[GreenKeys] Greenkeys history

Wed Apr 8 18:26:42 EDT 2020

Re:  RTTY Journal archives

For some years, Bill Henry, K9GWT  (SK 17 July 2019) held the Copyrights to the Journal.  He sold
CDs at Dayton for a number of years, and when he decided to stop attending, he literally gave the
Copyright to a friend who could benefit from the business.  When that person passed away, Bill
declared the Archives Public Domain.  I have a set that I got from him at Dayton one year and 
refer to them from time to time.  One day, I'll get smart and put them all on this hard drive or
on several hard drives for much faster access.

W7AY, a retired Apple Computer software engineer has been hosting the archives for some time now.
Hat's off to him, and anyone who 'spreads the word' about this.

-   -   -   -

I am going to do my 'history' off line and 'check it twice' before putting in here on GreenKeys.
It will probably look like I took a little from this guy's history and some more from that guy's
history, and compiled it as my own.  Not so!  Just a matter of similar experiences.

-   -   -   -

I've really enjoyed all of them that have come along.  I've read every one and learned a lot about
the G/K gang sort of as a 'composite' history.

I'm certain that mine won't have anything unique, but nonetheless, it will be my history as I moved
through the Teletype aspect of the ham radio hobby several times in 57 years.

-   -   -   -

Someone recently made a reference to how hams in Michigan were able to get machines from the phone
company provided they signed a document which was called a 'waiver' or something close.  In this
waiver, they agreed not to use the machine or machines commercially, and not to sell them at a profit.
Any real improvements were exempt from the terms of the waiver document.  For example, my first real
machine was a 15RO in what has been referred to as a 'mailbox cabinet'.  I eventually got a keyboard
for it and until I modified that front panel the lower edge of the moveable front part sat on the
keyboard and this put it about4 inches higher than it needed to be.

I think I paid $25 for the machine and later, $5.00 for the keyboard.  The keyboard was 'new old stock'
in that I got to open a sealed box from TELETYPE with the keyboard inside.  This was probably in 1964,
and a few years later I sold the machine to someone (and got their signature on a waiver) for $30.00.

The person who sold me the keyboard was Ralph Leland, W8DLT (SK)  He was a retired Michigan Bell 
Telephone Company employee and was instrumental in convincing MBT to stop trashing useable machines
and make them available to hams.  He was not the only person involved in this process but he was one
of the best known of the group.  I welcome more names of other MBT employees who helped this process
along.

From that time onward, Ralph never was able to put either of his autos in their garage, since it was
one of several unofficial 'warehouse' for equipment which was available to hams.  Ralph was not the
only local ham who had a 'warehouse' at home.  Floyd Berry, K8KYS (SK) was another.  I certainly
can't come up with a total list of the generous hams who were part of the distribution and storage
of various types of TTY gear.  Ralph and Floyd were just two that I happened to know personally.
But Michigan RTTY hams were all indebted to them.  Another that just came to mind was Newt Williams,
K8QLO.  (SK)  

 -   -   -   -

So, now I get down to business with my own story.  "Watch this space for further developments!"

73,

Ralph - W8ROI

-   -   -   -   -   -   -   -    

On Apr 8, 2020, at 5:14 PM, Dave Horsfall wrote:

> On Wed, 8 Apr 2020, Roy Morgan wrote:
> 
>> I may have missed a post that revealed your efforts to compile a greenkeys history. A noble and worthwhile task, in these times especially.
> 
> Umm, I think that I may have accidentally confused you, as I'm still in short pants here...  See later.
> 
>> I have a saved list post from 2006 telling that the RTTY Journal was available on CD disks. And I find them now available for free download at W7AY.net
> 
> That wasn't me, but I'd love to see it.
> 
>> I have here a modest number of them in original paper form, though at the moment they are hiding under some other Junque or Treasures.
> 
> Too expensive to post to Oz, I think, and I'm sure that there are more deserving recipients.
> 
>>>> On Apr 7, 2020, at 10:06 PM, Dave Horsfall <dave at horsfall.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> ....
>>> And now back to composing my RTTY history ...
> 
> Ah; here is the problem!  I meant I was composing *my* history, per the request posted here; sorry for the confusion.
> 
> -- Dave VK2KFU, avoiding 'roos
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