[GreenKeys] AN/UGC-74B?

[Eugene Hertz]

I bought one on ebay for $10 and paid $90 for shipping. It was not the B version, but the 74.  This one had a regular underwood style printer ribbon which was nice. But like Ed's experience mine came coated in gooey roller drip. Much thicker than rubber cement. More like elmers glue just before its hard but thicker like melted vinyl.  It was a beautiful machine and I think it would have been a great machine if it werent for the goo.  Its great because it was small (but very heavy!) You could really roll a tank over it without a problem.  I always liked the looks and size of that machine (loved the keyboard) but alas, it went out to the curb. I paid the garbage men another $20 in tip for taking it away. So for $120 I learned about gooey 74s'
73!
Eugene

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Edward Greeley [mailto:etgreeley at earthlink.net]
>Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 10:05 PM
>To: 'Bob McConnell'
>Cc: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] AN/UGC-74B?
>
>Good evening, Bob, 
> 
>You are right, the UGC-74B(V3) IS NOT a model 28, or even a distant 
>cousin. What it is IS A PIECE OF JUNK! Allow me to explain: 
> 
>The machine is a good idea in theory that was very poorly implemented in 
>practice. It's supposed to be a universal data terminal that will do 
>both ASCII and Baudot, RS-232 or current loop at data rates from 110 
>baud up to (IIRC) 9600 baud. Those are the basic options that can be 
>selected by various switches. There are a number of other options that I 
>don't remember off the top of my head. 
> 
>It has a really goofy typing mechanism that is sort of reminiscent of 
>the old GE Terminet printers, yet different. The Terminet had a belt 
>with alpha and numeric charcters on metal fingers inserted into the 
>belt. The belt rotated continuously in front of the paper and when the 
>appropriate character appeared at the appropriate spot on the page, the 
>type finger was whacked by a print hammer to drive the finger against 
>the ribbon and onto the paper. There was a print hammer for each 
>character position on the paper. Sheesh! If you can picture all that and 
>think it was a Rube Goldberg machine, you're right. 
> 
>Well! The UGC-74B(V3) has a large drum (the axis of which is 
>perpendicular to the edge of the paper) that rotates continuously BEHIND 
>the paper. The drum contains a complete type set (letters, figures, 
>punctuation, etc) for EACH character position on the paper. Like the 
>Terminet, the machine's logic knows where the drum is at all times, and 
>knows what character is supposed to print at each position, and tells 
>the print hammer at the specified character position to whack the ribbon 
>against the paper when the selected character on the drum comes around. 
>Again, there is a print hammer for each character position on the paper. 
> 
>The real problem with the machine is that the paper feed rollers, which 
>are under the drum, were made of some sort of "miracle material" that 
>miraculously turns into a substance rather like very thick rubber cement 
>after a few years, and plasters itself all over the print drum when you 
>fire it up. There are no replacement rollers available, AFIK. Even if 
>rollers were available, it is a major surgical operation to remove the 
>drum to effect roller replacement. Not to mention cleaning the goo off 
>of the drum and everything else it got on. 
> 
>The second big problem is that there are no replacement ribbons 
>available for the machine. Gotta reink the old one. When that wears out, 
>then what? 
> 
>I speak from sad, sad, frustrating experience about this. I bought 
>several of the damned things from DRMO at Keesler AFB several years ago 
>and never was able to get any of them cleaned up and working. I found 
>out AFTER I was stuck with them that the gooey roller problem was all 
>too common, and I was never able to find ANYONE who had a working 
>UGC-74B(V3). Other variations of the UGC-74 are different, as I 
>understand it, but I have no first-hand knowledge of them. 
> 
>I still have one of the damned things that you can have for FREE if you 
>want to pay the freight. I should mention that the machine is supposed 
>to have a front cover that completely encloses its "face". The GL 
>pictures do not show that cover. It's supposedly water-proof when the 
>front cover is in place. The front cover has a warning decal that 
>cautions "TWO MAN LIFT", imagine that! It only weighs 100 pounds... 
> 
>Caveat emptor! 
> 
>Ed Greeley 
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