[GreenKeys] AN/UGC 74A and 74B

[Larry Tighe]

Thanks for all that info Dave.  I guess these machines have been sitting too long.  Some of the electrolytics are leaking in one of the parts machine and I think that's a warning to look at the other before trouble starts.

Great explanation of these machines....thanks much,

lar
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: NNN7DXB at aol.com 


  Lar:

  We had the UGC-74s in Germany. They worked pretty well and were
  considered "GI proof" when they first came out. We really did not
  have a lot of trouble with them, other than when their memory 
  drums got full -- they did a massive message dump all over the
  place. They also wasted a lot of paper! We used yellow roll paper
  in our machines, since we were in a tactical unit (which is what
  the UGC-74s were originally intended for under the 1960s FATT
  system). FATT was the Forward Area TeleType. There was supposed
  to be a whole family of the FATTS, but only the UGC-74 was ever
  fielded, and it didn't come out until the mid-80s (even though it 
  was a 1968 Kleinschmidt design). Burroughs Corp wound up 
  producing them in the 80s, after Kleinschmidt got out of the 
  teletype business.

  We used them in CommCenter and Radio Teletype (RATT) shelters.
  A few wound up in fixed station operations. When we used them
  they were set to work with the KLI TT-76/GGC reperforator/TD
  using Baudot code and the TT-76s ran at 60 wpm.

  As for your question, the UGC-74s have been resurrected for use
  in both Afghanistan and Iraq by the US Army and a few by the
  Marines. Seems the modern day computers, PCs and CRTs just 
  don't stand up well to the dust, dirt and extreme summer heat.
  They are today used in the ASCII mode as input/output terminals
  and connected directly to routers and modems in the DMS 
  (Defense Message System) which are now in military Operations 
  Centers (no more CommCenters).

  In our day, we did not like the UGC-74s either, but these were force-
  fed to units to replace the electro-mechanical KLI TT-4s and TT-98s
  then in use. We have both the A and B models. Current models are
  the C model.


  Hope this helps,

  Dave
  US Army (Ret)