[GreenKeys] AN/fgc-80 ....Nick England... Did Navy use these too!!?

Mon Dec 29 12:45:27 EST 2014

Dave,

I think you are confusing the FGC-80 with a later KLI model (311?), 
which probably looked the same.

The FGC-80 only did 5-bit Baudot/Murray code, no ASCII. (see 1970 KLI 
military catalog)

Duncan
K2OEQ

On 28-Dec-14 22:34, Dave F via GreenKeys wrote:
> Guys:
> Some background on the use of the Kleinschmidt AN/FGC-80 high speed or 
> "data line
> printer". I was in the Army. The Army was a big user of Kleinschmidt 
> machines. The
> AN/FGC-80 was a "limited production" machine which came out in the 
> early 70s
> (I think) as a small, high speed printer for use in data 
> communications. Recall that
> in those days, "high speed" data printers of the day were usually 
> monstrous, room filling
> things, so the AN/FGC-80 was Kleinschmidts' answer to something 
> smaller and
> just as fast. The AN/FGC-80 was a good machine, reliable, but was also 
> lost in the
> developments of the era when everyone was building higher speed 
> communications
> equipment and printers.
> The users: Primarily AUTODIN Switching Centers (ASCs), usually in the R&A
> Sections (Reports and Analysis). Most such printers in an ASC were set up
> for ASCII. I never saw one set up for Baudot, although they were 
> advertised as being
> Baudot capable. By that time, Baudot was on its' way out, and ASCII 
> was the
> "new" protocol in most comms applications (except for Model V AUTODIN and
> tactical field CommCenters which still used older teletype equipments).
> The AN/FGC-80 was a fixed-station piece of equipment. It was not used in
> the field or tactical operations. Probably too new, and too expensive 
> for field use,
> and not ideally suited for that kind of work. (Field units in the Army 
> were still
> largely using 1950s era Kleinschmidts such as TT-4s, TT-98s, TT-76s
> and AN/FGC-25Xs).
> The other users of the AN/FGC-80s were DPUs in the Army, or Data 
> Processing
> Units which were non-communications facilties and operations. DPUs handled
> requisitions, supply, logistics, etc (and sent their online traffic 
> requirements via
> CARD ("Data") traffic to the servicing CommCenter for transmission 
> (and reception).
> Most CommCenters had a Card (Data) send and receive capability as well as
> teletype (called "narrative"), and other media.
> Within AUTODIN, AN/FGC-80s replaced some of the Model 32/33s and some 
> of the Model 28
> ASRs that were then in use, but not necessarily all of them (for 
> instance, within
> most AUTODIN ASCs, we were still using multiple sets of Model 28 ASRs 
> in the
> SERVICE Section before those were replaced by the AN/FYA-71 (DSTE) 
> terminals.
> (The "Service" Section was that part of a CommCenter or ASC that 
> handled mutilated,
> garbled or lost messages and other message "servicing" actions. 
> Depending on traffic
> volume, this was usually a full time job for the service clerk(s) 
> working in the Service
> Section).
> In the case of the DPUs, the AN/FGC-80s replaced older, leased UNIVAC 1004
> and 1005 machines, themselves huge beasts, along with several 
> variations of IBM
> equipment. DPUs generally did not, or never used teletype equipment, 
> since this
> type of equipment was not compatible with Data Processing requirements.
> I worked in CommCenters in the Army. Tape Relays, and Tributaries in 
> the General
> Service Common User networks did not use the AN/FGC-80s, and neither did
> the DSSCS (Y side) CommCenters (SPINTCOMM/CRITCOMM). The distribution
> of AN/FGC-80s was very, very limited and tightly controlled.
> The Navy ASC at Albany, GA (RUCL) had a few AN/FGC-80s (2 of them in the
> R&A Section). These were generally used for printouts of reports 
> rather than
> online operational communications traffic. I know because I was TDY (TAD)
> to ASC Albany a few times from my post in Florida. (In the 70s, ASC Albany
> was always short-staffed, and often requested TDY/TAD augmentation 
> from its'
> outlying connected trib stations. TDY personnel were mostly Army and Air
> Force for 6 to 8 weeks at a time).
> Hope this helps,
> Dave
> DE RUMLNHA
> In a message dated 12/28/2014 3:07:08 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, 
> navy.radio at gmail.com writes:
>
>     Not that I know of - never seen an FGC-80 or seen anything about it
>     The USN used almost 100% Teletype Corp. equipment until the
>     computer age.
>     Then they added a DataProducts TT-624/UG line printer (too new for
>     me!)
>     Shown aboard USS Midway in bottom right of this photo
>     http://www.navy-radio.com/ships/cv41-2/DSCN0040.JPG
>     and here
>     http://www.navy-radio.com/ships/cv41-2/DSCN0122.JPG
>
>     Cheers,
>     Nick England K4NYW
>     www.navy-radio.com <http://www.navy-radio.com/>
>
>     On Sun, Dec 28, 2014 at 2:45 PM, Ed Sharpe Archivist for SMECC via
>     GreenKeys <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
>     <mailto:greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>> wrote:
>
>
>         > AN/fgc-80 ....Nick England... Did Navy  use these too!!?
>
>
>
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