[GreenKeys] What brought you here?

[PJ Bennett]

I thoroughly enjoy reading all the GK posts.  My Teletype journey is 
probably a bit backwards (starting with computers and ending with RTTY).

In the late 70's I was using model 33's to access a mainframe in high 
school (Mount Prospect, IL -- not too far from Skokie). Before I 
graduated they brought in new Apple II computers for the students 
(mainframe was still used by admin) and auctioned off all the Model 33's 
(about ten of them).  Fearing that they might end up selling for more 
than a student could afford, we gathered all the people who were 
interested in these and decided to coop our bidding.  We had just one of 
us bid the minimum amount and everyone else stayed silent.  I think we 
got them all for about $50 each!

I used mine as a serial printer for my TRS-80.  It was one of the few 
that had an RS-232 serial interface built in.  I remember going to the 
Teletype office in Skokie and begging them for a wiring diagram for this 
unusual port.  I got a fresh, good old fashioned blue print copy to take 
home.  To this day, I haven't seen a model 33 with a RS-232 serial port 
built in.

That original model 33 is long gone (probably sold for beer money in 
college), but my love for that machine never left.  After graduation 
(BSEE) and a widely varying career (Milspec flight simulators, 
industrial controls, specialty camera systems, etc.) I decided one day 
that I needed to get a model 33 again just to play around with.  I ended 
up buying 3 of them and have two working well.  My goal is to make one, 
really clean one and sell the other two.  Of course, using a model 33 as 
just a printer nowadays is not as exciting as it was in 1980.

I looked around for something cool to do with my model 33 and that's 
when I found RTTY.  So, at 54 years old I got my first HAM license 
(W5PJB) and started putting together the equipment I would need to build 
a true, radio linked RTTY system.  I have lots of HAL equipment 
(ST-8000A will likely be the main interface) but no radio (looking at 
the IC-7300) or antenna yet.  I have played around with RTTY using 
webSDR and my own little SDR, but still need to hook up the model 33.

My last project with my model 33 was cobbling the parts together (STM-32 
development board, cellular modem, serial to loop interface) and having 
it print out text messages I send it.  That was fun for a while (until 
my XYL complains about the noise).

Looking forward to my first RTTY QSO and connecting with you guys on the 
airwaves!

PJ Bennett
W5PJB

*PJ Bennett | Consulting Engineer |**BSEE *
www.pjbennett.com | Pensacola, FL
C: 918-704-7055 | pj at pjbennett.com <mailto:pj at pjbennett.com>

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