Key: Vibroplex Vibrokeyer Standard
Serial: 41728
Vintage: 1983
Acquired: March 9, 2026
Plate: D8 | No Address | No Patent Info
Base: Gray Crackle
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Review
Even though electronic keying came in the late 1940s, Vibroplex didn’t produce a key specifically to work with an electronic keyer until 1960, when the Vibro-Keyer, as it was then called, came to market. The Vibrokeyer is all Vibroplex business in the front and electronic keyer party in the back.
The Vibrokeyer uses a frame modeled after that found on the Original, including the trunnion. The main lever is similar, though lengthened and does not include a main spring nor pendulum rod. Instead, the main lever reaches all the way back to the dot contact post. At that end, a contact is mated to the lever and lined up with the contact post. The dash lever, contact, and contact posts are all identical to what you’d find on an Original. Earlier models have a Philips screw in place of a dot lever stop screw at the end of the left frame arm. Like the Iambic, the Vibrokeyer requires a three-wire connection terminated with a TRS plug.
The Vibrokeyer was one of three keying devices that were equipped in “Presentation” garb (the others being the Original and the Iambic). Like the Original Presentation, the Vibrokeyer Presentation was a Deluxe model with a gold-plated brass plate laid on top of the base. Today, the Vibrokeyer is available in Standard, Deluxe, and Gold variations.
Collectible Vibrokeyers would include a special edition “Hallicrafters gray”-based version which was marketed by Harrison Radio and was color-matched to the Hallicrafters TO Keyer. The Presentation Vibrokeyer seems to be uncommon and would be a great addition to someone’s collection. When the company was in Alabama, around 2006 or so, a “Collins Special Edition” was offered in the Vibrokeyer, Iambic, and Original models. These wear nameplates with an etched “Collins” logo where there used to be patent numbers and serial numbers that begin with “CCA-“.
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