the Vail Correspondent
index and back issues
The Vail Correspondent, a quarterly journal for telegraph key collectors, was published by Tom French, W1IMQ. It began in October 1992 and ran until July 1998, for a total of 24 issues. It is a small-format booklet measuring 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches; each issue has about 20 or 24 pages. Generally, each issue contains a main article on a particular key or telegraph instrument, followed by several other articles on telegraph instruments or collecting. The last section included reader letters and ads.
The complete run of 24 issues contains over 500 pages of information including important references such as WW7P's Vibroplex Dating Guide, the NV2C key illustration index, Melehan Valiant bugs by KN6W, Roger Reinke's instrument maker's list, N0WAN's bug checklist, the Coffe vertical Mecograph, the 1920 MESCO telegraph catalog, and more. Issue no. 20 contains an index of the articles in issues 1 through 20. (The index below on this page covers all 24 issues.)
All 24 issues are available on this CD in PDF format (the CD includes an Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader for those who don't already have this program). The CD also includes the complete index shown at the bottom of this page. The price is $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping in the USA, or $5.00 shipping elsewhere.
A few full sets of all 24 issues are in stock. These are $59 postpaid in North America and $69 elsewhere.
Most single issues are available at $2.50 each postpaid in the USA and Canada, and $4.00 elsewhere. The following single issues are out of print and not available except in a full set or on the CD:
no. 1 Oct 92 no. 17 Oct 96 no. 5 Oct 93 no. 21 Oct 97 no. 15 Apr 96
Mail your order to Artifax Books, 151 Barton Road, Stow MA 01775 USA, or email order if paying by Paypal. USA, pay by cash, check, money order or paypal.com . Foreign, please pay in U.S. funds by US cash, International Postal Money Order, a check drawn on a U.S. bank, or paypal.com .
The following lists are for reference only and do not mean we have every issue in stock (see above).
Cross reference to issue number vs. month/year of publication:
No. 1 = Oct 92 No. 7 = Apr 94 No.13 = Oct 95 No.19 = Apr 97
NO. 2 = Jan 93 No. 8 = Jul 94 No.14 = Jan 96 No.20 = Jul 97
No. 3 = Apr 93 No. 9 = Oct 94 No.15 = Apr 96 No.21 = Oct 97
No. 4 = Jul 93 No.10 = Jan 95 No.16 = Jul 96 No.22 = Jan 98
No. 5 = Oct 93 No.11 = Apr 95 No.17 = Oct 96 No.23 = Apr 98
No. 6 = Jan 94 No.12 = Jul 95 No.18 = Jan 97 No.24 = Jul 98
This index lists issue and page (12.4 means No. 12, page 4). Articles which contain material of special importance to collectors or historians are denoted by an asterisk (*).
Main Key Articles
Admiralty Pattern Keys . . . . . . . 20.19, 21.20
American instrument makers . . . . . 12.4 *
Autronic paddle. . . . . . . 7.13, 8.27
Bliss/Goodyear combination set 23.4
Brown Bros keys. . . . . . . . . . . 2.4
Bug checklist, NWAN. . . . . . . . . 14.4
Bunnell Gold Bug . . . . . . . . . . . 16.4
Captured German U-Boat Key . . . . . . 24.4
Coffe Mecograph. . . . . . . . . . . 15.4 * the first bug
Eddystone bug. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4
Electric Specialty Mfg Co. . . . . . 21.4
Japanese Telegraph Set . . . . . . . 21.15
Junker key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.4
Leaf spring switches . . . . . . . . . 16.18
Marconi 971 key. . . . . . . . . . . 13.4
McElroy addresses. . . . . . . . . . . 19.16 *
McElroy Junior bug . . . . . . . . . . 1.4
McElroy MT-35 Transmitter. . . . . . 24.11
McElroy P-500 variations . . . . . . 9.4
Melehan Valiant. . . . . . . . . . . 11.4
MESCO catalog, 1920. . . . . . . . . 19.4
MESCO missing link, Coll's . . . . . 13.14
Shawplex bug . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4
Signal Corps J-36. . . . . . . . . . 24.7 *
Signal Corps J-38. . . . . . . . . . 10.4
SMD Kmk2 key . . . 12.16, 13.18
Speed-X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 *
Spy keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.12
Vertical half-key. . . . . . 17.10, 20.8
Vibroplex, see separate headings.
Other Articles
AWA 1997 Telegraph Seminar 22.4
AWA Rochester report, Raven's 18.11
Are you a collector? . . . . . . . . 17.14
Auction prices . . . . . . . 13.16, 17.13
Chicago F.D. abandons teleg. . . . . 17.12
Collecting Colt revolvers. . . . . . 21.21
Dealing with Sellers . . . . . . . . 24.20
Driving West 1996. . . . . . . . . . 15.22
Estimating production quantities 11.14 * math for the collector
Japan, Hunting for keys in . . . . . 9.14
Key Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . 22.14, 23.16
Lever Correspondent (Combs's). . . . 24.23
Moreau collection at AWA . . . . . . 15.21
Moreau, Louise Ramsey. . . . . . . . 4.4 *
McElroy book errata. . . . . . . . . 9.9
McElroy story, a . . . . . . . . . . 9.12
Mug, telegrapher's . . . . . . . . . 6.9, 8.9
My favorite key (CRL-26012). . . . . 9.7
N1KPR, keys of . . 2.14, 14.24
Packing bugs for shipment. . . . . . 11.20
Recovery of a submarine cable. . . . 22.9
Showing your keys. . . . . . . . . . 6.16
Specialists (collectors) . . . . . . 5.9
Telegraph, Texas . . . . . . . . . . 6.4
Tick Tock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.14
Vail Correspondent . . . . . . . . . 2.16
Book Reviews
Keys II: The Emporium. . . . . . . . 13.19
Railroad Teleg'y and the R.R.. . . . 17.22
Story of the Key . . . . . . . . . . 12.18
Briefly Mentioned
1892 bug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7
Display Case Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.12
Dodge's Institute. . . . . . . . . . 9.10
Louise Ramsey Moreau, SK . . . . . . 9.3
Marconi bug. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8
Nikey paddle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3
Palmer and Hall ad . . . . . . . . . . . 12.24
Railroad Depot, The. . . . . . . . . . . 24.19
Stevens key ad (Std Elect Works) . . . . 23.9
Indexes, lists and references
Bug checklist, NØWAN. . . . . . . . . 14.4 * every bug ever made
Illustration Index, NV2C . . . . . . 8.11
Morsum Magnificat index index. . . . 22.22
Patent numbers vs year . . . . . . . 9.16
Birth Dates of Vibroplex Keys. . . . 18.4 * every year by serial number
Landline instruments and circuits
April fool sounder . . . . . . . . . . 11.16
Batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.16
Bunnell steel lever key. . . . . . . 4.7 * important improvement
Electromagnets . . . . . . . 16, 12.19
Mech. practice inst's. . . . . . . . 6.11, 9.10
Magnet Windings. . . . . . . . . . 24.15
Power circuits . . . . . . . 10.15, 10.18
Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.19
Skirrow (Postal) sounder . . . . . . 15.18
Sounders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.22
Wedges and pegs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.18
Western Union test set . . . . . . . 23.10
Military Keys
AN/GSC-T1 (photo). . . . . . . . . . . . 5.15
Bathtub (English) key. . . . . . . . 16.14
CQ-1213 Navy (photo) . . . . . . . . 4.17
CRL-26012 Navy . . . . . . . . . . . 9.7, 10.23
Field induction teleg (photo). . . . 13.17
J-7 Signal Corps (photo) . . . . . . 4.17
J-37 on base (photo) . . . . . . . . . 5.14
J-38 (major article) . . . . . . . . . . 10.4
J-41 (article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.20
J-41-A (photo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.1
J-46 (photo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.14
Military nomenclature. . . . 4.15, 5.14 * decoding mil codes
Navy key codes . . . . . . . . . . . 2.13
Practice key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.10
SE-144 Navy (photo). . . . . . . . . 4.15
Signal Corps J keys (list) . . . . . 4.16 *
TG-5 (photo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.21
Miscellaneous Photos
Altoona Shops sounder. . . . . . . . 8.25
Central Scientific switches. . . . . 16.19
Coins, Morse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.19
Cote, O.E., bug. . . . . . . . . . . 7.11
Eberbach & Son switch. . . . . . . . 16.21
Ericsson, L.M., key. . . . . . . . . . . 6.13
Greeley/Tillotson sounder. . . . . . 15.20
Hall relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.19
Leeds & Northrup switch. . . . . . . 16.18
McElroy CP-500 . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1
McElroy S-600 detail . . . . . . . . 19.1
Permaflex paddle . . . . . . . . . . 9.17
Phelps relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.16
Register, old. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.25
Russell & Stoll key. . . . . . . . . . . 15.17
Signal Electric relay. . . . . . . . . . 9.21
Standard Radio bug . . . . . . . . . . . 5.11
Tillotson sounder. . . . . . . . . . 8.23
Willer, Murray, keys . . . . . . . . 2.10
Mystery Key
Articles: 5.10, 6.14, 7.11, 9.18, 12.24, 15.16,
17.15, 19.22, 20.14.
Keys identified:
Cote (O.E.) bug. . . . . . . 7.11, 8.28
Skinner box key. . 19.22, 20.23
Standard Radio bug . . . . . . . . . 5.11, 6.14
Restoration
Applying crackle paint . . . . . . . 13.13
Cleaning . . . . . 2.11, 2.12, 4.6, 5.13, 7.17
Correct tools. . . . . . . . . 22.20
Pretty paddles . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.25
Refinishing a Vibroplex. . . . . . . 4.13
Repairing a rusted bug . . . . . . . 12.25
Restoration of a Hand Key. . . . . . 20.16
Vibroplex nameplates . . . .. . . . 3.11
Vibroplex (articles)
Blue Racer, transitional . . . . . . 19.20
Blue Racer. variations . . . . . . . 20.4
Birth dates of V. keys . . . . . . . 18.4 *
Combination key. . 10.12, 11.22
Contact strip numbers. . . . . . . . 19.18
Decals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.12
First Vibroplex, the . . . . 17.9, 18.16 * how to tell
Foil Key Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.10
Levers (A V. Puzzlement) . . . . . . 3.8
Lever variations . . . . . . . . . . 6.6
Liggett (Texas) Vibro 13.10, 16.24
Nameplate, D5 & D6 variations 21.19
Nameplate, Number 84,356 . . . . . . 3.16
New life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.12
Portland, A trip to. . . . . . . . . . . 3.4
Special Vibroplex issue. . . . . . . 3.0 * factoids
Transverse bug plate . . . . . . . . . . . 14.22
Vibroplex [with] SN 1746 . . . . . . 17.4
Zephyr, Finding the. . . . . . . . . . . . 16.17
Vibroplex (Miscellaneous)
Base finishes. . . . . . . . . 22.18
Case, Early. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.6
Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.12 *
Champion (photo) . . . . . . 16.17, 19.19
Company (Maine) for sale . . . . . . 3.15
Company (Maine) sold . . . . . . . . 9.3 * no longer in Maine
Early bugs. . . . . . . . . . . . 22.17
Early nameplates . . . . . . . . . . 22.17
Lightning Bug (photo). . . . . . . . 3.1
Nameplate, first (photo) . . . . . . 18.1
Nameplate, latest (photo). . . . . . 18.10
Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.15
Sienna brown base. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.15
Unusual frame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.18