[GreenKeys] To keep...or not...

[W3ZF]

Been a long time "lurker" on this group but practically never offer any comments (let alone, advice) because I am truly a lightweight at mechanical RTTY.

I live in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area of eastern PA and have had my 28ASR since the mid-80s. It came out of the Blue Cross offices where I worked when they abandon them when newer technology made interplan communications like this obsolete. 

My 28 has sat idle (and covered) in my not-to-damp basement for the last 25 years - having worked fine when it fell into disuse.  I haven't oiled it or powered it up in all those years.

Reading the passion about running true RTTY makes me want to resurrect this thing and get it going again, but I truly lack confidence and feel incapable of knowing what the proper approach would be to prepare it for coming out of its long hibernation; and I don't want to screw anything up by starting it up in an "unprepared state".

I live by what USED TO BE the East Cost warehouse of Western Union right here in Allentown; hams around here used to backup their pickem-up-trucks right up to the loading docks where WU would nicely unload scrap (but probably working) units for practically nothing. Some local hams actually WORKED at WU and their knowledge and familiarity with these machine was a priceless local resource.  Those were the heady days of RTTY around here in the 80s.  I homemade my own TU from an article in QST and worked a few rolls of QSOs. IT was GREAT FUN even though running FULL DUTY CYCLE on my SB-102 made me very nervous! It was a memorable time in my amateur career.  

Fast forward to 2012.

If I can't convince some kind & willing soul to spend some quality time with me to SHOW me what/where I need to oil, what kind of oil to use - and other matters of concern, then I should probably offer the machine to the nearest/highest bidder.  I still have a couple of boxes of paper and tape.  I always wanted my grandchildren to see this thing in operation.

So, is there anybody local to Allentown who would enjoy this assignment?  If not, who needs a 28ASR?

Oh, and I do run glass RTTY now and it's one of the ONLY things I do with my station anymore - which isn't often either.

Danny  W3ZF