VK3OU

Australia
Andy·Eltham, Victoria 3095·QF22NH
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Postal address

Station

CQ
30
ITU
59
Continent
OC
IOTA
OC-001

QSL

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Greetings from Melbourne.
And from Oscar, my trusty partner in crime.

I am active on CW only.

I have been really enjoying the CWOPS weekly CWT sprints of late.
I have also joined SKCC, which has been great fun and has led me down 
the rabbit hole of semi-automatic "Bug" keys.
 
My HF station consists of an IC-7300 and the following antennas:

  • Short ground mounted vertical for 160m - 80m - 40m 
  • OCFD for 80m - 40m - 20m
  • Elevated quarter-wave vertical for 30m - 20m
  • Compact Hex Beam for 17m - 15m - 12m - 10m


Compact Hex beam optimised for f/b ratio using 2mm bare s/s wire.
 
Chief Excavation Engineer 
inspecting my ground-mounted 
vertical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have simply fallen in love with bugs. I am still learning to drive them, but currently I own several:

This 1959 Blue Racer is my daily driver - so smooth any easy to use. The Australian made Simplex Auto, converted to Left-hand drive A 1945 Vbroplex Original. 

This 1962 Blue Racer is my slowest bug - set to around 24 WPM. They don't like to go slow :-) Les Logan Speed-X Model 515, ca. 1935 - 1940 The Begali Intrepid is just a joy to drive, as one would expect.  
I stripped down and rebuilt the 4 older bugs, converting them all to left-hand drive. I also used a little bit of poster putty in the dot 
contact spring to dampen high-frequency oscillations. This stops the dreaded 'dit scratchiness" often associated with these sorts of keys.



As for straight keys, my three favourites:

The Bunnell Triumph (ca 1906 - 1918) has proven to be quite the surprise. It is fast becoming my favourite straight key: snappy action, lever arm thick enough to be rigid, but light enough to be responsive. I can push this key to around 24wpm. The German Junker, post WW2. Typical German Engineering - beautifully precise and a real joy to use. The ubiquitous WT 8-AMP No. 2, totally stripped and refurbished. This unit was made in Melbourne in 1941 and works like a dream.

 

I am a member of:
CWops #3386 
SKCC #28963
 
SOC #1364
Let's not take ourselves
too seriously...

 

 

 

 

 

 

See my website for more projects

Approximate position from the locator or QTH.