[GreenKeys] oddity on the bay

[John, W9DDD]

Tony, you remind me of a trip to the radio room of the Wisconsin State 
Police circa 1960.  It was on the top floor of the then state office 
building.  The operator was W9FZC. (I can remember his call because he 
used the phonetics of Fast Zipper Closer).  He had one ear on the 
conversation and the other on the radio.  If it was something he had to 
copy, he turned to the desk and started typing on the mill without 
missing a beat on the conversation.  It was mind blowing.  I suppose the 
speed was 30-40 wpm.  I really have no idea, but one can assume the 
other operators were pretty good operators as well.

John, W9DDD

On 4/17/2020 11:31 AM, tony.podrasky wrote:
> GM OMs;
> 
> Reminds me of my last trip to the FCC (Amateur Extra test).
> 
> The FCC Engineer did the General Class first, then the
> Advanced Class next, and finally the Amateur Extra Class.
> 
> I was the only one to take the A-E test.
> 
> When I took the 20 WPM test, he sat and watched me. When
> I turned in the copy he shook his head in disbelief: it was
> solid perfectly shaped block letters/numbers.
> 
> Then I took the written test. Walked right through each question,
> reread my answers, and turned in the paper. The Engineer said that
> I failed. I asked by how many questions? He said you got a 40%.
> 
> I said; there is NO WAY IN THE WORLD that I got 40% of the test wrong!
> He checked and found that he had used the wrong key - and said that
> I got 95%. I said: That's more like it - and I'll be the question that
> I missed was the one about "DB's" because I just don't understand that.
> He checked and said: that's the one you missed.
> 
> It turns out he was a ham, too. I asked him what class and he said
> General. I said; "how is it you work here and you don't have the
> Amateur Extra Class? He said that the theory was too much for him.
> 
> ANYWAY,
> He took me into the back room and showed me that CW tape machine.
> I asked: "how fast can it go?" He said: "60 WPM" (as I recall).
> I asked him: can you fire it up to 60 WPM for me. He said: "sure".
> I called out each word as it was sent (there is NO WAY I could write
> at 60 WPM). He just shook his head.
> That was some 45-50 years ago - but it sure looked like the one
> in the eBay listing.
> 
> P.S. I have a CPO connected to one of my computers, that's next to
> my bed. I wrote a program to take text and turn it into CW - including
> all the punctuation. I copy Bible passages and play them while I wait
> to fall asleep. Usually I use an up-to-date modern English Bible
> but when I'm feeling cocky I'll use Olde English text.
> 
> UE,
> K2EAA - TONY
> NNNN
> ZCZC
> 
> 
> 
> On 04/17/2020 09:08 AM, Nick England wrote:
>> Instructograph code practice machine.
>> Very common back in Ye Olden Days. The machines and tapes turn up on
>> eBay regularly I think.
>