[GreenKeys] How did you acquire your Teletypes?

Thu Aug 27 12:35:51 EDT 2020

 Ralph,
  I got a brand new model 28ASR from Michigan Bell through Doug Frede (who I think was a VP over there).  This machine had a climbing head reader and an intermediate tape bin.  He at the time was a friend of Keith Petersen one of the designers of the TTL/2 demodulator (vacuum tube version)
Gerry AD6MC
    On Thursday, August 27, 2020, 09:18:56 AM PDT, Ralph Irish <w8roi at wowway.com> wrote:  
 
 G/K
I was fortunate in that several older hams in my area worked hard to convince the Michigan BellTelephone people to stop 'crunching' old TELETYPEs and make them available to area hams. One of the big boosters of this was Ralph Leland, W8DLT (SK).  He was a Michigan Bell retireeat that time.
An organization was formed and named something like, The Michigan Teletype Society.  They hadsomeone with a little legal experience draft up a document that was called a "WAIVER", and whena ham got a TELETYPE he signed the Waiver.  His signature indicated that he would not sell theitem for more than he paid for it, short of genuine improvements and add-ons.  He would not sell itto anyone not a ham operator and no one out of Michigan.  AND he would not use it for any sort ofcommercial purpose.  The printing of UPS and AP  "Press" was considered a gray area back then, butthere were no strict prohibitions cited.  As long as the 'Press' stayed in one's shack, no one seemed tocare.
I don't know how much 'legal weight' this WAIVER carried, but the overall system worked quitewell.  When a ham sold a machine acquired in this manner, they were supposed to get a blank WAIVERand have the new owner sign it, etc.  It was sent to some central location and kept on file, we were told.
There was a 'price list' for various machines.  I've long since lost any of that documentation, but theremay be a few in  SD Michigan who still have some of them.  The only items available at that time wereModel 19, Model 15, Model 14TD and Model 14REPERFs.  Occasionally a three-headed TD would showup or a rare FRXD.  Don't have a clue as to how they were priced.  Until Irv Hoff got the California phonecompany to release a hundred Model 28 machines, owning one was an expensive proposition.  They werescarce and often brought over $300 in the 'private market'.  I never heard of any being distributed via theMichigan "WAIVER" system.  Two of the "Mouse Machines" did make it to Michigan, and were sold totwo hams who had worked hard in the hobby on behalf of other RTTY  operators.  (W8TMO and K8QLO,both long time Silent Keys.)
-   -   -   -
My first acquisition was a Model 15RO, that I have seen described or 'nicknamed' a Mailbox Cabinet.  Theentire front of the cabinet was raised straight up, and it pivoted on a hinge in the back, and with brackets, springs and other hardware,  was completely out of the way for adjustments, paper change,ribbon change,etc.   There was an indicated place on the 'blind side' of the front cover that could be easily cut out to allowthe installation of a keyboard.  The cabinet front swung outward and then upward, so that the opening andclosing would not be affected by the keyboard.
I got a 'new old stock' Model 15 Keyboard from Ralph Leland at his home, for $5.00, no waiver required,and went to work to modify the cabinet front.  Ralph's slightly oversized 2 car Garage had not been used for an automobile for several years after he got involved in distributing TTY gear.  It took him about fiveminutes after he went in a side door to locate and retrieve that keyboard in its original box.  I was not allowedinside the garage.  
I was assisted in getting this machine going by a 'one-armed, one-eyed' US Veteran, who lived just a few miles away.  He lost part of his right arm and one eye as a fighter pilot in WW II.  He was one greatgentleman, is all I can say.  My first trip to his QTH was a real eye-opener.  He had built a bunch of HeathKititems for his shack.  A complete transmitter, a compete receiver and an amplifier.  I have forgotten the Heathnames of the items.  It was a most impressive shack, then more-so due to his physical losses.  (Mohawktransmitter name comes to mind.  A 19" wide by 10 3/4" high front panel.  A very large cabinet behind this.)I think the Receiver was of similar size, and it and the companion amplifier all had some sort of 'AmericanIndian' name. 
Ben Woodall was originally from Texas and held a W5 call prior to WW II.  He settled in Michigan and workedfor LTV in come engineering capacity.  When that operation was moved to Texas, he went right along with it andwas able to reclaim his W5 call from earlier years.  I think that he lived to the age of around 78 before passing.
-   -   -   -
Anyway, that is the long version of How I Got My First TELETYPE.  
Sorry if I got 'long winded'!  Just had a lot of nice memories as I went along, one triggering another.
73,
Ralph - W8ROI

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