[GreenKeys] 'Old' portable Teletype...

[Roy Morgan]

On Feb 9, 2010, at 1:38 PM, Ken L. Gartland wrote:
> A few weeks back, on our favourite (!) auction site, there was... a  
> Model 31...
>
> Does anyone out there know the approximate production
> numbers of this machine, how it came to be, what were they used for,  
> and who used them?

Ken,

I have no info on  production numbers, but they were used by sports  
reporters and any reporter who was "on location" and needed a portable  
(really relocatable) teletype machine to send the news back to the  
newspaper or radio station.  For the military application, see below:

> Don, K9TTY had mentioned there were less
> than 7 units known of.

Don's informal accounting may include the one I have. It is a non- 
cased one meant for the military.  These were used in aircraft such as  
the B-52 where space and weight were at least somewhat at a premium.   
Quite possibly one main system requirement at the time it was  
developed (possibly in the late 40's) was the need for encryption.  
This could be done far more easily for teletype then than for voice.   
(In the 60's many operational aircraft had voice encryption.)

Robert Downs reported:
"The military model is the AN/AGA-1. The printer itself is the TT-30/ 
AGA-1, which has a 28VDC motor."  My unit has a 115 volt motor and  
presumably was meant to run in an aircraft that had that sort of power.

There are reports of two unused  basically NIB uints, mine is one of  
them.  It will get used here, as soon as time permits me to get it  
cleaned and put into operation.

> I am also wondering, why Teletype
> Corp'n developed and mfd. this particular machine,

- Portable operation
- small size and weight
- military adaptations for aircraft

For a write up and some pictures, see:
http://www.kekatos.com/teletype/gil/gil-M31-KSR.htm

The pictures there do not show the case. You really can't believe how  
cute this thing is when in its case and all set for operation.  It  
looks like a toy, but is not at all.

Roy

Roy Morgan
k1lky at earthlink.net
529 Cobb St.
Groton NY, 13073
Home: 607-898-3607
Cell: 301-928-7794