[GreenKeys] Kleinschmidt TT-4, A, B, C

[NNN7DXB at aol.com]

Duncan:

The UGC-74 was part of the 1968-ish FATT (Forward Area Tactical
Teletype) system that really never materialized. The idea was to
(at the time) replace all of the electro-mechnical machines in the
US Army with the FATT system. Aside from the UGC-74, of which a
few prototypes were built, the rest of the system was never fielded.
Probably too expensive at the time, or too much of a learning curve
involved for troops at the height of the Viet war.

Not sure how the FATT system would have fit into the existing
tape relay system then in use. Likely, there were too many
technical issues (at the time) to make this workable, particularly
as it would have involved some units using new FATTs and 
many others still using the older electro-mech machines, or
a combination of both - a near impossible scenario for moving
traffic quickly and efficiently.


Burroughs Corp eventually got the contract sometime in the
mid-80s to produce the UGC-74 printer. The idea by that time
was to replace all of the TT-4s and TT-98s which were at the time,
stand-alone machines. They were later mated with existing TT-76s
in AN/GRC-142 RATTs and AN/TSC-58s (CommCenter vans).

The UGC-74 was never used to replace the AN/FGC-25X. Likely,
had the entire FATT system been fielded, it might have. By the
time I retired from the Army, we had some UGC-74s in Germany,
but we also still had the TT-76s and AN/FGC-25Xs. TT-4s and
TT-98s were long gone. We also had Model 40s, as well as
the old standy by Model 28 ASRs.

Eventually, even the UGC-74 was overshadowed by the Model 40s
which seemed to replace everything for a time. The rest is history,
as computers have since taken over most old TTY functions today.
(except for the resurrection of some UGC-74s in Iraq and Afghanistan
in recent years).

Dave
CommCenter-1
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