Winslow J-37 Signal Corps trainingkey

    The third straightkey in my series about the keys I got from the real estate of PA3BCB Gerard. This time a J-37 key from the cold war era. Earlier keys in WW2 from this type had a steel or nickel lever, Winslow Tele-Tronics Inc. went over to fabricate the keys with matte black coating to prevent reflection and corrosion between te 1950's and 1960's.

The baseplate with the 2 bananaplug connectors is typical for use at training sites. That way they could quickly connect the keys to telegraphy boards and networks at the trainingbase. The baseplate is formed like that to wind the cord on it. It is really made for quickly connect and disconnect. Wind the cord and put it in you pocket.

Of course I wanted to clean the whole key and disassembled it. Here you see a detail of the strain relief made with paracord. A special gutter in the baseplate is made for this. Although I didn't keep the complete old connection cord I decided to keep this strain relief detail.

Use of the Winslow J-37 at the US Signal Corps

The AN/GSC-T1 Code Training Set: This was the definitive standard for Morse code training systems in army barracks. The system consisted of a central console for the instructor (who could generate Morse signals or interference) and dozens of student desks. The desks and audio distribution boxes (jack boxes) were equipped with banana plug sockets, allowing students to quickly connect their own J-37 keys. [1, 2]

AN/GTC-T1

The EE-81 / EE-95 Morse Instruction Sets: These were more compact, portable units designed for teaching Morse code in the field.

Modification ("Mae West" style): In the post-war years, the Corps of Engineers or technical services manually modified many J-37 units. A wooden or Bakelite baseplate with sockets was attached to the bottom, and the wiring was securely fastened using army-green lacing cord (the green string) to withstand the rough handling by hundreds of students. 

Many thousands of service members toiled for hours using setups exactly like this to earn their Morse code qualification in the cold war and Vietnam war era.

Polished and shiny J-37 straightkey ready to use.

Of course this key, as a cold war key, should be used to work at least one Russian station.