[Drake] Re Tono units inquiry

[Frank Gilmore]

GE,

Dave and Norman asked about some of the Theta series units.  I have at =
least one of all that were produced and dupes of a couple.  I collect =
things like these and Universal M-xxxx series etc like fleas on a hound =
dog.  I just can't resist them because of the advanced engineering they =
exhibit.

The grand slam unit is the 5000E which has a built in CRT and in reality =
is a stand alone computer in a semi-compact case.  I have two.  One came =
off maritime use recently when they finally went to sat.  I want to keep =
one, the first one because it has some shipping damage and although =
works great I am not going to fight to get a new cabinet from Japan. =20

These cover the various English, European, and Japanese versions of CW, =
RTTY, and Amtor.  I no longer have contact with the US importer....he =
moved once and we kept in touch but after the seond move I lost him.  I =
have heard on the digital grapevine a Pactor mod kit had come out but no =
idea where one could be found.

If interested will supply more data.  I had the cleanest one on line =
last fall and worked some 20 meter RTTY with it. =20

I have used a Tono 777 steadily for about sixteen years.  It is totaly =
controlled by a computer.  It has the unique ability to allow external =
programs to switch it through a couple of hundred decyphering  =
combinations (wirrten into owners software) until a possible match =
occurs.  Tono did not supply software for some reason.  I wrote a Pascal =
program which I no longer have.  A conventional use is easy with any VT =
compatible comm terminal program and then use some of the good software =
macro programs to create possible switched combinations for deconding.

I never could understand why Drake didn't go with these units because =
they were so much more capable for serious work.  The 5000E with Drakes =
name on it would have sold for a fortune I am sure since it is designed =
for commercial
use.... but folks were buying HAL high end units. =20

And lest anyone wonder the Drake lines are beautiful on RTTY.  I had a =
pair of them set up on AF Mars gateway freqs with a steady flow of SE =
Asia traffic coming in and going out from one to another for two years.  =
A couple of brief failures but this was a 24 hour operation.  They =
certainly earned my respect and I still have several on line.  The =
28ASRs and later 32ASRs were offline for repairs far more often.

Drakes and Tono were made for each other (or so a wandering minstrel =
sang to me).

73,

Frank K0JPJ  ex-W5PVX

RTTY since 1958...........

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