[GreenKeys] oddity on the bay

[w9ddd at tapr.org]

Pawn Stars had a TG-34 which the guy thought was a crypto machine.  No tapes.  The expert they called in set them straight. They still decided it was worth $200.  It did appear to be in excellent condition.  

John, W9DDD


> On Apr 17, 2020, at 12:06 PM, Robert Nickels <ranickel at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>> On 4/17/2020 11:00 AM, Jim Haynes wrote:
>> That's most likely a code practice machine
> 
> The famed (or infamous?) Instructograph!   Look in the back of any old QST from the 50s or 60s and you'll likely find a little ad for one, for sale or rent.   In the summer of '65 my dad proposed that if I did certain chores during the summer of my 14th year, he'd rent an Instructograph for me as preparation for taking my General class exam when the FCC came to Omaha in late summer. Which I did, and which greatly supplemented my on-air Novice contacts where I'd loaf along at a comfortable 10 wpm or so speed.   (It was common for many of us to have to overcome a "hump" between that and the 13 wpm required, and this was in the days when the FCC required 65 perfect characters in a row out of 5 minutes of Morse, no "multiple choice" content questions!)
> 
> The unit shown is motorized, I've got an earlier one around here that had a wind-up motor like old phonographs.   There was a little knob that allowed you to adjust the speed - down to where it was easy copy and where you could memorize the tape, for example.   But even my young self realized this was defeating the purpose and disciplined myself to do my daily practice at 15 wpm or better, and despite having the jitters from being in front of "THE FCC", I passed the test and got my General before my one-year Novice ticket expired.   I will say I was happy to pack the Instructograph and and send it on it's way to the next victim!
> 
> 73, Bob W9RAN
> 
> PS:  The Instructograph used a spring-loaded mechanical contact to sense actual holes in the paper, the more sophisticated military TG-34-A used a gas-filled type 923 phototube to detect black marks on the paper tapes and trigger the oscillator. They're very cool but don't seem to attract much interest, which is why I have one and a wooden case full of tapes around here too!
> 
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