[GreenKeys] Extel Musings...

[Charles Ring, W3NU]

I might have seen one or two Extel RO's at hamfests but never considered
buying one. My only experience with them was on UPI's radio wire where
they replaced 15RO's - poorly. Constant failures, and I eventually
insisted on a 15 again for standby.


Jack wrote:

> 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
>
> NNNN
>
> _______________________________________________
> GreenKeys mailing list
> GreenKeys@mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/greenkeys