Auxiliary Hand Key
date: label: date made
content: 1918
name: label: maker
content: Boston Navy Yard. Machinery Division
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Until recently “wireless” meant radio, and operators used keys to send radio messages via Morse code. This telegraph key was designed and built by the US Navy for sending wireless messages from ships.
label: Description (Brief)
content: On label: "Auxiliary Hand Key. Volts 250 Amperes 50 Cycles 500 Type S.E. 68A Serial No. B1049 Mfg'd by Mach'y Div. Navy Yard Boston". Stamped on base: "J [anchor logo] L". Terminals marked in pencil: "B" and "G".
label: Description (Brief)
content: Standard telegraph key with wide space keying contacts for high currents. The Boston Navy Yard was designated to handle the research and design of sending keys. W. Chadbourne was the specialist in this particular area. After World War I, these designs were manufactured by the Wireless Specialty Apparatus Co. Reference: Clark Collection, SRM 26-021.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Telegraph Keys
label: See more items in
content: Communications
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Franklin Wingard
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.320851
label: catalog number
content: 320851
label: accession number
content: 241556
objectType: label: Object Name
content: telegraph key
label: Other Terms
content: telegraph key; Radio
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: copper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: bakelite (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 in x 2 1/2 in x 8 1/2 in; 7.62 cm x 6.35 cm x 21.59 cm