[MRCG] TG-34 on TV

[Marc Goldman]

Ha Ha Ha Ha   Har De Har De Har...

Gentleman:

On the TV show  Pawn Stars this evening....  This guy brings in a TG-34  and says its a rare code reading machine  !! no tapes... well the pawn shop guy calls in this consultant guy. (I have seen him before on the program)  and he brings a brand new paper tape in the box.. no reel.. he had it in his garage..  so the bad new is it  does not decode Morse code..  it is a classroom training aid !!  i think there are a lot of them around..  there is one in a display case in a mini museum at Hollister Airport.. just saw it a few weeks back .. so not worth the $2000 he was originally asking..   the amusing part is he still gets $200 for it at the pawn shop!!   i think if this showed up at Foothill Swap meet ya might get $25 for it !! 
 way way overpriced..   if you had a bunch of tapes it could still be used for Morse code training...  but who is using Morse code these days... the subset of Ham Radio Operators that are DXers on HF....   and identifiers for repeaters and the MRHS folks...     All this box does is  send  Morse code... most likely random letters and numbers and maybe punctuation marks... and the student  writes it down with a pencil and paper.. and eventually a typewriter... 

i believe in the very early days of Morse code a machine was invented to copy it... and than it was discovered that the operator would learn the code by listening to the sounder clicks... and not need the invention. much to the consternation of its inventor !!    i am pretty sure this was telegraph days.. before  radio.. very likely  American Morse  

73
Marc Goldman
WB6DCE
Seaside,CA