[GreenKeys] Perf Tape Colors

[Ralph Irish]

My Navy Communications service time was mid 1959 thru March 1961.  I used all sorts of equipment 
involving perf tape.  We had a couple of Model 19s, a couple of 14 nontyping reperfs and at least
one 14 Typing Reperf.  Later on we got a 28KTR geared for 100WPM   I never saw a 28ASR or a 28TD
on our ship.  We had a number of 28KSRs however.  I never knew that the ASR existed until I saw
a photo of one as a new ham operator probably around 1963.  If I had ever been assigned to a
shore Communications Station, I would have probably seen all sorts of wonders!

- - - -

The only color differentiation I can remember was for the security classification of printed
messages to be distributed throughout the ship.  

Unclassified - 	White
Confidential -	Pink
Secret       -	Yellow
Top Secret   -	Green

Our perf tape was always yellow, and as one other GreenKeyer noted, the last several feet were pink
or purple to get the operator's attention and be ready to load a new reel of tape.

I had heard from older, more experienced Radiomen who had worked at Shore stations that they sometimes
had durable punched tapes for use as "RYRYRYRY" tapes during slack times, and they often hung on a hook
near the TD that sent out traffic.  Once the traffic was cleared, that tape would be put into the TD
and they could start it and go for a coffee or make a head call, etc.

In my ham career, I have seen a number of different colors of perf tape in different widths for various
systems.  A friend had a Frieden typewriter that had a tape punch associated with it and he used it for
writing job applications and resumes.  He could put 95% of the data on paper with the perf tape and do
the rest by hand.  His tape supply was dark gray.  His tape was 7 level, I think, and probably 7/8" wide.

I later saw some blue, mylar tape that required a special punch device for long term use.  It was 11/16"
tape.  

I have seen just a few different colors of 1" tape.  SOmewhere around here I might still have a copy of
"Texas Tiny Basic" on 1" fanfold gray tape.  That goes back to my short experiment with home built 
computers.  (IMSAI and SOL)

The idea of different colors for different security classifications makes sense, I guess, but it was not
implemented in the Navy during my time as a Radioman.

In the last year or so of my Navy career, we did see another 'security standard' adopted to reduce security
violations.

One day we received an unclassified message, from some high up Navy facility.  The first word of this 
message, after the "BT"  was (UNCLASS)  and the purpose of the message was to direct all facilities to use
the classification of  ALL  messages transmitted by Teletype as the first word.  Secret messages showed
(SECRET), confidential messages started with (CONFIDENTIAL) and although I never saw any up close, I will
presume that all Top Secret messages started with (TOP SECRET) or maybe (T SECRET).

The rumor that went through the fleet was that a classified message got transmitted on an open channel
(often referred to as the Fleet Broadcast) because of some carelessness on someone's part.  The supposed
solution was to have all classified tapes start with the appropriate word to get someone's notice and then
they would be responsible for its transmission on the appropriate circuit(s).

On the West Coast, our Fleet Broadcast was called Foxtrot Romeo, and each message that went out over this
network had an "FR" NR for identification.  The number was reset to zero each month, as I recall.  (It has
been over 50 years, guys, a lot gets lost!)

This circuit could send classified traffic if it was encoded in some manner.  Some of you will probably remember
the messages consisting of five letter groups.  In our area, they always started with a five digit number that
had all odd digits, then a few phonetic words, and then five letter groups:

57791 ALPHA DELTA ZEBRA ROMEO SORJR RUEYS XXCPQ JQPCX RVDEK
GHIUP ERMZO  and five letter groups, 10 to a line,


etc.  I think the five digits were repeated as the last group but not certain.

- - - -

This probably dredges up some memories amongst some of the GreenKeys group.

73,

Ralph -W8ROI



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