[GreenKeys] Auto Carriage Return/Line Feed for Model 15/19 machines

[Wa3frp]

Hi Ralph, 

There was an article about Auto Carriage Return / Line Feed modification for the Model 15/ 19 machines written by Irv Hoff W6FFC in RTTY Journal.  I have a scan of that article and will send it to anyone who requests it. 

Yes, I do remember the "project mouse" that was announced in RTTY Journal in October 1969.  Many thanks to all of those folks from NCARTS and Western Electric for making that happen!!!  

This is an excerpt of a RTTY Journal article written by Irv Hoff  about that wonderful project:

"...The October 1969 RTTY Journal carried the announcement of a large number of 28KSR machines which the Northern California Amateur Radio-teletypewriter Society, Inc. was making available. Within a matter of only a few days, the entire group of machines was spoken for and within 10 days, some $40,000 had been sent to NCARTS.  Original negotiations had indicated that there might be as many as 200 machines, but the final figure was 160. Of these, 120 were overhauled by Western Electric, and 40 were designated as "non-repaired". George Hutchison (then W7KSJ - now W7TTY) and myself visited Western Electric offices and personally inspected several of the machines.  We could find no discernable differences between the two categories, as they all looked like "never had been used" condition. 

On Friday, 17, October, a check for the entire 160 machines was presented to Western Electric officials, and on the following Tuesday, the machines were picked up by National Van Lines representatives.  Within the next several weeks, they had been delivered to various parts of the country, and at a total cost of no more that $150 to anybody. The overhauled machines cost the buyer $115 less shipping costs, and the non-repaired were $26 cheaper.

This was the first time that any model 28 equipment was officially made available to amateurs, and it was also the largest (by some margin) group of machines ever made available as well as the largest amount of money transacted in such an undertaking. 

A final word here -- many people have speculated as to why this was called "project mouse"  It's hardly worth getting into but after I promised my wife I would have nothing to do with the project and then became deeply involved with it, she remarked the letters reminded her of a bunch of mice running after a big cheese, etc. Since the military call their version of "RTTY" -- "RATT", is seemed to fall into place.  These particular machines are now known as 'mouse machines' to merely indicate they are part of the group made available through NCARTS in mid-October 1969..."

You can read the entire article in February 1970 RTTY Journal, if you happen to have access to a copy.  

Because of that program, I was able to get a Model 28 KSR for the University of Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Club, W3ABT.  That machine got a lot of use and finished fourth worldwide in the 1970 CARTG RTTY Contest, behind ON4BX, W3KV and W4YG and just beating out W9HHX by 2200 points.  Those were great days for Ham Radio and RTTY. Although ON4BX doesn't get on RTTY too much anymore, I do see his ON4BX call sign in the pileups from time to time.  W3KV has been SK for a couple of years, after losing his eyesight and losing his ability to get on RTTY at all.

We followed the multi-part series of articles by Irv (who else) on how to get and install the correct keytops and keypallets, search for the O codebar, remove and make the appropriate modifications to the stunt box for auto carriage return and line feed among other options,   

The 'mouse machine' that I was able to get for W3ABT was sitting in storage for 12 years when I found it at Penn in 2006 and was able to liberate it.  It now sits with my two Model 28 ASRs but now equipped with a three speed gearshift for 60-75 and 100 WPM operation.  

Who else still has or knows the location of the other 159 "mouse machines"?

73 ES DX

Russ - WA3FRP
wa3frp at aol.com

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