[GreenKeys] Fred Schmidt's Typetronics

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

I was supposed to forward this a week ago but got interrupted and just 
discovered it still sitting here.

To All:
 
Recently, many have been asking about the status of Fred Schmidt's 
Typetronics and, since his passing, if someone has acquired his old stock of Teletype 
parts
 
I can answer those questions. Typetronics is no more and I bought all of 
Fred's teletype parts.
 
When I was in high school...in the late 1960's...a whole group of us in New 
Orleans got interested in rtty. We all bought parts from Fred. Anyway, in 2003 
I had married a lady that I met through my work who, due to her prior divorce, 
could not relocate to Covington (my old QTH)...So, I relocated my consulting 
business, moved to Jupiter, Florida and became a step dad. It was then I 
reestablished myself with Fred. Hurricane Katrina happened and I had to relocate 
back to New Orleans to support my public safety clients, but kept track of Fred. 
I was worried about him...He was aged and really didn't have anyone. I 
enjoyed just meeting him for lunch at his local "haunts". He would tell me about his 
newspaper days and his second interest: trains. So, as often as I could I 
would just drop by and visit and occasionally buy parts for my 28ASR or the two 
M-15s I was restoring.
 
Fred wanted to sell me the stuff when he was still going to hamfests...but I 
didn't really want a warehouse full of Teletype parts....But, slowly he hooked 
me...got me back interested in them and then made me a deal I couldn't 
refuse...for if I did, those parts would have been destined for the dump. 
Originally, I only wanted to purchase the M-28 parts, but he insisted I take them all. 
He was right.
 
Fred had Teletype parts and prepackaged modification kits that simply don't 
exist new anymore...I just couldn't stand to see the "dump option" happen as 
these machine have present/future historic value...and they are just plain fun! 
What was equally amazing was that Fred had three warehouses at one time filled 
with Teletype parts. He told me he sold them in the mid 1980s as a single 
lot. Thought he would concentrate on tubes...but then he gradually replenished 
his Teletype parts stock in a rather big way! How he found all of those parts is 
a story in itself.
 
Last year I was also contacted by a fellow who was clearing an estate in 
central Mississippi...said he had a few TTY machines to unload to either the dump 
or me. I picked them up: two 28ASRs; five 28KSRs and another few tons of new 
parts! This Silent Key apparently had a repair business going on for the local 
businesses and university.
 
That's it for me...bagged the parts limit! We have a WW-II museum in New 
Orleans. I plan to donate some of my restored Model 15s and Model 14 stuff to it. 
Would be great for kids and people who have never gotten close to a real 
Teletype machine before to hear and see them in action. 

Of course, once I know what I have, I'll be in a position help the Greenkeys 
guys keep their machines running. I am building a new office/workshop and home 
in Covington, Louisiana...just a few miles from my old location. It has taken 
an unreasonably long time to get this to happen due to the local effects of 
Hurricane Katrina and the fact that I'm clearing 11 acres for the homesite 
(Boy, did I underestimate the grief of dealing with 11 acres!). Once the warehouse 
part is completed, I'll start moving the parts over from Fort Lauderdale (I 
have half of them already packaged for shipment). I took over the rent of 
Fred's old storage units in the interim. Expect to make the move to occur either in 
December or January 2008.
 
Oh, as for the tubes. Fred had many millions of NOS tubes....in his 
warehouse, van and stuffed everywhere at his small house. The tubes were sold as a 
single lot to Radio Daze. It took those poor guys a long time to get them all 
rounded up and headed North. The Radio Daze people are extremely nice and their 
tube prices are fair...and they certainly have a well rounded stock of them to 
choose from!
 
So, that's the story.
 
73 Nick K5EF
 




Robert Downs - Houston
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