For budgetting purposes - how much should we allocate to purchase a telegraph key, sounder, box, arm and extension phone that was typical at a agent's bay? Is ebay the bext place to look for these items?

Has anyone set up a repeating Morse code noise marker - if so - what works best?

Many thanks.

We have been investigating Morse “sound” at The IRM as of late. A recent upgrade and replacement of some telegraph equipment in the depot had us pondering if to actually make the sounder click or just play a recording. The audio recording to a hidden speaker near the sounder seems the best for very little human intervention.
A cheap single disk CD or MP3 player that can do continuous repeated play, with a custom recording was easy to do. The audio of train orders sounded out is on YouTube, even in the correct American Morse.
Actually having the sounder click was more involved. Either an electronic gadget to convert to sound to contact closure or a small PC with a GPI that could “play out” the contact closure was suggested.
Either way we would like a custom message, like welcome to the IRM or something. Timed to go off every five or ten minuets or so.
Anyone else out there have more input?

I seem to recall that someone at IRM (Frank Jur?) did this about forty years ago... the message was something about Indians attacking the train. :-(

If one wants to actually make the sounder operate, there is going to be more to it than just having someone peck out the code, as that will sound NOTHING like how the actual transmissions sounded. Five or six years ago (maybe ten) I asked an acquaintance if he still had his "fist" and if he would be interested in recording a message, but Jim has gone on to meet his maker now... Jim Welton was dispatching on the Soo Line in 1938, and while he went on to other jobs, kept up his telegraphy through a club for old time operators. I know one or two younger men who might have known American Morse, but I doubt anyone younger than seventy ever had enough time to become truly conversant.

The Ladysmith Rail Display had a telegraph display in the replica depot in Ladysmith WI. I recall they had a tape of telegraph sounds for sale that had been made in an actual working depot. Aside from the staccato bursts on the local sounder, there is a steady stream of other traffic to be heard on the mainline relays in the background. I think that playing a tape of the actual sounds would really give a better interpretation of what the communications of a hundred years ago was like.

My contact for the rail display was John Terrel, you should be able to contact him through the local newspaper in Ladysmith, as he was editor before he retired.

How about programming a computer to send words in Morse that visitors type in?

dave

American Morse is alive and well on the ham radio bands. Anything you might need to know can be had at http://www.morsetelegraphclub.org/

Meanwhile, back to a cost estimate - any ideas?

Contact the B&O Railway Museum folks. They have a telegraph register on display with a "try it" key set.


Mike Manson

About cost Ebay is where you can see what the very open market is. These items aren’t rare so I would think sounder and key under $100. If you have a newsletter ask for telegraph equipment donations. We thought we had most of this laying around our basements.
Modest sound playback equipment under $200. Hook things up yourself under $ 500 total?
Or call a custom media outfit and have them do everything for maybe 10 times that?

Look up your local ham radio club. You might find willing partners or donors of expertise or equipment.

We have a telegraph display in our depot. The audio is a sound module for model trains and we trigger it to start with an off the shelf motion detector. I think we have less than $100 into it. The actual telegraph hardware was all donated, so I don't know what it would cost.

Another option that we use are digital message repeaters such as these http://www.cfsound.com/index_CFSound.asp. We have 3 of these units and are thinking of installing several more. There are several brands available and they are pretty competitive in price and performance. All of them can drive other peripheral effects. These are pretty much bulletproof systems if you keep them dry and moderately clean.

It is easy to change the audio as the sound is stored on flash card and when you get tired of it you just make a new file to play.

Do put an on/off switch on it. If you are working in the area, after a few minutes of it you start to go nuts.