[GreenKeys] Survey

[VK6CP]

Straight from school in 1961, I enrolled in Merchant Navy Radio
College, got PMG 2nd class but never went to sea all because of love
and she chucked me 6 months later...

So as a fresh-faced 18 year old, I started with British GPO Telegraphs
as a printer telegraphist.

Seconded to Cable and Wireless on International traffic, punching on
perfs and receiving on gummed tape in hot, noisy offices, I thought
this was the cats whisker The motto at that time to attract new staff
was "Roam the World with Overseas Telegraphs". I pestered the resident
engineer something shocking about how Creed teleprinters worked and
when his shift finished, I used to attempt to fix any faults I could
that occured during night shift, quite irregular of course.

In 1968, I passed my full amateur G licence but still didn't cadge any
teleprinters to play with on the air waves as a normal week was
43-hours plus overtime/weekends, I'd had enough with 'em at work !
Out of the instrument room, I became a Telegraph Service
Representative visiting Telex customers in a 150 mile radius of my
office, training staff and advising on Telex matters.

I spent 3 years in Australia, then worked in London for 6 months in
1986 as a Telex Operator working the evening shift doing live
transmission of dictation from resident buyers of coffee beans on the
Telex for instant bartering with Soviet traders of goods the UK
wanted.

Back in Australia, I acquired my 1st teleprinter, a Siemens T100, then
another T100 and the teleprinter acquisition bug caught on. Now have
Creeds 7B's, half a dozen Siemens T100's, Sagem TX20's, TLX2000 and
TX2001 plus a Teletype 15.

I have to say my first love is morse, nowadays I have many more CW
QSO's than RTTY but enjoy most of all cutting 5 unit tapes and running
them through the transmitter much to the delight of grandson.

Larry Rice VK6CP