[GreenKeys] Hot Line, and USSR teleprinter nomenclature, etc

Thu Feb 23 09:27:48 EST 2006

Hello Greenkeyers,

to bring some light into the dark, here what I can tell you about the
RFT T63-SU12:

The T63-SU12 is the "two language" version of the standard RFT T51
East German teleprinter. The T51 itself is the East German "copy "of the
Siemens T37 model.
It is assumed that Siemens moved its teleprinter plant from Berlin to the
south east German mountain region "Erzgebirge" near the city of Chemnitz
to avoid destruction of its factory during the bombings on Berlin during
the WWII.
When the war was over this region became "Russion occupied zone", later GDR
and the plant with all its machines and tools still remained there, of 
course
This was the start for the RFT (trademark) teleprinter factory. First
versions were 100 % Siemens (just another label put onto the cabinet),
later on they modernized the machine slightly and produced it until the
mid 1980s ! But they were still at least 95 % compatible to an T37
which production ended in 1957.
It has a moving platen and a directly attached tape punch. Tape reader
is separate with own motor.
(Only Siemens upgraded its T37 with an also directly attached tape reader
at its last verions just before end of production of the T37 line.)

For the demand to communicate with the Soviets RFT developed a
two language version from the T51 called T63 . It's also a 5 level (units)
Baudot machine.
Switching to the third level (cyrillic) is done by code character no 29.
(no holes at all on a tape).
T63 were in common use in the East German Army and bunkers and
in many official government authorities that had to communicate with 
Russians.
There were also other language versions for Latin-Greek and Latin-Bulgarian
available, called T63-GR.. and T63-BG..
Of course there was also strong export of these models to the Soviet 
Union...
The USSR only produced a copy of a model 14 tape printer, the ST2-M.
As far as I know, no page printing machines...
Maybe that's why the hot line was equipped with an East German machine
and not with a Russian one.
Another fact might be, that as I know the T63 is the sole ever produced two
language mechanical teleprinter model.
(I have a Siemens T37 arabic, with ciphering attachments in my collection,
but it only prints arabic! Not even one Latin character on it :-)
Also funny that it prints from right to left...)

Beginning in the early 1980s the T63-SU was replaced by the electronic
successor RFT F1100 with dot matrix printer, which of course was much
easier to handle two different languages to print.

When time allows I will take some new photographs of my machines and
a copy from the T63 manual and put it on an extra page of my website.

Until then I invite you to visit the Siemens and RFT pages of my website:
www.teleprinter.net

73s,
Henning DF3OE
Wendeburg/Germany
www.teleprinter.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gregory W. Moore" <gwmoore at moorefelines.com>
To: <GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 11:57 PM
Subject: [GreenKeys] Hot Line, and USSR teleprinter nomenclature, etc

> GE, fellow greenkeyers,
>
> On another group, there was a discussion concerning the hot line... now,
> while I know about the 2 28ASR's, and the crypto stuff
> having "been there and done that", I don't know the nomenclature of the
> USSR machine pictured.  Anyone in the group familiar
> with this machine???   How many code levels (I believe 6 from the punch on 
> the left)  what speed and OPM?  Any
> info would be greatly appreciated..
>
> Photo is at the following URL:
>
> http://www.moorefelines.com/greenkeys/US_USSR hot line.jpg
>
> many tnks
> de Greg "GW" Moore WA3IVX/NNN0BVN
>
>
>
> NNNN
>
> -- 
>
> Happily turning electricity into RF energy for almost 40 years,
> on land, sea and air, professional and amateur,
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