[GreenKeys] Bell on space

[Richard Knoppow]

     I don't remember the full bell code but on both AP and UP 4 bells 
was urgent, five bells meant a bulletin and a FLASH, the highest 
priority was ten bells on UP and twelve bells on AP. A "Flash" was a 
preliminary story, an alert sent before any detail, of something so hot 
it was to be used no more than once a year. For instance, the 
announcement that President Kennedy had been shot was preceded by ten 
bells (UP story). A flash is to be followed by a more detailed bulletin 
or detailed story.
    See: <http://www.downhold.org/wirespeak.pdf>


On 1/19/2025 8:01 PM, Jim Haynes wrote:
> On Sat, 18 Jan 2025, Tom Hunter wrote:
> 
>> My Associated Press model 15 RO rings a bell on Blank. I find it a 
>> nuisance.
> 
> This probably relates to some ancient history.  You'll note that on 
> standard code cards bell is FIGS S but on some other machines bell
> is FIGS J (Western Union and European)
> 
> The press wants to alert news watchers is an urgent message is coming,
> so they use the bell signal, and there are reports of five bells  or
> some other number depending on the importance of the message.
> 
> Then some of the papers wanted two bell signals, one on the machine
> and the other to ring a remote bell in the editor's office for something
> really hot.  So FIGS J and FIGS S were chosen.  I don't remember which
> one was on the printer and which one was equipped with a switch contact
> for the remote bell.  If they needed a third bell signal I guess blank
> would be a good choice since there was no other use for it.
> 
> But then bell on blank would ring continuously if the signal line went
> open for some reason, so maybe that's what it was used for.


-- 
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
SKCC 19998