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

[Duncan Brown]

I should have done more research before sending the last pictures.

Here is a better picture of the Hand Tape Moistener and also the thimbles.

Duncan

On 03-May-20 19:41, Duncan Brown wrote:
> 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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