Long lever keys

[GM0WEZ]

Like many ops, I like the long lever straight keys. They design is often found in professional maritime keys which I guess says something.

I am struggling to get photos to appear on the post so apologies if my pics don't work!

Although the long massive lever is common to all, the HK802, GW slate based key and NATO key have a Swedish style leaf spring while the NERA N21P has pivot bearings. Also the NERA and GW key have no strip of springier steel on which the moving rear contact is mounted. This certainly makes them noisier and it also affects the feel - not necessarily for the worse, it's just different.

I rather like the NERA N21P. Recent ebay acquisition. made by Norsk Electronisk Radio Aparatur A/S in Norway for the maritime service. Very good feel. Holds it's settings which is just as well because a pig to adjust compared to the NATO.

The Hi-Mound HK802 feels very precise. The wooden base is lead weighted and has a brass plate underneath it, so it doesn't move.

73,

Pete GM0WEZ

 

[foggycoder]

Can you confirm which key is which, from left to right?

The glimpse of your shack looks interesting. Would you be able to give us a tour of it through a separate thread in the "Rigs, Antennas, and Station Accessories" section?

 

[GM0WEZ]

From left to right:

Hi-Mound HK702. Japanese long lever key with lead weighted wooden base and piano wire as the spring lever.

GW Welsh made 'Swedish style' leaf spring key, slate base with baize underneath - no rubber feet. Very low profile. Other GW keys were of more conventional design.

So-called NATO key, Royal Navy 1950s. I've seen apparently identical keys with a different NATO stock number. Made by Pryce Edwards/Marconi. Mine is missing the on off switch. Cost me about £35 on ebay but Lately I have seen these fetching over £100. Possibly my favourite key for actual use but it is noisy.

NERA N21P Norwegian maritime key- latest acquisition.

Just out of the picture is a Kent single lever paddle.

 

[GM0WEZ]

more pics

 

[foggycoder]

I'm not a straight key man myself but I like the look of that NERA N21P. Very smart (and I don't have to keep it adjusted!).

 

[Ham4CW]

Here's one of my long lever keys. This one was hand made, possibly in Norway, or even Holland, it's a bit of a mystery!

Whoever it was that made it he was certainly a dab hand in the old workshop.

The key is longer than an Amplidan, and has a slightly 'crisper' feel to it, possibly due to the stiffer contact 'tongue'.

Materials used are the usual copper and brass, with a stainless steel arm. The wood types are unknown.

 

[foggycoder]

Now that's a cracking key. I like that it's not too shiny - the brass is just the right dullness, and the wood matches it perfectly. That knob/spark guard is a thing of beauty in itself.

And I like the way you've posed it on a map of world-wide callsign prefixes - nice.

 

[CT2GXW]

Hello everyone, I recently found this forum and registered. Great job for creating it, it's great to have a place to find mostly european ops, at the reach of my humble zepp wire strung out the window, facing north (towards the UK and north western countries).

After a third and successful attempt, I learned the code about 2 years ago, and got a GW straight key on ebay as my 1st key. For my first QSOs, I listened to ops transmitting with speeds I felt comfortable with (around 12 wpm), checked their QRZ pages, and emailed them, asking for a sked to help me out on my first steps. Always found the most courteous and helpful people, which really gave me the confidence to carry on.

Those skeds started with rubber stamps QSOs but quickly drifted to long rag chews, that left me exhausted when done, with a big smile on my face. The GW is about my age, and a wonderful key. Since then I also got a Begali HST single paddle, which I use the most nowadays, but those first QSOs pounding the GW and sweating hard, I will never forget.

 

[Ham4CW]

Hey Pedro!

I have one of those GW keys too like yours, I also have another one by the same maker that does not have any connecting terminals. The wires are permanently soldered inside of the key before the base cover is added.

Not sure if you know, but the keys were made in Wales in the UK, hence the "GW" name. I think I still have some magazines with the adverts for them, around the late 1980's, maybe early 1990's.

I will see if I can dig the key out of the 'pile' and add a photograph of it.

73, Mark...

 

[CT2GXW]

Hi Mark!

I knew they were made in Wales, where slate - which the base is made of - is famous for its quality, is that correct? I thought they were produced only up to early 80s, guess I was wrong.

73

 

[Ham4CW]

Hi Mark!

I knew they were made in Wales, where slate - which the base is made of - is famous for its quality, is that correct? I thought they were produced only up to early 80s, guess I was wrong.

73

Quite right about the slate. I think most of Wales is sitting on one big pile of the stuff!

I could be wrong about the dates, I will have to see if I can check the dates of the adverts. I've been trying to remember the callsign of the guy that made them, I'm pretty sure it was a one man operation.

I'll see what I can find out...

73, Mark...

 

[Ham4CW]

Well, the key is mentioned in Practical Wireless magazine in 1984 >>>

https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...less-IDX/IDX/80s/PW 1984 12-OCR-Page-0020.pdf

The way the above item is written suggests that the keys were fairly new at the time, maybe in their first year?

I found that in the Winter 1988 edition of Morsum Magnificat Nr10, Larry Robinson G0HTR did a short review of these keys, and noted at the end that he had not received any response to his enquiry to the maker/s.

http://www.n7cfo.com/tgph/Dwnlds/mm/MMs/MM10.pdf Pages 44 and 45.

I thought they were in production for longer than just about four years.

My 'gut feeling' was for maybe 10-15yrs. Maybe my 'gut' is wrong!

If I find anything else out I'll add it to this thread, and I'm still certain the maker was licensed himself...

73, Mark...

 

[Ham4CW]

I managed to find my GW key that is hard wired, and I've added a couple of images below.

While I was looking through some CW books I have, I spotted a copy of "Introducing Morse" from 1985, which featured reprints of a number of Morse related articles that Practical Wireless had published.

What made this booklet stand out was that one of the keys featured on the cover is a GW Morse key of the type that you have there, and also inside I found one of the original adverts for the key. I've added photos of the cover and the ad' below.

73, Mark...

 

[CT2GXW]

Very nice Mark, thanks for investigating this. The model shown in the ad is exactly the same as mine. They all seem to share the same base and knob, and with variations on the contacts. A joy to use and to look at, indeed.

I just checked the address, and now belongs to H2 PLUMBING. Bathroom Planners and Furnishers in Rhyl. GW went down the drain

 

[GM0WEZ]

FB Pedro.

I'm convinced my GW key is from the same maker. The slate base and certain components are identical, though mine has the Swedish style leaf spring.

I see somebody was making fridge magnets etc using a picture of the GW key. The workmanship on these keys is very good.

73,

Pete

 

[GM0WEZ]

Given the cost of chrome plating (which really has to be done professionally) that's not a bad deal!

Nickel electro-plating can be done fairly easily at home though.

I sometimes wonder if the 'NATO' key was styled to match the rather attractive but not-exactly-portable Murphy B40 receiver. I saw one in a museum once. Our American cousins sometimes refer to old valve radios as 'boatanchors' and the Murphy certainly fits the bill - it weighs 114 lbs.