As Fred knows, I have Les' old bug that is shown in the photo whose link he posted, and the cable clamp weight.
It makes for a very smooth feel, but H-E-A-V-Y. Les must have had a wrist like Popeye's arm. But the guys in commercial service like Les worked at KPH often had to send for long periods of time under 20 wpm - sometimes as low as 10 wpm. For them, matching the other station's speed wasn't just a courtesy; it was required. The cable clamp kept the dit speed slow enough for those stations. My favorite weight was simply a large alligator clip that I attached to the end of the pendulum (the alligator clip jaws don't interfere with the damper if you place them on the top and bottom of the end of the pendulum). I also wrapped some solder around the end of the alligator clip for extra weight. Lengthening the pendulum has a huge effect on the speed for minimal weight added. I bought a set of the heaviest weights the Vibroplex makes and was disappointed. They are the same diameter as the original weights and simply longer - the most inefficient way to add weight since it's distributed over a long part of the pendulum. Even two of them has only a small effect on the speed of a "fast" Vibroplex. I also have a Speed-X bug with a large diameter weight (about the size of a 2 euro coin or an American quarter dollar) with a very nifty squeeze lock instead of a set screw. It slowed down the Vibroplex quite nicely, since it concentrated the weight over a small section of the pendulum for maximum effect, especially when it was out near the end. The squeeze lock on the weight lets me change dit speed as quickly as turning the knob on a keyer from about 18 wpm to >35 wpm. 73, Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Fred Jensen Sent: Friday, December 14, 2012 11:25 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Vibroplex My crew mates at the coastal marine station all had shiny Vibroplex bugs they carried around in velvet lined wood boxes. They were all lightning fast on the dot side, and various "methods" were used to slow them down. See http://www.radiomarine.org/gallery/show?keyword=kphhistory&panel=pab1_1#pab1 _1 scroll down to Les Burger on the right for an example. My beat up J-36 by Lionel [$5 at Surplus Sams] that I carried in my backpack would easily slow to 10 WPM, the leaf spring was about half as thick as a Vibroplex. Putting more weight on the armature will slow a Vibroplex, but it's also additional weight you have to slap around, and can lead to an "interesting" fist. [If the URL above line wraps, you'll have to copy it into your browser] 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2013 Cal QSO Party 5-6 Oct 2013 - www.cqp.org ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
