Bunnell Sideswiper "Cootie" Key A.K.A. "Double Speed Key"

[Ham4CW]

The sideswiper keys produced by Bunnell were infinitely better than the (much) later LTA cootie keys.

The key is nearly all of metal construction, and very well engineered. Unlike the LTA models, the Bunnell cootie key centers precisely every time, and has a positive feel to it, quite crisp in action.

The tension and centering is all done by the torsion suspension strip of metal. The tension is adjusted by moving a brass block/clamp along the suspension strip, effectively shortening the flexible area and making the action feel much stiffer.

They are still not the easiest key to use, like Vibroplex keys they take some practice and concentration in order to get 'good' code out of them. They can either sound perfectly fine or total garbage depending on the user, but then that could be said of pretty well all keys I guess!

Well worth buying if you see one at a reasonable price, even if it's just to try one out and get to experience another way of sending.

73, Mark...

 

[foggycoder]

What's that lever on the side for?

 

[Ham4CW]

What's that lever on the side for?

On modern keys used with transceivers it would be called a tuning bar. It literally puts a short across the key output, so that if you need two hands free to tune up the output stage or an antenna coupler then the shorting bar keeps you transmitter on TX while you make any adjustments.

In the good old days it was to complete the circuit on a telegraph system, a kind of simple send/receive switch I guess.

You see them on a lot of telegraph straight keys, and on bugs (Vibroplex have a swiveling lever).

"Tuning Bar"  is the commonest name for them though...

 

[foggycoder]

Thank you.

 

[foggycoder]

Looking at the photo of your Bunnell Cootie again, having read your explanation of the side lever, shouldn't there be some sort of terminal post/lever clamp thingy occupying the big hole in the base. There's a corresponding cut-out in the side lever.

 

[Ham4CW]

Looking at the photo of your Bunnell Cootie again, having read your explanation of the side lever, shouldn't there be some sort of terminal post/lever clamp thingy occupying the big hole in the base. There's a corresponding cut-out in the side lever.

Nope. The cut out is there to allow the mounting screw to be fitted, that's what the hole is for (there is one the other side too). The shorting bar will not swing out by more than about 25-30 degrees, which in effect then completely cover the mounting hole, so you would not be able to fit a screw.

Even with the shorting bar fully 'home', if it did not have the cut out it would obscure the hole.

It really is that simple...

 

[foggycoder]

That's a surprisingly inelegant design feature (IMO). With just a little more width to the base they could've eliminated that ugly cut-out. They must've felt strongly about the aesthetics of that oval base.

 

[Ham4CW]

Here's another photo showing the shorting bar fully out.

You can see what I mean about it covering the mounting hole.

There's no practical reason from what I can see for the base to be oval. I guess it was just down to looks, and maybe trying to save materials.

I bet they were the latest must have telegraphy item a hundred years ago or so!

73, Mark...