[GreenKeys] The Last Active Morse Code Station in the US - KPH Radio Station - YouTube

[Duncan Brown]

Just found the tape tool you hold in your hand in a WU document; it is 
officially a "Hand Tape Moistener 1-B"

Duncan

On 03-May-20 19:34, Duncan Brown wrote:
> RD,
>
> Thanks for the clarifications!.  I knew if we talked about KPH enough, 
> you would be in here with the details.
>
>
> Richard Knoppow,
>
> I think there were at least two types of tape applying tools.  I'm not 
> sure of the nomenclature, either. To me, the "cutting thlmble" was a 
> small tool that went over one finger and provided a sharp edge to tear 
> the gummed tape, then you used a sponge to wet the tape.
>
> The tool that RD mentioned is larger, is held in the hand and includes 
> a water reservoir.  If you know what to look for, it is to the left of 
> the 2B in RD's KPH picture. I don't know what its official name is. I 
> have enclosed a couple of pictures. Not very good, but will give you 
> an idea. There is a metal carrier for the tape along the length of the 
> reservoir.
>
> Have fun,
>
> Duncan
> K2OEQ
>
>
>
> On 03-May-20 17:11, Richard Dillman wrote:
>>
>>
>> On Sun, May 3, 2020 at 1:42 PM Duncan Brown <duncanancy at earthlink.net 
>> <mailto:duncanancy at earthlink.net>> wrote:
>>
>>     KPH would receive telegrams for ships from Western Union on the
>>     Model 2B
>>     (M14) and paste them up on message blanks, just like regular
>>     telegrams.
>>     But then the message would go to a Morse operator to forward the
>>     message
>>     to the specific ship. Messages from ships could be typed on the
>>     2B to be
>>     sent to WU for delivery.
>>
>>     There were machines to do automatic Morse to 5-bit TTY conversion
>>     and
>>     the reverse. They just got one at KPH a few years ago. Don't
>>     remember
>>     which direction it went in, or whether they were ever used.  The
>>     Navy
>>     had similar machines.
>>
>>     Duncan
>>     K2OEQ
>>
>>
>> Thanks again Duncan.  The Model 2B can be seen in photos of the post 
>> war KPH operating room when the station moved from the original 
>> Marconi receive site in Marshall, CA to the current HF point to point 
>> receive site at Point Reyes.  The Western Union line if mentioned 
>> often in station manager Frank Geisel's monthly reports from 1946 and 
>> 1947 because it was so often out of service.  With the help of 
>> several folks, some of whom are members of this list, we were 
>> eventually able to acquire and restore a Model 2B to operation.  It's 
>> on display in the current KPH operating room along with a tape 
>> moistener and a finger cutter (there's probably and official name for 
>> this device).  When I printed the first tapes with the 2B and glued 
>> them to a message blank the I could see how well designed the system 
>> was - even though I had never done it before the operation was intuitive.
>>
>> RD
>>
>> =========================
>> Richard Dillman, Chief Operator
>> Maritime Radio Historical Society
>> =========================
>

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