Burghardt
Image stolen from
Burghardt Amateur Center
Watertown, SD USA


Keys from around the World
My collection was sold in 2022
by schulmanauction.com
Burghardt
Image stolen from
Burghardt Amateur Center
Watertown, SD USA



Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bulgaria

Canada

China

Czech Republic

Denmark

Ecuador

Estonia

France

Germany

Hungary

India

Italy

Japan

New Zealand

Russia

Slovakia

Spain

Sweden

Ukraine

United Kingdom

United States
CQ CQ CQ My Favorite Bug CQ CQ CQ
My Collection

Until I started serious collecting in November of 2000, I only had a few keys in the shack. A J-38 that I've had since 1962. A 1965 E.F. Johnson Speed-X 114-520 that I received for Christmas that year. A J-37 on a KY-116/U Assembly (Knee Key) I bought at The PHD ARA Hamfest is 1995. A Vibroplex Iambic Keyer that I pick up at The St Joseph, MO Hamfest in 2000 . Plus two Japanese hand keys, one brown and one black, that came with code practice oscillators.

In November, 2000 I aquired a BK-100 High Mound at a local radio club auction and the flood gates were open. Everything else has been aquired since then. My knowledge of keys and keyers comes mainly from these sources and whatever turns up while surfing the net.


BOOKS
Golden Classics of Yesteryear

Dave Engram - K4TWJ
printed by MFJ, 1988
Introduction to Key Collecting

Tom French - W1IMQ

The Vibroplex Collectors Guide

Tom French - W1IMQ
First Edition, 1990
The Vibroplex Company

Bill Holly - W1BH
First Printing 1990
Only 2000 Printed
100 Deluxe Hardbound
1900 Softbound
Keys, Keys, Keys

Dave Ingram - K4TWJ
First Printing, Third Edition 1991
The Story of the Key

Louise Ramsey Moreau - W3WRE
Reprinted with minor corrections 1995
The Vibroplex Collectors Guide

Tom French - W1IMQ
Second Edition, Revised 1996
Perera's Telegraph Collector's Guide

Tom Perera - W1TP
Second Edition 1999
The Vibroplex Collectors Guide

Tom French - W1IMQ
Third Edition 2001

WEB SITES
K4TJP's Telegraph PageTim Patten, K4TJP
The Sparks Telegraph Key ReviewRuss Kleinman, WA5Y
Telegraph & Scientific Instrument MuseumTom Perera, W1TP
The Vibroplex Company Inc.'Mitch' Mitchell, W4OA, President


CAVEATS

I use WW7W's fine effort for dating my Vibroplexs.

I don't believe Vibroplex started or stopped production, the use of a type of name plate or a type of keyer on January 1st or December 31st of any given year. Add to that special order keys and you find some real deviations from these fine efforts.

The data contained in these sources has been compiled over many years by these people expending great amounts of time, energy and in most cases money. However, I don't think anyone would say any single source is all inclusive or 100% accurate. These works are very excellent guidelines and should be considered just that.


COMMENTS FROM THE WEB

The term bug was used in the 1800's to describe a Morse operator who wasn't good at sending with a hand-pump key. When operator's started to transition to semi-automatic keys in the early 1900's the keys themselves became known as bugs. The introduction of bug semi-automatics helped reduce the incidence of repetitive motion 'glass arm' (Carpel Tunnel) syndrome that afflicted many early morse operators. KL7XX



73 de NØUF op Bob
Hutchinson, Minnesota USA