helping him with the car perhaps because I always seemed have oil on my hands (not unusual for old Brit bikes.) I was quite surprised when he showed me the car as I hadn't quite figured him for a car like that, which goes to show first impressions can be in error.
I never knew about the model yachts, perhaps he didn't want to get oil on the sails .. B\)


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I certainly went up that way to pick up the key back in the 70's. I can only vaguely remember the place I got it from. (It's 40 years or more ago.) I don't have the impression it was a manufacturing site, more a large house/office type place. I just took the key apart to see if there was any identifying marks but all I could find is a test tag which is stamped 'Spacemark' and gives a test date of 1971 as far as I can make out. But this is not a manufacturer's mark as I've seen them, just a test ticket.


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## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

R651400 said:


> Or maybe good or bad first impressions for better or for worse always seem to stick.
> Looking back on this thread something didn't quite gel as per Searcher's #5 saying your el-key was made by Spacemark of Altrincham Cheshire.
> Spacemark did make early el-keys (one of which I sent to a Greek friend a few years back) but they were only agents for the Samson keyers which were manufactured in Germany.


I looked again at the Spacemark adverts from the late 70s and can't see any reference to the keyers being made in W. Germany but they do mention use of the Samson paddle. Possibly Spacemark bought in the paddles and made the electronics? The latest model shown in my adverts is ETM-3.

Searcher


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Same as mine. I replaced the memory buttons with spring loaded switches as they seemed a bit twitchy. Many thanks for that link as I was able to download a circuit diagram (I lost mine long ago.)


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## jimg0nxx (Sep 1, 2005)

I have an ETM2 which I bought from SpaceMark in 1969, they only marketed them in the UK. The whole paddle arrangement and electronics were made in West Germany by Samson.


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## G4UMW (May 30, 2007)

I still use my ETM-3C, also bought from SpaceMark.


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## jimg0nxx (Sep 1, 2005)

I believe GKA had Katsumi.


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Yes they were Katsumi. 
We tried several types. Samson and others. Cost was as usual a factor and I dont think the Katsumi was the most popular. Most of us had our own ele/bug keys. I used all sorts over the years from a large battery/mains powered Katsumi - excellent key but they stopped us using the main supply and it used 12v batteries at a rate of knots. Then it was a Samson and various bug keys and finally one built by one of our guys which I still have. Excellent key. 

Neville


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## Larry Bennett (Aug 28, 2005)

Hi Nev,

You may recall back in the 'old station' (c. 1982) there was a morse key trial section in "B" Wing. There were 3 types on trial and we had to comment on each one in a notebook. There was a Heathkit one, A Samson one and the Katsumi one which apparently won the vote. However, I was subsequently told that the Katsumi one was preferred by the engineers for ease of adaptation to the power supply and sidetone links to the new consoles. The Heathkit key was a bit "spongey" if I recall, and the Samson one was the preferred option by the staff. But as you say most of use brought our own keys in anyway. I still have a GKA staff-built key in my collection, can't be many of them left. And of course one of the Rugby-made hand keys which apparently fetch a small fortune on eBay.
Larry +


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I seem to remember we had a Katsumi at GKZ towards the end, but I don't think it was popular. I had my trusty 'bug', and there was even an original vibroplex. I took my 'ebay pension fund' with me when I left !!.

David
+


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## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

I have a Dentsu Seiki Co. Electronic Keyer DA-1, served me well for nearly 17 years. It's up in the loft gathering dust if anyone wants a piece of maritime history.
Oh yes, only works off the mains (250v) ! Also jams up when tx on 6 Mhz.
Also had a mention in my passport when paid off in Bandar Mash.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

You have to wonder about all these Morse keys lurking about in lofts. Mine seems to have developed a fault which I suspect is it's way of protesting about being left up there for 20 years or more.
I'm retired, 69 years old and find myself fault finding on a Morse key ! It's true what they say, what goes around comes around. :sweat:


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## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

I think the old style electrolytics have dried out by now !


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I've been working with computers for so long getting a soldering iron out (also lurking up there in the loft somewhere) will be more of the same. To paraphrase a famous movie line:
"I love the smell of hot solder and singed flesh in the morning."
[=P]


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

I think I'll renovate the faded markings on my slide rule with a fountain pen.

John T


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

I've still got my slide rule from Leith Nautical College. Still in the original box (albeit much re-enforced with tape) and within reason still know how to use it. Sh1t !! I've still got log tables I used at school somewhere (again, lurking in a dark recess of the loft.)
It does make you wonder doesn't it ? ... if you cleared out all the lofts across the country, you could probably put the British Museum to shame .... :sweat:


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

The Science Museum certainly (although some good as well as depressing observations from there as of my annual inspection last week). Unless the average attic floor is very sound indeed I imagine we are not keeping many exhibits from the British Museum. I suppose there could be a a small bronze or a mummy or two but no sarcophagi or winged lions I am sure.


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## Duncan112 (Dec 28, 2006)

BobClay said:


> I've been working with computers for so long getting a soldering iron out (also lurking up there in the loft somewhere) will be more of the same. To paraphrase a famous movie line:
> "I love the smell of hot solder and singed flesh in the morning."
> [=P]


This was passed to me the other day


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

(Jester)
Yes Duncan .... very good. :sweat:


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

#65. 

Beware of that sun dial coming through your ceiling, Bob.

John T


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## Mad Landsman (Dec 1, 2005)

Duncan112 said:


> This was passed to me the other day


Just clicked on the thread to have a look-see - Great pic! 
(Jester)(Thumb)

Sad thing is - There are people in my house who wouldn't 'get' it.....


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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

I used a Katsumi EK-150 at sea for a few years too, had no issues with it at all and I still use it today on the older transceivers that don't have built in keyers, and the excellent "Kent" paddles with the more modern transceivers. I bought the Katsumi from a shop in Edgeware Road London in the late '70s but almost came home empty handed, the reason being that it had twin levers and I'd never seen that before. I think the price tag was around 70 pounds so I was very hesitant seeing as I wasn't exactly sure of what I was buying, I went back to the shop 3 or 4 times but having no luck finding a single lever keyer anywhere else and not knowing where else I might try, plus my feet were tiring from all the walking I eventually bought the thing then worried about it all the way home on the train.
I absolutely hated it the first time I tried to use it which seemed to vindicate my hesitation to purchase it, but as with most things practice makes perfect, and a short while later I was setting up ready to send my first TR with it, however, immediate problems .. The ship had one of the later Marconi consoles, Apollo, Salvor3, Sentinel etc with a Conqueror main TX and required the key back-contacts .. only two connections on the back of the Katsumi, so it was immediately off with the lid of my brand new keyer to see what was possible and fortunately when you do that you're looking straight at the keying relay socket, so another wire was fed out from the relay through one of the unused jack sockets on the back of the keyer and soldered to a 3 pole 1/4 inch jack plug which fortunately I happened to bring with me, but which I also had to file down a bit because the socket wasn't a standard "stereo" jack socket but rather a telephone type thing, so the standard 1/4 inch plug wouldn't fully insert.
Anyway, by the time we dropped the pilot off I was plugged in and ready to go and, at least at sea I never used a "straight" key again. What was useful was the AUTO/SEMI switch, would flick it to SEMI and hold the dash paddle for tuning up.
Mine is still in excellent condition considering at one time it came round a baggage carousel on it's own after my suite case burst open during a baggage handler's strike at Heathrow. After 20 odd years filed away in a cardboard box at the back of a cupboard the side-tone volume control was a bit crackly but that was all that was wrong with it, and surprisingly it didn't take long to get back up to speed either.
Interestingly I recently had a go with a single lever paddle with a view to buying it but didn't like it, it seems as if you subconsciously do the iambic keying thing with two lever paddles and I didn't want to unlearn that, so I passed on the offer.
While I think the EK-150 is a good piece of kit, I'm pleased with mine, I was very surprised to learn that GKA had adopted them, I felt it was a bit flimsy mechanically when one considers how over engineered the typical Post Office gear was, and the contacts weren't of fantastic quality either, perhaps because there was nothing more "industrial" available?

I'm sure if the Begali Sculpture was available back then, paired with a suitable keyer of course, they would have cheerfully bought one of those for everybody instead. 

= Adrian +


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## endure (Apr 16, 2007)

Samson keys were made by Hermann Samson (DJ2BW) in Osburg, Germany. Spacemark imported and sold them in the UK. 

I started out with an ETM3C and moved on to an ETM8C which I still have.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Duncan112 said:


> This was passed to me the other day


Scandalous, she's not wearing one of those earthy wristy thingos.

John T

PS Not an unattractive bit of bimbo though.


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## Mayday (May 26, 2009)

endure said:


> Samson keys were made by Hermann Samson (DJ2BW) in Osburg, Germany. Spacemark imported and sold them in the UK.
> 
> I started out with an ETM3C and moved on to an ETM8C which I still have.


I started out on one of those old Marconi thumpers with the 9 x 3/4 inch RSJs, beautiful key with which I could pound out at 28wpm effortlessly.
I did inherit one of those Heathkit bugs but quite quickly discarded it.
I ended up with a Marconi 365EZ which appeared to be surplus to requirements on one ship. This stayed with me throughout the remainder of my sea time and it still sits on my desk to this day.
If that morse key could talk...


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

.... But the smell of singing flesh is so seductive ..... sod the static electricity thing .... only southern jessies worry about that. [=P]


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

trotterdotpom said:


> Scandalous, she's not wearing one of those earthy wristy thingos.
> 
> John T
> 
> PS Not an unattractive bit of bimbo though.


Don't be silly John. The bit will be earthed and she'd have been welded to that shortly after the snap was taken.


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## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

trotterdotpom said:


> Scandalous, she's not wearing one of those earthy wristy thingos.
> 
> John T
> 
> PS Not an unattractive bit of bimbo though.


When I wore one in REME Workshops it was to keep you working at your bench !!


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## G4UMW (May 30, 2007)

As a senior technician with a major electronics company, one of my duties was to mentor the new graduate engineers who had joined. I was amazed at how many of them didn't have a clue as to what a soldering iron was for, let alone which end got hot!


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Even at college I determined that the soldering iron could be used to determine who had and had not worn glasses during their studenthood.

I am sure we all took the opportunity to use the sharp plane of the bit to lever up component leads when de-soldering. The glasses wearers would often do so in a manner that would propel a gob of solder towards their face.

I guess two things now make this a passed foible. Workshop HSE practice must require safety goggles so perhaps everyone now does it this way. Plastic lenses - one wouldn't want to have melted spatter spots on one's private only lightweight lenses.


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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

> The glasses wearers would often do so in a manner that would propel a gob of solder towards their face.


I dropped a blob of solder onto a nylon sock once, melted its way down between two toes.
That hurt a bit !!

= Adrian +


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Slim Dusty used to sing about the Pub With No Beer .... it was a dry joint.

John T


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## richardwakeley (Jan 4, 2010)

This thread reminded me I had a Samson key stored away in a cupboard somewhere, so I dug out my small collection - all in need of a clean up. From left to right:

1. Proper Brass-Pounder. Marked ' PATT.056A '. Believed to from a navy ship, given to me by an RN op doing his PMG at Bristol Tech for working at Portishead as a civilian. I used this on the amateur bands from my college days in 1960s. Wooden base neeeds screwing down to the table.

2. Vibroplex 'Original'. S/No.261978. Bought in the 70s and tried out at sea but I found the bug pretty useless when the ship was rolling.

3. Samson ETM-2b, purchased from the same Manchester area supplier as you above have mentioned. Did use this at sea in the 1970s, but decided eventually to stick to the straight key. Now in bad condition, don't think it's worth powering up to try.

4. No name, probably Norwegian. Good key with heavy base, 'rescued' from the Norwegian radio station either on a scrapper or one of my GMDSS conversions.

5. Same as 4, but marked A/S Elektrisk Bureau Oslo.

6. Another good key with heavy base, JRC Type KY-3A. Definitely rescued from a GMDSS retrofit.

7. Small light key, needs to be fixed to the table. Marked 'Speed-X'.
Forgot where I rescued it.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Interesting collection. You might want to check the kinds of prices on Ebay for these kinds of keys. They might well be worth cleaning up and selling on. (EEK)


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

trotterdotpom said:


> Slim Dusty used to sing about the Pub With No Beer .... it was a dry joint.
> 
> John T


As with the visiting technician's universal service report beerless pubs are often mentioned but exist as rarely as does a hen's tooth.

So rarely that I can remember every example (including in the latter even those with fizzy beer and none casked).

I made it a rule to recognise dry joints only when I discovered them myself.


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## richardwakeley (Jan 4, 2010)

Thanks Bob, but I won't be selling them. I was always told there were lunatic asylums for ex Sparkies with morse keys everywhere, now I can stay home instead of going to the asylum.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

:sweat: I've heard that too, where they've finally gone Portishead. [=P]


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Doesn't look like a brrrrrrt brrrrrrrt key to me. [=P]

http://www.epicmilitaria.com/original-russian-telegraph-morse-keys.html


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## Larry Bennett (Aug 28, 2005)

BobClay said:


> :sweat: I've heard that too, where they've finally gone Portishead. [=P]


There were indeed some distinctly odd characters at GKA. Made the place what is was. 

Working at GKA never affected me.

Much.

(==D)


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

(Thumb)


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