RTTY in days of old
Locked
 
|
Mine was a Model 26 and a BC-610E ! (:-)
73! K0PP ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
|
|
Kleinschmidt.
73, Rick wa6nhc Tiny iPhone 5 keypad, typos are inevitable > On Dec 15, 2013, at 8:15 PM, Ken G Kopp <[hidden email]> wrote: > > Mine was a Model 26 and a BC-610E ! (:-) > > 73! > > K0PP > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
|
|
Model 14 tape printer was the first. Demod and scope were 19" rack
mounted along with a power supply that weighed in at over 40 lbs. by itself. Later Mode 15 and eventually Mod 28 (complete console). The latter was last seen at the Fairfax County landfill in Virginia over 23 years ago. I couldn't even give it away. Artwork was done with various characters being repeated into patterns and brag tapes hung on the wall for reuse (some were even on special indestructible 5-level tape). The computer stuff may work well, but it is cold and devoid of personality - about the same as everything else that is computer controlled. Today's "QSOs" are done with single key strokes (and the chance of finding a good rag chew is very rare). It is all about a fast contact and computer generated logbook entries. Bill W2BLC K-Line ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
|
|
Any discussion of early RTTY brings back warm memories. I fell in love with RTTY when I first heard the diddle sounds in the headphones of my Ocean Hopper in the late 50's. Didn't really get a chance to work it until I was out of college in the 70's when I bought a Model 19 TTY with paper tape punch and reader from a friend. The whole thing (TTY, punch, reader, and current loop power supply) must have weighed well over 300 lbs. I ran it with an Eldico R-104/T-102 for HF Rx/Tx, and eventually on VHF using a comparatively tiny Wilson HT. I bought a used pair of small transistor circuit boards that converted the audio characters (diddle) to current loop characters (90ma current loop???) for RX and TX. The boards had burned at one point, were repaired by an owner before me, and again by me when some of the solder joints failed. Sold it all in 1984 when I knew my job would be moving me around and I just couldn't lug all that stuff with me;
besides, computers had taken off and they could easily replace most of that stuff. Today, a KX3/KXPA100/Acer W3 gives me the same capabilities, weighs under 5 lbs. (not 300 lbs.) and fits in the space taken up by the paper tape punch alone! Now I miss the sounds of the motor in the TTY starting up as you approach a signal, the ker-crunch of the TTY keys as the signal is tuned in properly, the slight whisp of oil in the air, the ascii art (or more correctly, Baudot art) and more. I had a CQ tape, a CQ Reply tape, a Brag tape, etc. taped to the front of the Model 19 which acted as primitive Macros. You would load each tape into the reader as the QSO progressed. Sadly, computers didn't replace that character. Maybe the next generation will talk about the character that waterfalls have! Ltrs Ltrs CR CR LF FL Mark KE6BB From: Bill W2BLC<[hidden email]> Sent: Mon, Dec 16, 2013 at 3:25 AM To: <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] RTTY in days of old Model 14 tape printer was the first. Demod and scope were 19" rack mounted along with a power supply that weighed in at over 40 lbs. by itself. Later Mode 15 and eventually Mod 28 (complete console). The latter was last seen at the Fairfax County landfill in Virginia over 23 years ago. I couldn't even give it away. Artwork was done with various characters being repeated into patterns and brag tapes hung on the wall for reuse (some were even on special indestructible 5-level tape).The computer stuff may work well, but it is cold and devoid of personality - about the same as everything else that is computer controlled. Today's "QSOs" are done with single key strokes (and the chance of finding a good rag chew is very rare). It is all about a fast contact and computer generated logbook entries.Bill W2BLC K-Line______________________________________________________________Elecraft mailing listHome: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraftHelp: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htmPost: mailto:[hidden email] list hosted by: http://www.qsl.netPlease help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
|
|
RTTY in the old days, like so much of ham radio then, was self help. I
was active in the late 1950s before the days of solid state Terminal Units. Then the state of art TU was the TTL-2. From QST had nearly a dozen tubes and used the famous 88 mh telephone cable loading coils. It was a real jewel in its 19 inch rack and if you were real "up town" included a 2 inch CRT cross tuning indicator. Then RTTY was mostly 850 hz shift. Think the TTL-2 could be considered the father of the solid state ST series of TUs. As for a machine. The one I had was like a typewriter with individual keys coming up to hit the paper through an inked ribbon. Not the wheel or box of type keys in later machines. Model 10 or 12 maybe? 60 wpm was flat out for it. You adjusted the motor speed looking through the head end of a tuning fork at a painted wheel on the motor. Can almost still remember the smell of warm oil and the beat beat sound of the machine typing out press. 73 Bob W7AVK ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
|
|
In reply to this post by KE6BB
On 12/16/2013 8:26 AM, Mark Petiford wrote:
> I > bought a used pair of small transistor circuit boards that converted > the audio characters (diddle) to current loop characters (90ma > current loop???) for RX and TX. 60mA loops. Later, 20mA polar loops became popular, but I don't remember why. Wonder what it would be like to work a RTTY contest with a "real teletype?" Perhaps similar to: Having inherited an SX-28, I decided to work an NAQP CW retro. I found my last 40m ARC-5 and Heath power supply in the basement and fired up with a J-38. I lasted 2 hours before I overdosing on nostalgia. Unlike wine, 36 years in the basement did not mellow the ARC-5's key clicks. I only got shocked from the key a couple of times. The only reason the "good old days" are remembered as "good" is because we had no idea what was coming. :-)) 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014 - www.cqp.org ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
Digital rag chewing, was RTTY in days of old
|
|
In reply to this post by Bill-3
On 12/16/13 at 3:07 AM, [hidden email] (Bill W2BLC) wrote:
>The computer stuff may work well, but it is cold and devoid of >personality - about the same as everything else that is >computer controlled. Today's "QSOs" are done with single key >strokes (and the chance of finding a good rag chew is very >rare). It is all about a fast contact and computer generated >logbook entries. I have generally found rag chewers on 20M PSK, sometimes more of them, sometimes fewer. I've had nice chats with Michael, VE3NOO; Al, W8TTY; and Mary, KC4TIE to name just a few. I'll be on 20M PSK exclusively from New Hampshire until the end of the year. If you see me give a call. Just don't send 73 sk until you're done. We can chat. Cheers - Bill ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Frantz | I like the farmers' market | Periwinkle (408)356-8506 | because I can get fruits and | 16345 Englewood Ave www.pwpconsult.com | vegetables without stickers. | Los Gatos, CA 95032 ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
|
|
In reply to this post by k6dgw
Fred,
I guess my memory of the current loops as 90 ma instead of 60 ma is a little like my memory of how great it was...both are inflated by the years! Regards, Mark KE6BB From: Fred Jensen<[hidden email]> Sent: Mon, Dec 16, 2013 at 12:10 PM To: <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] RTTY in days of old On 12/16/2013 8:26 AM, Mark Petiford wrote:> I> bought a used pair of small transistor circuit boards that converted> the audio characters (diddle) to current loop characters (90ma> current loop???) for RX and TX.60mA loops. Later, 20mA polar loops became popular, but I don't remember why. Wonder what it would be like to work a RTTY contest with a "real teletype?" Perhaps similar to:Having inherited an SX-28, I decided to work an NAQP CW retro. I found my last 40m ARC-5 and Heath power supply in the basement and fired up with a J-38. I lasted 2 hours before I overdosing on nostalgia. Unlike wine, 36 years in the basement did not mellow the ARC-5's key clicks. I only got shocked from the key a couple of times.The only reason the "good old days" are remembered as "good" is because we had no idea what was coming. :-))73,Fred K6DGW- Northern California Contest Club- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014- www.cqp.org______________________________________________________________Elecraft mailing listHome: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraftHelp: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htmPost: mailto:[hidden email] list hosted by: http://www.qsl.netPlease help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
|
|
In reply to this post by Ken G Kopp
Mine was a Model 15 and the Heathkit HD-3030 TU.
The Model 15, after sitting on the floor in a corner for about 20 years, is alive and well at a museum in Nova Scotia. Have a look here. And actually, the HD-3030 is also alive and well. I added Baudot support to an open-source serial port terminal emulator I found on the web and use it with the HD-3030 and my TS-850's FSK port. Works great ... just confirmed Corsica on 20M RTTY. Cheers - Bruce K1FFX
Bruce Rosen
K1FFX K2/100 6982 KSB2 KAT100-1 KAF2 KIO2 |
|
|
In reply to this post by Ken G Kopp
Perhaps a fitting end to the thread ... I still have a Tono 5000 here ... self-contained RTTY unit with built-in CRT and attached keyboard. Keys printed in English and Japanese. A DXpedition favorite because it worked off of 12v or AC. Cool piece of equipment that only serves to make one appreciate how easy digital is with a K3
Paul WB2ABD ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
«
Return to Elecraft
|
1 view|%1 views
| Free forum by Nabble | Edit this page |