TELECOM: Re:Chad (was: NYS AG Cuomo settles with VZ Wirelss on "unlimited" da)

***** Moderator's Note *****

I think I've got you beat, Wes: I learned to type on a Model 19
> TeleType, at the M.I.T. Radio Club, W1MX, in 1969 or so. I loved using > the digital mode, even though it depended on analog modems, called > terminal units, and on having a 4CX-1000A amplifier to push out 700 > watts of power. > > The Model 19 had a three-row keyboard, just like a Telex machine, and > shift keys, labelled LTRS and FIGS, to take the place of Upper and > Lower case. > > As it happens, I later learned how to repair Model 32 and 33 > TeleTypes, but I agree that you don't need to know what's under the > hood to be a good typist or a good reporter.

My experiences were in the 1950s (also on a 19 ASR) on telegraph- type circutis directly connected to the machine. Leased telegraph lines extended across the country for news services. I believe stock brokers also had such leased line, and also probably other businesses, including railroads which had their own circuits (not Bell/AT&T). No modem involved. This would have to be considered digital.

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Trivia question: when first establishing contact, the stations would > often send a series of "RY" characters repeatedly. Why? > > Bill Horne > Temporary Moderator

My understanding was because it exercised every level of (1-5) of the machine and verified that all the cams were operation properly. A sentence that was also used was: THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER A LAZY DOG'S BACK 1234567890 xx SENDING This exercised every letter and number type bar, verified that the release-on-space / no release-on-space setting was correct for that particular circuit and that the printing width was properly set to print all 80 characters per line. Note that United Press circuits used release-on-space, Associated Press circuits used no-released-on-space. It is my recollection that TWX also used no-release-on-space, but I'm not sure about that. Wes Leatherock snipped-for-privacy@aol.com snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

***** Moderator's Note *****

Yes, "RY" was the sequence that produced alternating Mark and Space siganls, thus excercising the emachine to the greatest degree.

I always thought that Unshift-on-space was a European custom. I remember ham operators in the U.S. were admonished to use the "FIGS" key after every space when sending to a ham in Europe, but I didn't know it was a AP/UPI thing. I guess you _do_ learn something new every day.

Bill Horne Temporary Moderator