[GreenKeys] UGC-123 on EBay

[Robert Nickels]

On 12/1/2018 4:51 PM, Nick England wrote:
> That means it is a TEMPEST unit with photoelectric keyboard and 
> distributor which requires an external ESA to provide +/-6v low level 
> signaling. 

That was my first real-world introduction to Catch 22.    In the 70s I 
was working for a company that built custom keyboards and received an 
RFQ for a Tempest keyboard.   Having no idea what that was, I called the 
contract administrator and asked for a copy of the NACSEM 5100 document 
that was referenced (why I remember that, I dunno).   The person I spoke 
to said I had to have "need to know" in order to get it, and the fact 
that I said I needed it to do my quote wasn't sufficient.   He said I 
had to have an order, to which I smart-alecky replied how in the hell am 
I supposed to get an order if I can't get the spec to prepare a bid?   
To which the reply was that wasn't his problem and have a nice day (as 
we said in the 70s).     So I no-bid the thing even though we had a good 
solution that probably would have met the spec, I found out later.   I 
figured at the time they had a supplier lined up and going out for bids 
was just a formality, since no one who hadn't built similar designs 
before would have been able to respond.

I think the company was the ECI Division of E-Systems but the webpage I 
tried came up empty.  Evidently I still don't "need to know".

73, Bob W9RAN