[GreenKeys] mystery equipment - AN/TGC-1 not

Fri Sep 8 09:35:41 EDT 2017

Dave,
You are right! Not a TGC-1, after all!
The 3-headed tape reader, complete with channel # tape spool and the big 
indicator lamps on the top said AN/TGC-1 to me. But now as i look at it 
more closely, there is a large, blank, panel between the tape readers & 
the shelf above it, making the whole cabinet 1-2 feet taller than the 
TGC-1. Also, the lamps on the top are not quite the same as the TGC-1.

A good piece of Navy mystery equipment!

Thanks for keeping us calibrated!

Duncan
K2OEQ

On 07-Sep-17 23:10, David F wrote:
> Nick, Duncan....
>
> Not an AN/TGC-1 at all. TGC-1s were much shorter (not so tall)
> and were specifically tape relay equipment, usually installed in
> banks or rows. This machine is neither.
>
> For Nick: That small reel (tape winder) you are referring to is for
> TD # 1 usually located on the left side of most tape relay send equipment.
> It is not a tape winder. It is a tape dispenser...feeds tape to TD # 1,
> as needed each time a message is to be send via TD 2 or TD 3.
> TD 1 is wired to TD 2 and 3.
>
> It is a Channel Numbering reel. Each message that is transmitted
> over the other two TDs receives and outgoing Channel or Sequence
> Number before each message is sent over TD 2 or 3. This is for message
> accountability at both ends. The Channel Numbering Reel has a pre-made
> roll of Channel Numbers for that specific circuit. Usually (in later 
> years)
> the Channel Numbers would be composed of the last 2 letters
> of the circuits Call Sign or Routing Indicator (in later years, the last
> 3 letters). The Numbers would usually be 3 digits begining with
> 001 thru 999, and then, at 999, the numbering sequence started
> all over again (usually, many days later). Channel Number 000
> was not used.
>
> Ex: WX001, or AFA100, or FMA999
>
> In short, a Channel or Sequence Number was sent from TD # 1
> just before a message was sent from either of the other two TDs.
> Usually, in tape relay operations, there were 3 TDs on each circuit:
> 1 for Numbering and 2 for Sending.
>
>
> As the AN/TGC-1 and two reperforators, only one was usually
> used for receiving. The other was either used for a spare, or
> more often, as the "take up" or "monitor" reel for any traffic
> sent thru the two TDs (2 and 3). It was thus not necessary to
> save the individual tapes off of TDs once they were sent, since
> the other reperf automatically made its own copy, and then had a small 
> winder
> to "take up" the tape copy for archiving. Relays and CommCenters
> always kept copies or, the original tapes of all traffic they transmitted
> (but not on the receive side, since that was the responsbilty of
> the sending stations, regardless of where located).
>
> In tape relays, archived (saved) tapes were kept for about 30 days.
> In tributary stations, 7, 10 days or longer, depending on that stations
> internal SOP.
>
> Most later-date tape relay equipment featured both automatic
> Channel Numbering and Automatic Take Up Reels (called
> "Monitor" reels). In particular, the KLI brands, AN/TGC-5, AN/FGC-31,
> and AN/FGC-70s and the Plan 55 systems were automated with
> these functions.
>
> On the Chollas Radio Receiver site pictures, the lower-indented
> sections below the radio receivers (1940s) were actually intended
> for the placement of a "mill", or a typewriter that typed in all
> capital letters.
>
> This was the "human teletype" for circuits that did not yet have
> teletype equipment installed and instead, used CW (Morse Code).
> An operator would sit in front of the position, with his mill, and
> with a set of headphones on, and as CW message traffic came
> across, he would type it on the mill. Most mills used either
> multi-copy rolled teletype paper (mounted on a dispenser behind
> the mill), or in later years, fan-fold paper. All of this paper was
> interleaved with carbon paper (carbonless paper had not yet
> come along). Some mills had stencils rather than paper on a
> roll (so multiple copies could be produced for wide distribution
> on a mimeograph machine. A radio op working in this fashion
> was usually a very high speed CW operator (no slow pokes
> here). These guys could bang out incoming messages fast
> with almost no errors.....
>
> At his position, he also had a high speed key in which to
> send QSLs back to the sending station after each message
> was received. I have known some high speed ops to be able to copy
> very fast CW, read a newspaper, chew bubble gum (and drink coffee)
> all at the same time......(a testament as to how refined the art of
> CW was at one time in the Army).
>
> Such messages were then collected by an "expediter" who
> delivered them to the Terminating desk where they were
> stamped, (time of receipt, security classifications, precedence),
> and then given to the A&D Clerk who had them delivered to
> their respective addressee. All such traffic was in normal message
> format (ACP-126), generally the same as used in Army RATT
> (which was a little different from CommCenter ACP-127 format which
> was tape relay).
>
> In the US Army, we had "human teletypes" until the mid 1960s
> in Germany where small US detachments were located on non-US
> military NATO facilties. Usually, such traffic, when sent via
> HF and CW was pre-encrypted (if classified) using the KL-7.
> In other situations, especially for US Army units located on
> W German Army bases which had a teletype station, US traffic
> was transmitted into one of the NATO networks to reach US
> stations. Again, all of these detachments had the KL-7, and
> all US traffic was generally encrypted prior to transmission over
> a non-US (unapproved) circuit. In the 60s, most NATO units
> had either the US KL-7 or their own national version of it,
> with "Allied" keylists (AKAK) while US units used US keylists
> or USKAK. FWIW, the KW-7 had not yet come into widespread
> use; it was still "new" to the world in the mid 60s. But, we
> had KW-9s! (installed in mobile and tactical CommCenters).
> (KW-9  was like an automated KL-7, except that you had one
> for sending and one for receiving and could run full duplex
> with them. They were limited to 60 wpm, 45 baud).
>
> Dave
>
> # # #
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Duncan Brown <duncanancy at earthlink.net>
> To: greenkeys <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Thu, Sep 7, 2017 9:22 pm
> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] mystery equipment - AN/TGC-1
>
> I tried embedding a picture, but it got stripped out.  Here it is again
> as an attachment
>
> Duncan
>
> On 07-Sep-17 20:47, Duncan Brown wrote:
> > Nick,
> >
> > Looks like an AN/TGC-1:
> >
> >
> >  ( http://www.navy-radio.com/tty-relay-equip.htm), 
> <http://www.navy-radio.com/tty-relay-equip.htm%29,> which normally had
> > two M14 reperfs & tape winders mounted on two shelves above the tape
> > reader. But in this case, there is an electronics chassis mounted in
> > place of the top M14. I don't know what the extra chassis would have
> > been for - probably some special Navy mod!
> >
> > Duncan
> > K2OEQ
> >
> > On 07-Sep-17 17:08, Nick England wrote:
> >> I have two 1956 photos of NAVCOMMSTA San Diego that show a triple TD
> >> and some other equipment as part of a Fleet Broadcast Operating 
> Console.
> >>
> >> There something on the middle shelf of the rack above the TDs, but I
> >> can't figure out what. One view clearly shows a tape reel, presumably
> >> for winding tape after it runs through the TD, but the object on the
> >> right side of the shelf eludes me. Any guesses?
> >>
> >> The photos (actually, photos of photos) are here
> >> http://www.navy-radio.com/commsta/sd/IMG_0049.JPG
> >> http://www.navy-radio.com/commsta/sd/IMG_0039.JPG
> >>
> >> More photos from the NAVCOMMSTA historical exhibit are here -
> >> http://www.navy-radio.com/commsta/san-diego.htm
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >> Nick England K4NYW
> >> www.navy-radio.com <http://www.navy-radio.com> 
> <http://www.navy-radio.com>
> >>
> >
> >
> > ---
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