There were a few electronic key designs that surfaced in the '50s, maybe even late '40s, usually appearing in QST. But then Jim Ricks W9TO designed his TO Keyer which Halicrafters started manufacturing and that pretty much ended the other designs such as the MON-KEY. Vibroplex made a single lever paddle, the Vibrokey, in colors to match the TO Keyer and the combination was and is unsurpassed in my opinion, if you want a fully automatic key that feels like a bug.
I never liked sending with a straight key and not long after I was first licensed I found a J-36 at a hamfest and stuck with that for years. I tried an iambic keyer and paddle set around 20 years ago and never really liked it. Then I fixed up a used TO Keyer and Vibrokey paddle and felt like I'd found a fully automatic bug, to me it was wonderful. A friend sold me a spare Original Deluxe a few years ago and I think that model is the best bug you can buy. If you look at old photos of commercial radiotelegraph operators, they're usually using Original Deluxes. Sadly, I don't operate CW much at all now and lately have been wanting to get back into it because believe it or not, I think it might help stave off dementia. Sending and receiving CW, if you don't use any gadgets to copy, uses your brain a lot more than yakking into a microphone. Rob K5UJ _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
