[GreenKeys] Printers on phone lines

[Richard YOUL Brisbane]

Thanks to all who responded to my comments. TTY for the deaf has been in use
here for quite some years. We have an obsolete unit at our Telstra museum.
Normally it is silent but sends out Mark and Space tones as each key is
pressed. Speed appears to be 50 Baud. The silence allows reception of
incoming tones on the same frequency as those sent, and removes the need for
parties to agree on who should use 'Originate' and who should use 'Answer'.
A very small screen shows the last few words sent or received. Another model
had provision for printing on a narrow tape much as used in adding machines.
The telephone receiver was rested on a cradle allowing tones to be heard and
transmitted by the device.

Radio Amateurs were using RTTY here in the 70's. I once worked somebody's
Creed to a correspondent in the US. As for printers on the phone lines, only
one or two other people had bothered with this until I came along, and they
were using relays and all sorts of things for their interfaces.
Unfortunately there appears to be very few printer collectors in this
country, and it is difficult to give a machine away, let alone sell one.
Richard Youl.