[GreenKeys] 14,075 autostart (mid 70's)

[Roy Norris]

Later in the 70's Irv formed a friendship with Vic Poor who was a senior
officer of one of the smaller microcomputer companies.  Vic supplied Irv
with computer equipment.  Irv was particularly proud of his 1 megabyte
hard disk, an almost unheard of amount of storage at that time.  He
transferred his computer RTTY activity to that type of computer and
began developing RTTY software for the Heathkit H-8 using a cross
compiler I believe he had developed personally.

This started out with a program called "RMOM"  which would receive
split-octal characters from transmitted RTTY suitably demodulated
through a TU and fed to the H-8 through a jury rigged RS-232 interface.
The H-8 running RMOM would load these split octal characters into the
memory of the Hethkit H-8 as binary digits representing the compiled
code of the program, which could thereupon be saved to an audio tape or,
if one was very advanced, a 100 K disk drive available for the H-8.  (A
fully tricked out H-8 could have as much as 64K of 8 bit memory and ran
at a clock speed under 1 Mhz !)

RMON allowed one to edit the received split-octal code prior to storing
to memory.  We used to make a simultaneous printout of the received code
on a TTY machine so that we could manually go back in and make fills
after querying Irv about some section of the code where we had received
garble.  Sometimes it took half a day to transfer a 10 K (eight bit)
program  successfully !

Once an accurate copy was received, it was stored to tape, and then
reloaded to memory whenever you wanted to run the program.  In this
manner, Irv distributed a plethora of computer RTTY programs to us eager
listeners on the Autostart frequency.

Irv then developed a full RTTY program, its name I forget, that allowed
the Heath H-8 to be used as a full video Teletype machine.  It provided
a substantial type ahead buffer and full video display of the received
signal , a first for Ham Radio TTY enthusiasts.  

Irv's primary intent had been to create a computer version of tape
equipment so that an operator, while receiving on the hard copy Model
19/28/whatever printer, could prepare a response on the computer which
could be transmitted at machine speed when the other party to the QSO
turned it back over to you.  As the H-8 transmitted the stored up buffer
of your comments, it initially started at 60 wpm but then progressively
slowed down as it reached the end of the buffer.  This allowed a typist
that was slower than the 60 wpm machine speed, and still typing into the
buffer, to continue typing into the buffer without the transmission of
the buffer overtaking him.  If the transmission eventually did exhaust
the buffer (even at the slower speed) the H-8 then generated "diddles"
during the times the buffer was empty.

Irv then added split screen capability so that one could see the
received signal coming in on the monitor while typing into the buffer,
the text of which was shown on the lower part of the split screen.  Irv
did this so that one could easily refer to the incoming comments while
typing your response into the buffer.  

But users of the program quickly realized that if you could see both the
received text as well as what you were typing into the transmit buffer
at the same time, you didn't really need the old mechanical teletype
machine anymore.  Hence full computer RTTY was born.

I mention this because Irv was most upset at this turn of events.  He
frequently complained to me that the advent of full computer RTTY would
be the death of real RTTY using mechanical machines, which was never his
intent.  To a large degree his fears have been born out as anyone can
see with a quick scan of 20 meters: nothing but computer generated RTTY
and 1 line QSO's that seldom go beyond signal report, name, and 
Location (if that).  And, has already been noted, a CR or LF is almost
an unknown character.

Irv would have been deeply saddened by this turn of events that he so
prophetically predicted would happen.  And, he is not the only one.  The
only real RTTY'ers remaining are on this list and they are only a few.
We tried last year, unsuccessfully, to restart the 20 meter autostart
group on 30 meters.  It seems there was not even enough interest for
anyone to put up an antenna, although a few did.  As a result, the
honorary named "Irv Hoff Memorial Autostart Net", AKA "Hoff Net", had a
still birth.  Maybe Irv was right, I am sorry to say:  computer RTTY
really has killed RTTY.

Roy Norris, K4EEG




-----Original Message-----
From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of valerie zeiser
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 10:48 AM
To: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] 14,075 autostart (mid 70's)

Yes!

I was on in the mid 70's as WA2EAA - Hicksville, NY.

I left the Drake twins on frequency with the
crystal-controlled receiver.

I not only had a WRU set up, but also you could
relay traffic thru me by sending the proper
sequence to my SELCAL.

Irv and I were the only ones that had mini computers
integrated into our stations. He was using a PDP-8
as I recall, and I had a Data General NOVA 1200 with
a BIG 4K of memory. That's right folks 4K, and the
CPU was clocking at 10MHz.

I don't remember any of the callsigns other
than Irv's.

73,
W6ESE - tonyp
NNNNZCZC

John Becker wrote:
> Is there anyone on this list that was part of the
> autostart group that was on 14,075 back in the early
> mid 70's with K4DXR, VE3RH and the rest of us.
> 
> John
> 

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