Way back in my Novice days (1967), I had a J-37 straight key. And it remained the only key I had for seven years. Once I got the loan of one of those Lafayette bugs but it sounded so bad I went back to the straight key.
When I got to college in the fall of 1972, there was a Vibrokeyer and Autronic electronic keyer at the club station (then W3ABT, now N3KZ). I tried it many times but couldn't get the hang of it. For Christmas 1974 I got a Vibroplex Original Standard, thanks to my brother's efforts to convince the family that one big gift was better than a lot of little ones. I took to it right away, and it is still my #1 after 31 years. In the intervening years I've had a Zephyr (sold it), Lightning Bug, Champion, and a 2000 vintage Original, but the 1974 is still my favorite. I've tried keyers but they are simply too fussy for my taste. Of course to set the bug correctly you need a rig with a plate milliammeter, but that's another story... 73 de Jim, N2EY _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
