These online MUSEUMS are dedicated to the PRESERVATION of TELEGRAPH and SCIENTIFIC History, Lore, and Instrumentation: These are no-frills museums designed for rapid and easy searching and downloading to facilitate research by serious collectors and historians but accessible to anyone who is interested in telegraph and scientific instruments. As a telegraph operator and collector for over 50 years, I have assembled a collection of over 3000 telegraph and scientific instruments and photographs. I am always looking to acquire or photograph very old and unusual keys and instruments!!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
* * VINTAGE BUG NET: Put your favorite bug on the air on the Vintage Bug Association Net: Wednesdays at 9:30PM Eastern Time on 3570 AND Wednesdays at 10:00PM on 7070 KHz. All are welcome !!
* * The World Famous 'DEERFIELD, NH HAMFEST' is Back !!Largest in the Northeast!

* * TELEGRAPH COLLECTORS REFERENCE CD (NEW 2nd. Edition) * * (Details & Ordering Information)
Twice the material in the first edition. Over 7000 Inline Photographs, Illustrated Books, Videos & Reference Information. For PC and MAC!.$15. Page showing corrections:

* * Perera's TELEGRAPH COLLECTORS GUIDE (2nd. Edition) * * (Details & Ordering Information)
100 pages, 300 photographs, descriptions, prices, 1200 item index, for only $19.95 !
(Latest Internet-Revised Price Guide) ** (Corrections) ** (Info & Updates for the 1st. Edition)

* * HOW TO RESTORE TELEGRAPH KEYS: W.R. Smith, W4PAL * * (Details & Ordering Information)
The best and only book of its kind; displays every procedure !

* * THE STORY OF THE ENIGMA CD: History, Technology, and Deciphering (NEW 4th Edition) * * (Details & Ordering Information)
This newly expanded CD has twice the material in the 3rd edition. It tells the complete story of the ENIGMA ! Thousands of pictures, books, Enigma simulator programs, construction projects, other cipher machines, realistic videos... and much more. $15. ** (Updates & Corrections)

* * The Antique Wireless Assocation TELEGRAPH ANTHOLOGY CD: Every telegraph article ever published by AWA and much more! $15.

My TELEGRAPH MUSEUM will be at the:
DAYTON HAMVENTIONS: www.hamvention.org (May. Dayton, Ohio) -->> Usual SPACES 2555-2551
ANNUAL ANTIQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS: http://www.antiquewireless.org: (August. Rochester, NY)
Once again, I will be exhibiting hundreds of keys dating from before the Civil War to the present. Bring your old, and unusual keys, photographs, and stories. I'll be buying, trading, and photographing keys to expand the information in my museum. Free appraisals, history, and pretzels !! See you there !!

WEBSITE MAP: - - In This Website, You Will Find (In this order):

• GENERAL INFORMATION: about the ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.


• THE TELEGRAPH MUSEUM: An On-Line Telegraph Museum with (copyrighted) downloadable descriptions & illustrations of over 3000 keys. (Now includes keys owned by other collectors.)


• ** SEARCHABLE TELEGRAPH INDEX **: MUSEUM INVENTORY (Updated: 3-27-2004 --New update being prepared.): The **Searchable** and Downloadable Database and index to all telegraph items.


• SPECIAL REPORTS and NEWS:


• ADDITIONAL MUSEUM: THE ENIGMA, CIPHER MACHINE AND COMPUTER MUSEUM: An On-Line Museum with (copyrighted) downloadable descriptions & illustrations of Enigma and other Cipher machines and Computers.


• OTHER MUSEUMS: of Early ENIGMA CIPHER MACHINES, SCIENTIFIC, MEDICAL, & PSYCHOLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS, RADIOS, MICROPHONES, and COMPUTERS.


• OTHER TELEGRAPH COLLECTORS: and samples from their COLLECTIONS.


• INTERNET TELEGRAPH LINKS: to other telegraph-related sites.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
(To SEARCH this Website, click on: ** SEARCHABLE TELEGRAPH INVENTORY **: Search this big page with the EDIT/FIND-ON-THIS-PAGE function of your browser: Identify the Inventory Number you want: and then find it in the TELEGRAPH MUSEUM SECTION.)

• * * TELEGRAPH COLLECTORS REFERENCE CD - 2000 * *
  Over 3000 Inline Photographs, 3 Illustrated Books, Reference Information ! See this link for description and ordering information.
  
• * * Perera's TELEGRAPH COLLECTORS GUIDE (SECOND Edition) * *
  100 pages, 300 photographs, descriptions, current prices, and a 1200 item index - See this link for ordering information, updates, and corrections, and downloadable price list.)
  
• BACKGROUND INFORMATION:(4KB) How the telegraph works:
  Theory, and Construction of the "Electric Telegraph":
• How to BUILD a simple telegraph set:(10KB)
  
• How to BUILD a simple WIRELESS telegraph set:(10KB)
  
• The MORSE CODE and the CONTINENTAL CODE:(2KB)
  
• A Brief OUTLINE HISTORY of the TELEGRAPH: (6KB)
  
• THE AMAZING TELEGRAPH KEY RESTORATIONS BY W.R. SMITH - W4PAL: (200kb)
  
• SOME SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS FOR CARING FOR OLD TELEGRAPH APPARATUS: (5KB)
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: INTERNET LINKS, REFERENCES, and PERIODICALS: (6KB)
  Includes publications and periodicals of interest to collectors:
  
• PHILOSOPHY and Information about this Cyber-Museum: (3KB)
• CREATING your own Cyber-Museum: (3KB)
• "SAMPLE" PICTURES of Telegraph and Scientific Instruments: (2K)

• ( 0000 ) Batteries: Voltaic, "Crow's Foot" or "Gravity" Battery, etc.: (15 Photos)
• ( 0001 - 0050 ) Early Pre-Morse Telegraph Equipment: (pre- 1860s)(53 Photos)
• ( 0051 - 1000 ) Very Early Land-Line Equipment: (pre-1880s) (429 Photos)
• ( 1001 - 3000 ) Early Land - Line Equipment: (after-1880s) (321 Photos)
• ( 3001 - 3500 ) Code Practice & Automatic Sets & Equipment: (68 Photos)
• ( 4001 - 5500 ) Spark Keys & Wireless (Radio) Keys: (268 Photos)
• ( 5501 - 6000 ) Paddles & Electronic Keyers: (52 Photos)
• ( 6001 - 8000 ) BUGS (Semi-Automatic Keys: (398 Photos)
• ( 8001 - 9000 ) American Military Keys: (125 Photos)
• ( 9001 - 9200 ) British, Australian, NATO Military & Recent Keys: (56 Photos)
• ( 9201 - 9300 ) Canadian Military & Recent Keys: (11 Photos)
• ( 9301 - 9400 ) French and Italian Military & Recent Keys: (6 Photos)
• ( 9401 - 9600 ) German Military & Recent Keys: (47 Photos)
• ( 9601 - 9700 ) Japanese & Chinese Military & Recent Keys: (42 Photos)
• ( 9701 - 9750 ) Russian, Czech & All remaining Countries. Military & Recent Keys: (48 Photos)
• ( 9751 - 9800 ) Light and Visual Morse Code Signaling Equipment: (10 Photos)
• ( 9801 - 9900 ) Home-Made Keys, & Novelty Keys: (121 Photos)
• ( 9901 - 9999 ) Miscelaneous Telegraph Items: (41 Photos)

• The ** SEARCHABLE ** MUSEUM INVENTORY & TRADE LIST: (Annotated)(Downloadable):(475KB)
  A list of all of the museum's telegraph items. The entire list may be searched directly with your internet browser's search function or it may be downloaded as an ASCII text file and searched using the search function of any word processor as an aid in finding and identifying unknown keys. (all of the keys currently owned by the museum are available in trade for very early or unusual telegraph instruments.) (NOTE: This is a large 475KB file and it may take a while to load.)

SPECIAL REPORTS and NEWS: Telegraph-Related Activities:

• REPORT ON TELEGRAPH KEYS AT THE 2000 DAYTON and ROCHESTER, NY HAMFESTS:(3KB)


• REPORT ON TELEGRAPH KEYS AT THE 1999 DAYTON HAMFEST:(3KB)


• REPORT ON TELEGRAPH KEYS AT THE 1998 DAYTON HAMFEST:(3KB)


• REPORT ON TELEGRAPH KEYS AT THE 1998 ROCHESTER, NY HAMFEST:(3KB)


• PERHAPS THE EARLIEST TELEGRAPH DAGUERREOTYPES:(2KB) (Courtesy of Mark Koenigsberg)


• RECREATING NEWSCASTER WALTER WINCHELL'S TELEGRAPH SETUP FOR HOLLYWOOD:(80KB)


• REPORT ON A FILMING OF THE MUSEUM'S EARLY TELEGRAPH EQUIPMENT FOR PUBLIC TELEVISION SPECIALS:(4KB)


• SHARK DIVING EXPEDITION IN CONJUNCTION WITH DIVING FOR SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH CABLES:(3KB)


• REPORT ON 1998 DIVING EXPEDITION TO RECOVER EARLY SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH CABLE:(2KB)


• REPORT on 1997 Diving Expedition to Recover Early Submarine Telegraph Cable:(4KB)

With Detailed photos of all layers of the cable: (BIG slow-loading (3min) file!)

TOM PERERA'S OTHER INTERESTS AND HOBBIES:

Extra Class Licensed Amateur Radio Station - W 1 T P 
     First licensed in 1953 as K2DCY. All Bands. All Modes. Mobile/Fixed. 
     Member: OOTC, QCWA, AWA, MTC, NEARC, ARRL, AREC, RACES, RCC
     Specializing in Telegraph Keys dating back to before the Civil War.

Licensed Private Pilot: Single-engine, land, and instrument ratings.
     Owner of Piper Cherokee 180 Aircraft.

Certified Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver - Over 500 dives.

Hobbies:
     Sailing; Mountain Climbing; Spelunking; Diving; Running; Electronics.