Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote in :
mikea wrote:
o MFJ-259 antenna analyzer; I like it a lot. It's not perfect, but it
works well enough for my purposes. Bought used.

Do you have the user written manual? It is in German and AFAIK never translated
but a lot of it is pretty obvious anyway. For example the specs to make
your own "grid dip" coils can be figured out, once you understand the metric
wire sizes.

Ich lese deutch.

o MFJ-557 code practice oscillator with key. CPO is OK; key is trash.

If this the plastic based one with the bent metal U shaped bracket, it
was in the 1960's the key a lot of novices first learned to use. It can be
adjusted to work (how well is a matter of opionon) and IMHO should be
given to a boy scout or someone else interested in learning morse code.

I was damn lucky: when I got my Novice ticket in 1962, my uncle Stu gave me
a Vibroplex J-36 (he used it as a radio op on B-25s in WWII, he told me)
and a J-38 that he also had used. Still have 'em.

You may be lucky, they might actually go far enough to come to the same
conclusion and buy a real key. :-)

Except for the high-end MFJ stuff, they appear to go for the lowest priced
stuff that will get the job done and last for the design lifetime -- which
I think is the warranty period.

--
Answer: two spoonfuls in my cup, please.
Question: how much should I use?

(why top-posting is bad)