[GreenKeys] EXTEL TTY

[wa2hwj@att.net]

ZCZC

I'm working in New York City as a communications consultant and recently visited one the New York City Fire Department's "Central Offices" (where they dispatch fires). Most of their stuff is old and dirty, but I was suprised to see an EXTEL teleprinter sitting on a table, still being used. But, get this, the EXTEL uses a dot-matrix typing head and this machine seems to be printing with only two of the seven pins. When I asked the dispatcher if he even looks at this machine, his answer was "sure, we can tell what it's trying to say". The machine is used to print out alarm info from their ancient callbox system (there's more than 15,000 callboxes throughout the City). In the scheme of things, the printer is "modern" compared to the callboxes. Each callbox has its own copper circuit back to the "CO", with current on the loop. They used to print out on a paper tape that had a spring-wound takeup reel; sound familiar?.

Jack WA2HWJ

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