[TenTec] RE: Equipment recomendations for CW gear?

[Tom Scott]

Folks,

I'm looking for a some advice on a CW key/keyer. I am a new no-code ham
studying hard to get my Technician+ and then General. Just to give you an
idea of my other gear, I am setting up a Ten-Tec Omni V station; still
putting together antennas and other gear. Just ordered a mint condition
Johnson 275W Matchbox yesterday from Surplus Sales in Nebraska. I'm putting
up an 80m dipole (that unfortunately has to be bent pretty severely to fit
our space), and an 80m end-fed Zepp, both fed with ladder line from the
Matchbox. I think the next logical piece of equipment I need to think about
is something for CW.

I've heard lots of passing discussion about different brands, visited a
number of web sites devoted to CW, but still have only the vaguest notion of
what matters and what the differences are between different keys/keyers. I
am seeing opportunities to pick up second hand CW gear from sources like
Steve Ellington's liquidation of his station the other day, but I don't have
any idea where I should start.

I suppose its too early for me to know how interested I'm going to become in
CW. To be completely honest, right now it still feels a bit like an obstacle
to getting HF phone privileges, but I do want to give it a serious try. My
dad's a ham and an elderly retired engineer, living 900 miles away and we're
already planning to exchange CW. The other factor is that I'm trying to
interest my two boys in amateur radio and CW so they will get licenses, so
I'd like them to try their hand at it as well.

So with all the collected CW experience and enthusiasm in this group, can
some of you give me a recommendation as to equipment I should get for CW?
Maybe a brief background on what the important features differences are
between various pieces of gear. I'd rather buy good quality equipment second
hand than cheap stuff new. I need to know brands and models to look for, and
some price ranges that are reasonable. I'd also be interested in some
subjective judgements as to how much quality is worthwhile to someone at my
level, and how much is going to be "gilding the lilly" as it were, again in
terms of brands and models.

Thanks very much!

- Tom
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Tom Scott   -   Wyle Electronics   -   KD7DMH
10300 SW Nimbus Ave #PB, Portland, OR 97223
503-603-1931 - TEL   503-684-6620 - FAX
503-504-1583 - Cell    503-604-8651 - Pager
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