[GreenKeys] Questions About an AN/TGC-14(V) and TT-318/UG + More

[Duncan Brown]

Fabiolah,

Welcome to Greenkeys and the world of teletypewriters!

The MITE AN/TGC-14 family of machines is an interesting one, but is not 
the easiest to begin with, due to its compact size and signalling options.

To answer your last question first (its the easiest one!):  The 
company's original name was "Teleprinter Corp." and it was located in 
Paramus, NJ.  The original product was the "MITE" (Miniaturized 
Integrated Teletypewriter Equipment) and they got some interest (and 
possibly funding) from Western Union, who was looking for something 
simpler and cheaper than the Teletype Corp. Model 28. There were 
write-ups about it in the WU Technical Review, July 1957 and April 1958. 
But apparently they could not get the costs down to WU's level, so it 
was sold to the Military as a compact printer for field & aircraft use.  
We have a AN/TGC-14(V) with a similar Teleprinter Corp. label at the 
Antique Wireless Association Communication Technologies Museum.  (I have 
had it running, though not recently.)  In 1961, the Teleprinter Corp. 
merged with Greist Manufacturing Co. of New Haven CT and the company 
name changed to Mite Corp. They produced various versions of small 
teletypewriters for the military, but by the late 1960s, they were out 
of business.
For more of the history and different versions, see 
https://web.archive.org/web/20221219121956/http://www.decadecounter.com/vta/articleview.php?item=128


The front cover should come off easily, but the unit was made to be 
waterproof, so there is probably a good seal behind the front cover.  
Also the air pressure inside may be lower than your ambient. Look for a 
pressure relief valve on the cover or unscrew the cap for the cable 
connections to equalize the pressure.

You should not try to power it up until you have opened it and checked 
out the motor and cables.

The rubber belt in in the printer, not the keyboard.  You will have to 
inspect it first to see if it needs replacing.


There are no electronics in the keyboard.


Clean off any rust or oxidation and ensure all gears are well lubricated 
before applying power.

The Mite uses the same paper as all other teletypewriters, so there 
should be some available here on Greenkeys or on Ebay. All 
teletypewriters use standard typewriter ribbons, though some use special 
reels.


I have worked on the Mite machines and actually was trained on them in 
the Army 60 years ago, but have not done anything with them recently, so 
can't help much with specifics. But there are others on Greenkeys that 
have used them more recently.

Hope this helps,

Duncan Brown, K2OEQ
USASA    31J30

Antique Wireless Association
  Communication Technologies Museum
    Asst. Curator, Commercial Equipment
(also chief TTY op & repairman)

i-Telex: 212503

www.antiquewireless.org

AWA Youtube channel: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX55peBhzeX1qps_VYXdLBA

Virtual AWA Museum TTY Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpB6jM90VV8





On 4/14/2026 8:01 AM, Fabiolah via GreenKeys wrote:
> Hello! I have recently gotten an AN/TGC-14(V) teletypewriter set and a 
> TT-318/UG keyboard included free with it from a kind gentleman. I’m a 
> part of the typewriter hobby, so it was mostly that aspect of 
> teletypes/teletypewriters/teleprinters that interstested me. Now, I’m 
> not electronically inclined, so I’m hoping that part won’t really need 
> touching, though I’m expecting something may need to be there. I’ve 
> already seen one of the patching jacks that wasn’t where it was meant 
> to be. I’m basically clueless beyond watching a video and taking a 
> cursory glance at the manual. And looking at the other things I could 
> find.
>
> I’d like to see the innards of this teletypewriter beyond what I’ve 
> seen in manuals or of its sister machine, but after turning the 
> fastener studs, the top of the front cover seems to be stuck. Any idea 
> how I could release it? Also, would it be unwise to turn this machine 
> on before hand turning the mainshaft, like the manual mentions? I was 
> planning on hand winding it and checking the cables (which I’ve 
> included a picture of. Do they look ok?) before any powering. The 
> seller stated something needed a new rubber belt, but I have no idea 
> whether that was meant for the teletypewriter or the keyboard. It did 
> come after a keyboard message, though.
>
> Continuing on about the keyboard, there seems to be rust on one of the 
> gears I can see underneath and some sort of oxidation (? White rust?) 
> on something else. Does the TT-318/UG use any electronics that I 
> should be aware of? I couldn’t find much of anything on the keyboard 
> alone. What would you all recommend for rust removal for anything? 
> Evaporust? Naval Jelly? Nevr-Dull? I have a brass brush.
>
> Where would I get paper when I eventually am able to use this machine?
>
> For the last part for this long message, this specimen and its 
> keyboard seem to have been contracted through the Teleprinter 
> Corporation of Paramus, New Jersey, rather than the MITE Corporation 
> of New Haven, Connecticut. Why is that? The contract number (am I 
> reading that right?) is 71737 for both keyboard and teletypewriter if 
> that matters. I also haven’t seen many, if any, AN/TGC-14(V)s. I see 
> the AN/TGC-14A(V)s more.
>
> I’ll try to get back to any responses in a timely manner. I thank 
> everyone for their time!
>
>
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