Key: Vibroplex Iambic Standard
Serial: 415241
Purchased: February 15, 2025
Plate: Knoxville, TN
Base: ECO-BLACK powdercoat
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The Vibroplex Iambic is a dual-lever paddle key which is designed to interface with an electronic keyer. First released in the late 1970s when the company moved to Maine, the Iambic is built upon the same base platform as the Vibrokeyer, which came before it. Instead of a single lever, the Iambic uses two levers which move independently. Like the Vibrokeyer, the Iambic requires a three-wire connection terminated with a TRS plug.
The frame used on the Iambic differs from those found on the Original, Blue Racer, and Vibrokeyer in that it houses two trunnions instead of one. Contact posts are situated to the outside end of each lever. Operating the Iambic is as simple as pressing the left lever to the right or the right lever to the left or squeezing both levers simultaneously in what is called “squeeze keying” or “iambic keying”.
I like the Iambic Standard well enough. This key was my very first Morse key and I bought it based on the brand name reputation and the idea that I wanted to ensure that I started my journey toward becoming a CW operator with equipment of fine quality. I did find the paddle levers were overly loud when they would come to rest on the stop pin that sits in between the levers and the contact posts. To remedy this, I used a piece of masking tape, though a piece of shrink tube would probably be better suited as a more permanent solution. Adding this small modification doesn’t affect the usability of the paddles while significantly quieting the level of noise associated with the key during normal use.
For any Vibroplex fan, or any CW op in general, the Iambic paddles from Vibroplex would be a nice addition to anyone’s key collection. If you can afford it, spend the extra money for a Deluxe model or go crazy and get the 24K gold plated model! The deluxe and gold models utilize the “jeweled” trunnion screws which were introduced as part of the La Hiff patent in 1939.
Collectible versions of this key would include the “Iambic Presentation” model, which appeared in 1983 and had a thin gold-plated sheet of brass affixed to the top of a chromed base, similar to the Original semi-automatic bug “Presentation” model. Vibroplex began producing an Iambic with its entire base plated with 24K gold when the company moved to Alabama. The Presentation models may have come and gone, but the “Iambic Gold” is still being sold today and may well be a collector’s item in its own right in the years to come. As with most collectibles, older is typically better. An earlier version of the 24K gold-plated base is more collectible than a recent one.
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