[Elecraft] "Real" CW

[David Yarnes]

Actually, I think they were called "mils"--only 1 "L".  They were much like 
a standard typewriter, but only had capital letters--no switching from lower 
to upper case.  They looked a lot like the old Underwoods you often see.  I 
used them quite a bit in the Army.  There may have been a shift key for some 
punctuation (I honestly can't remember), but I think standard punctuation 
was available on separate keys.  Although typing was not a skill we taught 
in radio school,  most of the CW operators rapidly acquired a reasonable 
dexterity with a mil, even if it was "two fingered".  Fortunately, I took 
typing in high school, so using a mil was not difficult for me.  We required 
a mil to be used for copying messages in the Berlin radio room so that the 
message would be readable (we didn't teach penmanship either!).  Since the 
advent of computers, these have surely become relics.  However, you will see 
one advertised for sale now and then.

Dave W7AQK


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Jensen" <k6dgw at foothill.net>
To: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 10:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] "Real" CW


> Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
>
>> And lastly, that is a pre-computer state-of-the-art manual message 
>> printing
>> system the operator uses to create hard copy. We called 'em 
>> "typewriters".
>
> Some of us called them "mills."  Passed up a chance to get one ... too 
> many kids in the house at the time so not enough money :-(  The KSM story 
> is at www.radiomarine.org
>
> 73,
>
> Fred K6DGW
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the 2009 Cal QSO Party  3-4 Oct 2008
> - www.cqp.org
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