J-38 (Military Straight Key)
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| Frequency | n/a (CW straight key) |
| Power | A passive hand key - it switches the transmitter's keying line and consumes no power. Works with any rig that has a straight-key (KEY) jack. |
| Modes | CW (straight key) |
| Year | 1940 |
| key | 'Line' and 'Tel' screw terminals (with a shorting/circuit-closer lever); wires to the radio's KEY jack |
| power req | None - a passive mechanical key. |
A piece of history that is also a perfectly good working key: simple, rugged, and pleasant to send with, it is the quintessential straight key and remains cheap and plentiful on the surplus market. The shorting lever and clear terminals make it easy to wire, and Lionel-made examples are especially prized.
It is a vintage surplus item, so condition, base type and contact wear vary; the screw terminals need wiring to a modern KEY plug, and bakelite bases can chip. Quality differs by manufacturer. It is a straight key only (no iambic/keyer use).
The J-38 is the classic WWII military straight key - simple, rugged, historic and inexpensive - an ideal first straight key and a staple of vintage CW operating. Lionel-made examples are the most sought after.
The J-38 is the iconic World War II military straight key - the one that trained a whole generation of US Army Signal Corps radio and telegraph operators. Originally designed as a land-line telegraph key for the wire networks that linked Army posts, it was adopted everywhere for radio CW and produced in huge numbers during the war.
It is a simple, rugged design: a nickel-plated lever and contacts with a shorting (circuit-closer) lever, mounted on a black bakelite base with squared corners inscribed 'J-38', wired through screw terminals marked 'Line' and 'Tel'. It is small - about three inches wide, an inch tall and five deep. Several companies made it during the war, and the examples produced by the Lionel toy company are widely regarded as the best in quality and finish (McElroy and others made them too), so makers and base types vary across surviving keys.
As a surplus item, condition varies - bakelite can chip, contacts wear, and the terminals need wiring to a modern KEY plug - and it is a straight key only. But it is cheap, plentiful, historic and genuinely nice to send with, which keeps it a favorite first straight key and a staple of vintage operating.
It is a classic alternative to straight keys like the Kent KT1 hand key and the Nye Viking Master Key.