Sunday, August 3, 2014

Military Teletype

Hello everyone! It feels like it has been a very long time since I have posted, and it has! I thought I would take time today to type up a quick post. Sorry for the lack of typecast. I will do one when I get the time.
I just got back from a week-long missions trip in Wood, South Dakota. My youth group goes there every year to spend time with the kids. It was really fun. Before that, I spent a few days in Omaha, Nebraska with my family. That was also fun. In typewriter news, I just received my first teletype machine in the mail! However, there are no power or data cables with it. It is a AN-UGC-74A(V)3 Teletypewriter, used by the U.S. Military. I believe it was made in the 1980s, but I am not sure. If anyone can help me out with information about it, I would really appreciate it. I will post pictures as soon as I can. Also, a few weeks ago, I taught a class at the Heartland Museum in Clarion, Iowa, about typewriters and bookbinding. I think it went well. I brought along 14 of my typewriters, and they had a Blickensderfer there that we got out to show the kids. Only two kids showed up with their parents, but they seemed to enjoy it. That's it for now. I hope everyone has a great week! -Mac

3 comments:

  1. Three times congratulations! One for the missions trip. I never got to go one one of these. Seems it would be a great adventure.
    Another one for the teletype. They are really neat and if you have a Short Wave radio and interface there is still RTTY or radio teletype out there you may be able to receive.
    And finally three, Your class at the museum. If it had been during my trip I would have planned a stop there.

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  2. I have been able to research and find a fair amount of information on the UGC-74A, which I'd be happy to share with you if you haven't found information yourself in the past year. I myself have been on the search for power and data cables. I've found plenty compatible connectors (without cables), but no actual power cables (I have found a data cable, though). I don't suppose you have found a source?

    Also, I think I overpaid for my UGC-74, so I'm curious as to what you paid for yours.

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  3. I appreciate the offer! Perhaps I can help you with the cables. FairRadio.com seems to periodically stock the main power cable, and I just managed to get my hands on one. Phillip, the owner, says he is always looking for more, so it may pay off to contact him about it. The cord I got was part # SM-D-764481, which is for 115v. I believe he also currently has just the connector in stock for $15, but it is not listed on the website. If you are handy with wiring, the diagram for wiring the connector properly for 115v or 220v can be found in the file "TM 11-5815-602-24-1" listed here: http://radionerds.com/index.php/AN~UGC-74. It should start on page 3-93. You can message me through this account if you have any questions, and I might have some questions about the machine for you too.

    Also, I paid about $100 for my machine, since you were curious. I would be curious what you paid as well, as I suspect I may have paid too much.

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