Vibroplex
| Industry | Amateur radio |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Knoxville, Tennessee , United States |
Key people | Scott Robbins |
| Products | Morse code keys |
| Website | Vibroplex Co., Inc. |
The Vibroplex Company has been in business continuously for 105 years as of 2010 and is currently owned by amateur radio operator Scott E. Robbins, also known by the call sign W4PA and is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Robbins left a fourteen year career at Ten-Tec to become the 8th owner of the Vibroplex Company on December 21, 2009.
Vibroplex is also the brand of side-to-side mechanical, semi-automatic Morse key first manufactured and sold in 1905 by the Vibroplex Company after its invention and patent by Horace G. Martin of New York City in 1904. For unknown reasons the original device became known as a "bug".[1]
The most common Vibroplex models have a single lever with a flat thumbpiece, or paddle, on the left side and a fingerpiece, or knob, on the right side.
When the knob is pressed from the right it makes a continuous contact suitable for sending dashes (or dahs, as most operators call them). When the paddle is pressed from the left, a horizontal pendulum at the opposite end of the lever is set into motion, intermittently closing a set of contacts, which sends a series of short pulses (dits) at a speed that is controlled by the position of the pendulum weight. A skilled operator can achieve sending speeds in excess of 40 words per minute with a bug.
The Vibroplex Original Bug key has been in continuous production for over 100 years with only minor cosmetic changes. Numerous Vibroplex keys are available to this day; the company presently markets and sells 27 variations of morse code keys including the Original Bug, iambic paddles, the Vibrokeyer and traditional straight keys.
References
External links
- Vibroplex Co., Inc.
- The Vibroplex Collector's Page
- Flash animation made by AE4RV demonstrating the operation of a Vibroplex
- Scott E. Robbins purchases Vibroplex Company, ARRL webpage, December 7, 2009
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