[GreenKeys] Extel Musings...

[Jack]

I have an almost-brand-new Extel RO printer which has a
two-tone blue plastic case. It appears to be one of their later model
units. It had been planned for use in an emergency notification
network in New York City in the late 1970's. The unit has an internal
modem and I believe it also has some sort of selective
calling capability. I have about 8 inches of manuals for it.
When I got it, as "surplus to our needs", I managed to get it
to work from an RS232 connection by bypassing the internal
modem. It ran fine for months, and one day it just stopped, dead,
and hasn't worked since. I do know that I had removed a 24-pin
chip which I now suspect might have been some sort of EPROM.
I still have the printer and the manuals (lost the chip!).

I also have a "TransLux" machine which is an Extel KSR
configured to work on TELEX lines. It's in nice shape, but
the linefeed plastic belt has disintergrated as has the same
belt in the RO. The RO uses standard "TTY" ribbons, by the
way. The TransLux is an impact printer which uses pressure
sensitive paper (thus, no ribbon).

Oddly enough, I've never seen any Extels at hamfests. 

Nobody builds them like Teletype!!!!

Jack WA2HWJ

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