[GreenKeys] Crawford Generating Station Teletypes, Chicago...

Fri Nov 2 21:55:23 EDT 2018

John

I think you are talking about Burt Prall, (SK March 2008) WA9DZY, who lived in a northern
Chicago suburb.  He indeed had an 'attic full' of equipment.  The 'attic' was actually the
3rd floor of the house.  There was a real 'attic' above that, which had some things in
storage.  He lived on Ridge Street in Winnetka, IL.  He was licensed at that time.

Burt had a '25-pair' cable from his house to the closest Illinois Bell Central Office.  He
had wire lines direct to several police and sheriff stations, some direct to one or more of
the Chicago area airports, to the 'weather line', and who knows where the rest went?  The
wires entered the garage, and there was a "6 x 50" punch-down block in the garage, and 
an internal cable that went up to the 3rd floor.

Sometime in 1970, or so, I went with two other area hams to his house to pick up four Model
28 RT sets.  It was during this trip that we got the 'grand tour' of the 3rd floor.  Looking
back, I am terribly sorry that I didn't have a camera with me.  It was one of those things
that really had to be seen to be believed.  One of the guys got to stick his head up into
the real 'attic' and saw a lot of things there, awaiting disposition or maybe put into
service on the 3rd floor.

Burt and the previously mentioned Ralph Leland, (W8DLT SK), were good friends.  Burt was
also the source of the Model 101 Data Sets that was the heart of the 'TELEX-like' network
in the Metro Detroit area, 1968 - 19??.  Ralph was the Mich. Bell retiree who convinced
the right people about an alternative way of disposing of TTY gear for the benefit of Michigan
hams.

As for 'paperwork', each group had their own rules and way of 'doing business'.  One of my
good friends was the guy who stored all of the paperwork about the TTY gear given out to
Michigan hams.  I suspect that if I were to ask him, he might still have a blank Waiver form,
and maybe some of the 'finished forms'.

For now,

Ralph - W8ROI

-   -   -   -   -   -   -   -

On Nov 2, 2018, at 9:29 PM, W9DDD wrote:

> Well, guess what I found in a 28RO just two days ago.  We could tell there was some activity in the bottom sound deadening material, but nothing there or underneath it.  Later while cleaning up the bits and pieces beneath the sound deadening mat, back to the left side of the LESU, there was the culprit.  Maybe this was MM-II?
> 
> I'm wondering if anyone can add to the Chicago area story.  I got my 15 around '60, '61 from a guy there who also sold refurbished M28's.  He had some in with Illinois Bell (maybe an employee?).  Later I made a connection with a guy who had an attic full of running equipment hooked up to wire lines.  I think he later got his ticket.  From his connections I acquired a fair amount of 28 parts around the late '60's.
> 
> I don't recall ever signing any paperwork.
> 
> On 11/2/2018 8:17 PM, Ralph Irish wrote:
>> *Something about Irv's wife finding a dead mouse in one of the machines.   Before that,*
>> *there was not any sort of 'name' for the project.*
>> *
>> *
>> *I would guess that either Irv or his wife named or 'nicknamed' the machines and *
>> *the project.*
>> *
>> *
>> *(Off the top of my head, no research or looking through old Journals)*
>> *
>> *
>> *Ralph - W8ROI*
>> *
>> *
>> *-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -*
>> *
>> *
>> *On Nov 2, 2018, at 8:06 PM, Wa3frp wrote:*
>> *
>> *
>>> *Ralph,
>>> 
>>> Good News!  At least one "Mouse Machine" still lives.   It's here at WA3FRP and dedicated to copying the great feed that Paul provides us via the Autostart Channel.
>>> 
>>> Trivia Question:  How did Project Mouse get named?   Bonus question, who named it?
>>> 
>>> Thanks 73
>>> 
>>> Russ - WA3FRP
>>> wa3frp at aol.com <mailto:wa3frp at aol.com>
>>> i-Telex 834328 WUTMPAM CHIL
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Ralph Irish <w8roi at wowway.com <mailto:w8roi at wowway.com>>
>>> To: Wa3frp <wa3frp at aol.com <mailto:wa3frp at aol.com>>
>>> Cc: Jim Haynes <jhhaynes at earthlink.net <mailto:jhhaynes at earthlink.net>>; Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com <mailto:1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>>
>>> Sent: Fri, Nov 2, 2018 11:57 am
>>> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Crawford Generating Station Teletypes, Chicago...
>>> 
>>> At some point in 1965 or 66, Michigan Bell was persuaded by a medically retired MBT employee
>>> to stop the 'pounding' of TTY gear and make it available to Michigan hams.  This was Ralph,
>>> W8DLT (long since SK).  He and a handful of others would go to a loading dock in Plymouth,
>>> Michigan and remove  EVERYTHING  that they had available.  That was the requirement.  NO
>>> cherry picking.  All or nothing.
>>> 
>>> Ralph and several others had garages and in a few cases, basements full of all sorts of TTY
>>> stuff.
>>> 
>>> The Michigan TTY Association was formed, as in informal 'corporation' with nothing filed with
>>> the state.  One had to sign a 'waiver' which agreed that he would not put the gear into any
>>> form of commercial service and to not sell the equipment for more than was paid for it, except
>>> to account for genuine improvements, etc.  Back then a Model 19 went for $50.00.  15s, 14s and
>>> various TDs and reperfs were proportionally less.  A Model 28 was unheard of!  (That is until
>>> California Bell released about a hundred of them which became famous as the "Mouse Machines".
>>> You will have to consult old issues of the RTTY Journal to learn more of the "Mouse Project".
>>> 
>>> It was spearheaded by Irv Hoff, W6FFC, and the machines went all over the country.
>>> 
>>> If anyone will publish the list of RTTY Journal issues talking about the Mouse Machines, I'm
>>> certain that the GreenKeys group who know little or nothing about it will appreciate this.
>>> 
>>> 73,
>>> 
>>> Ralph - W8ROI  (No, although I applied for a Mouse Machine, I was not one of the two Michigan
>>>                 hams who got them.  W8TMO, (SK) Bob in Fenton, MI and K8QLO, (SK) Newt in
>>>                 the Detroit area.)
>>> 
>>> ROI
>>> 
>>> -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Nov 2, 2018, at 8:49 AM, Wa3frp via GreenKeys wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Jim,
>>>> 
>>>> I recall hearing from Dick W3CRO, in the late 1960s to early 1970s, that the Bell of Pennsylvania policy was to take two Teletype machines, smash the keyboard on one and smash the line printer on the other and give the two machines to a ham.  That way, when the Teletype machines left Bell of Pennsylvania hands, the bean-counters were satisfied that both machines had been rendered inoperable. In addition, the ham was required to sign a paper that the parts would not be used in commercial service.  Of course, the ham was able to build one good machine and have some spare parts going forward.
>>>> 
>>>> 73
>>>> 
>>>> Russ - WA3FRP
>>>> wa3frp at aol.com <mailto:wa3frp at aol.com>
>>>> i-Telex 834328 WUTMPAM CHIL
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Jim Haynes <jhhaynes at earthlink.net <mailto:jhhaynes at earthlink.net>>
>>>> To: Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com <mailto:1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>>
>>>> Cc: greenkeys <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net <mailto:greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>>
>>>> Sent: Fri, Nov 2, 2018 8:03 am
>>>> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Crawford Generating Station Teletypes, Chicago...
>>>> 
>>>> And we have to remember that it was long Bell System policy to destroy
>>>> old Teletype equipment prior to the mid-1950s.  They didn't want anybody
>>>> getting the equipment and using it in competition to the services they
>>>> were selling.  It took a lot of work on the part of some hams to convince
>>>> the Bell System to sell the old Teletype equipment to hams, and required
>>>> setting up a bunch of "Teletype societies" across the country to handle
>>>> the equipment.  Hams had to sign a form promising never to use the
>>>> machines commercially and to require a form like that from the buyer
>>>> if they sold a machine.
>>>> 
>>>> Jim W6JVE
>>>> 
>>>> 
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>>> 
>>> *
>> ______________________________________________________________
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> 
> -- 
> John, W9DDD

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