[GreenKeys] mystery equipment - AN/TGC-1 not

[Nick England]

Not a TGC-1 - But it includes parts of a TGC-1? I think we are converging
on an answer -

As Jerry pointed out it looks like the shelf above the triple TD has a M14
typing reperf which is what was used as the monitor (upper shelf) in a
TGC-1. The shiny object to the right of the takeup tape reel may be the
type basket of the reperf - it is hard to tell and I thought it was maybe a
glass or metal cylinder. (Why is your coffee pot in the middle of the Fleet
Broadcast rack?). However I now think it is probably reflection from the
reel motor and/or "reading lamp" which is in the TGC-1 - Dave/Duncan - did
this reading lamp swing around or was it fixed?

Here's a TGC-1 tape monitor shelf - many things match the "mystery shelf" -
type basket on the right, take-up reel on the left....
http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/relay/PB040298.JPG

Note - This rack is NOT a normal tape relay device. It is for Fleet
Broadcast which is a one-way long-distance radio teletype transmission from
a shore station to a large area of the ocean where Navy ships may be
operating. Ships did not acknowledge these messages - radio silence is
important to staying hidden. Ships copied every message that was broadcast
and extracted the ones directed to them (or to a group to which they
belonged). Ships could tell if they missed a message by seeing the
sequential message number that was missing. Then they could copy that
message number when it came around again on a repeated or delayed
broadcast. In some cases, ships could request a repeat of missing numbers.
The upper panel of the mystery rack appears to be custom built for this
particular application which certainly makes sense.

I don't know for sure if the original message numbering in a broadcast was
done by a number tape or was manually inserted on each message. Certainly
repeats needed to have the correct number, not simply a sequential one.

However, as Dave and Duncan point out, there is a small reel hanging below
the leftmost TD head and that shows up in the TGC-1 photos as well - this
was for supplying a number tape to TD #1.
http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/relay/PB040311.JPG

Thanks to all for the help - I think I will declare this mystery solved -
it is a custom rack which includes the TD and monitor reperf shelves of a
TGC-1.
(and thanks to Bob K6OSM for the photos of his beautiful TGC-1)

Cheers,
Nick England K4NYW
www.navy-radio.com

On Fri, Sep 8, 2017 at 9:35 AM, Duncan Brown <duncanancy at earthlink.net>
wrote:

> Dave,
> You are right! Not a TGC-1, after all!
> The 3-headed tape reader, complete with channel # tape spool and the big
> indicator lamps on the top said AN/TGC-1 to me. But now as i look at it
> more closely, there is a large, blank, panel between the tape readers & the
> shelf above it, making the whole cabinet 1-2 feet taller than the TGC-1.
> Also, the lamps on the top are not quite the same as the TGC-1.
>
> A good piece of Navy mystery equipment!
>
> Thanks for keeping us calibrated!
>
> Duncan
> K2OEQ
>
> On 07-Sep-17 23:10, David F wrote:
>
> Nick, Duncan....
>
> Not an AN/TGC-1 at all. TGC-1s were much shorter (not so tall)
> and were specifically tape relay equipment, usually installed in
> banks or rows. This machine is neither.
>
>
>
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