RadioBanter - View Single Post

Don Bowey · September 9th 06, 06:11 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.boatanchors

On 9/8/06 4:24 PM, in article ,
"g. beat " @spam protected wrote:

"al goss" wrote in message
...

old telegraph "sounder" and key....
I'd like to try restore this for display.
I have a 'sounder' missing the brass arm.
Anyone have a pix you could send so I can try dupe the missing piece from
brass stock? I can reverse pix TO you if that help. Maybe is not too
complicated to make an
arm . My unit has pair of activator coils marked fer "4 ohm" and a J-37
or 38 appearance key attached also to board along with binding posts.
Thanks, ERG

Sounds like a "KOB" Key on Board configuration - fairly common - but
collectors do watch some manufacturers or the "history of where used" (e.g.
specific railroad, RR location, Western Union)

Not all of them were used by the RR or WU. Telco Toll centers used
telegraph to communicate when the voice circuits were too valuable to be
used by testers. This was true into the 50s. In addition, they were used
at the telegraph testboards as audible testing devices on teletype and
control signal channels. My sounder came from the Eugene, OR Toll office.
A fellow "Transmissionman" sent it to me as a remembrance when the office
testing was remoted to Portland.

Tom Perera, W1TP has an extensive web site that you should consult.
TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUM
http://www.chss.montclair.edu/~pererat/telegraph.html

Tom provides historical references for historians, writers, screenwriters
and movie/television production companies)

Here is photo of a beautiful Bunnell KOB
http://www.chss.montclair.edu/~pererat/1836.jpg