Morse Code QSO Created with a Vintage Rotary Phone
Whiskey Tango Hotel found an old Western Electric phone in the attic and wired the switch hook as a straight key.
In a quick retrofit, the people at Whiskey Tango Hotel have created a CW ham radio from an old Western Electric phone. Hauling the unused device out of the attic, they rewired the switch hook into a straight key and were ready to test and go. The new wiring can be seen in the photo below.
The straight key constructed is the classic tool of CW operators, which you can see in their demonstration is operated by depressing the switch where the handset would usually sit. It operates just like a hand key in traditional CW radio communications, and this one was a quick success at “ringing up” another ham radio operator. The project doesn’t provide much in the way of documentation, but if you’re an amateur radio hobbyist or happen to have an antiquated phone you can pull out of storage, perhaps it’s worth giving it a spin.