J-37

[Jeremiah McCarthy]

The J-37 I bought (surplus) came in it's original cardboard box and was mounted on a leg clip...The operator would snap it on his thigh and send that-a-way...It was manufactured by Winslow Electronics...Neither of my J-38's, mounted on black bakelite plates,  bears a manufacture's name...

Jerry, wa2dkg
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[Mike Morrow-3]

Jerry wrote:

>The J-37 I bought (surplus) came in it's original cardboard box and
>was mounted on a leg clip

A J-37 on the leg clip becomes a "J-45" under the old Army Signal Corps naming system, or a "KY-116/U" under the late-WWII to present Joint Army Navy naming system.  They can be often found for less than $25 new, and are a great value, IMHO.

>Neither of my J-38's, mounted on black bakelite plates,  bears a manufacture's name.

The J-38 was never intended for use in anything except Morse code classroom training sessions.  It is not associated with any radio set in military service.  It is probably the least durable and most cheaply made of military straight keys.  Tons of them were surplused in the decades since WWII.

My favorite straight key isn't any of the many military keys I have.  It is the commercial Nye Viking Model 330-001 Master Key, which comes with a nicely weighted base, and with enclosed keying contacts in the base that keep all voltages off the exposed key parts.  Unfortunately, I believe it is discontinued and unavailable except as old stock, and then is pretty pricey when one is located.

73,
Mike / KK5F

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[k6dgw]

Mike Morrow wrote:

> My favorite straight key isn't any of the many military keys I have.
> It is the commercial Nye Viking Model 330-001 Master Key

I would have agreed, and loved mine, until I bid $75 for a Bencher
paddle and a "CT Deluxe Hand Key", S/N 028 (2001) pair at our local
club's ham auction.  I didn't need the Bencher, but a friend did and
offered me $50 for it.

The (now) $25 straight key is hand crafted, with a bright chrome base,
beautiful gleaming brass parts, and is super stable.  I can adjust it to
a gnat's eybrow, and I really do use it, even in contests sometimes when
I need to send something that isn't programmed into TR.  It's both the
first and last one I've ever seen, and I love it.  I can't attach a pix,
but if any collectors would like a pix, let me know off reflector and
I'll send you one.  I wish I knew who made it.

73,

Fred K6DGW
Auburn CA CM98lw

PS: Volume of responses for the "Handedness Survey" are exceeding my
expectations.  Summary of results next Tue.

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[Brian Mury-3]

On Wed, 2005-11-05 at 15:00 -0700, Fred Jensen wrote:
> "CT Deluxe Hand Key"

> The (now) $25 straight key is hand crafted, with a bright chrome base,
> beautiful gleaming brass parts, and is super stable.

> I wish I knew who made it.

It sounds like one of these:

http://www.mtechnologies.com/ct/
http://members.cox.net/w1vet/ctkeys/ct.htm
http://www.qsl.net/m0edx/mk.html
http://www.anthonywelsh.com/?action=show_item&from=browse_items&iid=13

Made in the Ukraine.

--
73, Brian
VE7NGR
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[k6dgw]

Brian Mury wrote:

>
> On Wed, 2005-11-05 at 15:00 -0700, Fred Jensen wrote:
> > "CT Deluxe Hand Key"
>
> > The (now) $25 straight key is hand crafted, with a bright chrome base,
> > beautiful gleaming brass parts, and is super stable.
>
> > I wish I knew who made it.
>
> It sounds like one of these:
>
> http://members.cox.net/w1vet/ctkeys/ct.htm

It is a CT6DX!  Thanks for the info.  I didn't realize it was made in
Ukraine, but it is a masterpiece, and I guess I got a pretty good deal
on it.

Fred K6DGW
Auburn CA CM98lw

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