MY leg key is going bad..Need another
 

OK all check your ruck and see if you have a leg key or two you would give up to me.

Was showing mine off and looks like it is getting a little messed up and another Ham is liking what the leg key can do for us when we are out in the woods playing radio.

The smoothness of the leg key can't not be beat when your taping out code..

So hit me up if you have one or two you can get to me..

A commo man with out his code is like a shooter without his scope.

AL :munchin

So that's what I've been doing wrong. I need a scope!

JK

Strange timing as someone just posted this pic a few days ago on the SF Brothers facebook page.

Attachment 20708

Not sure that a new leg key will cure that shit fist of yours!!!! :D

Saw a few on Ebay.

Thanks for bring that up..again...

No i was enjoying a QSO and started to think that I might need to start looking for another key. I had this one since I got into the Q-course.

Yes eBay has them, but why ask eBay..I asked you....


AL

Do you need the whole thing, or is yours setup such that you can just replace the key? Might be easier just to find a replacement J-37 etc and install on your leg band...?

http://www.armyradio.com/arsc/customer/home.php?cat=78

I'll check a couple of usual suspects. I just sent my only one (pristine KY-116/U) to a good friend out west to facilitate his learning the code. Moment it was gone I sorta missed it, but I have a nice J-37 Mae West adapted to a pilot's kneeboard strap.

I may have another J-37 (just the key) sitting in the drawer, but its leaf springs aren't what I'd take to the field & it's being retired to the desk. But if yours is totally shot let me know & I can get it to you.

That's classic:lifter:lifter

Sure was good seeing one of those again.


PDA-184, MoVer, and ViaSat aint got shit on that..:D:D

OK, so I'm an enabler... :D

Problem I've seen with some of these on the market is that the tension leaf in the key itself is nearly shot and needs a little tweaking to give a decent feel (but that's a subjective thing).

I still owe you for some of the great HF advice you have shared with me over the past few years. I am almost positive that we have some leg keys going unused in our commo shop. Unfortunately I am at Ft. Benning right now, but I will be back the week of Dec. 18th. I would be happy to provide you one if my unit has one to give. Plus I am in Hagerstown, so getting it to you would not be a problem.

Cool Guys thanks all around.

Love the site...Damm they want some cash..

I have messed with a lot of keys in the years, but the leg key has always been the one.

Field-Day, QRP ops on the hike, Etc.

I need to look hard at the key again tonight. The key itself weak.. But If I can help another QRP fan out , a 05B type, it would be cool.

Just sharing the wealth... . .

Hey bravo22b, hit me up when you get home...Benning is were I did 11B , before the Q.



AL

Yep, I got the key you see in the pic by accident for $35 from someone and I couldn't give him the money fast enough. They do come up in the ham forum classifieds from time to time but one has to be really hawking them 'cause they go fast. Some of 'em are pretty "experienced" shall also, considering the money asked. And, as you know, it's all about that leaf really. Like I said, if yours is really shot & you can swap the key portion off the band let me know.

bravo22b may be best bet if there's some little used stuff available (which I'll be dutifully jealous of). The old straight key and my 817 just go together so well with some thrown wire...
:D

p.s. I'd be interested to hear what the specific issue with your key turns out to be.

And I'm the happy recipient of that J37 key with a practice oscillator which came as a separate freebie , with word that it had been handed down some through the ages. I got the oscillator's variable resistor tuned to where it sounds near the same tone as the CDs I've been not hitting as hard as I should.

Two questions: 1) Is there any PMCS on the key as far as lube? Wear points might be on the hubs of the key's axis shaft, was wondering if some LSA applied by toothpick might be a good thing. 2) I am learning CW via CDs. Author of the course is real big on not translating, just writing in cursive with a smooth pen, what is heard. I was wondering if chiming along, repeating what's heard during the breaks using the leg key as the CDs are heard, is of any benefit for the near term. I realize that chiming along only helps out the learning of the fist, and does not help with the learning of CW characters. Is there any drawbacks to putting in another vector approach in learning CW?

Albeham -

PM sent.

Your question is a little confusing to me. I'm not sure what you are meaning when you say translation. You should be writing the letters for the corresponding tones down. Cursive??? What the hell is that? Why would anyone try to figure out which letters are which? Military Block style printing in 5 letter groups with pencil is all you need. You can play whatever mind games you want to try and learn this stuff if you think that you can retain it, but if you can't copy clean code at whatever WPM group you are trying to attain, then you just need to listen to more code at and jack up the speeds until you can hit your goal.

I suggest listening to faster than the sped you need to attain......nothing crazy I.E. if you need 10GPM then I would listen to 15GPM at least. The faster you can hear it and copy clean the better off you will be when you try to send.

Hope this helps.

Well, my .02 worth. As far as maintenance, keep it adjusted, especially the trunion srews so it wont wobble...not to tight, not to loose.

Keep the contacts clean between ...I guess you could say positive and negative...the contaact patch on the key.

Use silicone on the cable and "O" ring, old school used to use spit on the "O" ring, but saliva over a period of time breaks down the rubber....yeah, yeah, I know.

As far as leaning characters, you'll find there are "dit" characters, and "dah" characters, in the code room there where 4 lessons (I think, been awhile), which had a mixture of both, then lets not forget about the numbers to..

The amature foks also use punctuation, something the army did not do..but easy to pick up.

Repitition is the KEY..(no pun intended)

Good luck..have fun