[GreenKeys] AN/FGC-38 Torn-Tape Relay Equipment

[Paul Birkel]

Jim:  How does a "tape-changing reperforator" work?  Is that just an
operational-use of a standard device, or a specially modified one that
somehow accomplishes an automated cutover?  Can one _easily_ splice the two
message parts back together, or what's the point other than simply avoiding
shutting down the incoming line while installing a new tape reel??

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Haynes [mailto:jhhaynes at earthlink.net] 
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2017 10:48 AM
To: David F
Cc: pbirkel at gmail.com; greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] AN/FGC-38 Torn-Tape Relay Equipment

Depending on traffic volume, an incoming line could have a "tape-changing
reperforator" assigned so it could be turned on when the regular reperf
was getting low on tape.

On another topic, there have been times when reality left the scene.
A book "United States Army in Vietnam.  Military communications, a test 
for technology"  by John D. Bergen tells of an incident - I'm relying on
memory now, rather than looking it up in the book - where a message was
started with Operational Immediate precedence, and the message was so 
large that it took something like 8 hours for the originating operator to 
punch into tape.  Meanwhile nothing of lower precedence could be sent 
because of the rules governing precedence.