Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

TELETYPE MACHINE

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1960

Materials

ALUMINIUM, STEEL, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

98.0

Length

95.5

Width

59.2

Description

"TELETYPE CORPORATION MODEL 28". UNIT HAS BOTH RIBBON (TICKER TAPE) PAPER & PAPER ROLLS PRODUCING A PUNCHED OR TYPEWRITTEN MESSAGE. KEYBOARD IS STANDARD CONFIGURATION. OFF/ON POWER SWITCH LOCATED NEAR PAPER DRUM. UNIT IS COMPLETE & OPERABLE. FOAM LINING UNDER LID IS DETERIORATING. NAMEPLATE ON FRONT READS "TELETYPE REG. U.S. PAT. OFF MANUFACTURED BY TELETYPE CORPORATION SKOKIE, ILL. U.S.A."; SECOND WITH "MFD. UNDER ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING U.S. PATENTS D160497, D160498, D182758".

Subjects

DATA PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

BUSINESS

History

LEASED BY VARIOUS BUSINESS FROM AGT. IN USE UNTIL 1970. PURCHASED BY DONOR IN 1971. DONOR STATED VALUE AROUND $25. - $50. *UPDATE* IN 2010, NICOLE HEMBROFF CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PALLET RACKING. SHE INTERVIEWED JOE PARSONS WITH REGARD TO THE TELETYPE MACHINE. SEE BELOW. JOE PARSONS GOT THE PRINTER IN 1971. AT THE TIME MOST TELECOMMUNICATIONS GROUPS WERE STILL USING TWX (THE TELETYPEWRITER EXCHANGE), THE ORGANIZATION THAT PASSED COMMUNICATIONS TO OTHER COMPANIES. CNCP TELECOMMUNICATIONS “GROUPED STUFF TOGETHER AND SENT IT OUT TO OTHER OFFICES.” WHEN THEY WERE ABOUT TEN YEARS OLD, THE TELETYPE MACHINES HAD BEEN TURNED OVER TO THE AMATEUR RADIO GROUP (HAM RADIO). THE COMPANIES (SPECIFIC NAMES ARE UNKNOWN,) THAT TURNED THEM OVER DIDN’T WANT THE MACHINES TO BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. THE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS HAD TO SIGN A LEASE, AGREEING NOT TO USE THE MACHINES FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES, IN ORDER TO GET THE TELETYPE MACHINES. THE DONOR WAS A HAM RADIO OPERATOR. HE PAID A MINIMAL AMOUNT, $25 TO GET THE MACHINE. THEN “THE FUN BEGAN,” SAID PARSONS. PARSONS OPERATED HIS TELETYPE MACHINE IN HIS HOME IN LETHBRIDGE, AB AFTER HE GOT IT FROM THE “POOL.” THE POOL WAS THE COLLECTION OF TELEPRINTERS THAT WERE NO LONGER USED AND WERE THEN LEASED TO THE HAM RADIO OPERATORS. PARSONS SAID, “WE KNEW TELETYPES WERE OUT THERE, AND WE KNEW THEY WEREN’T BEING USED.” A SMALL GROUP OF LOCAL HAM RADIO OPERATORS DUG INTO WHERE THEY WERE. WHEN THEY DISCOVERED THE MACHINES WERE IN EDMONTON, THEY APPROACHED THE POOL. THE COMPANIES GOT RID OF THE TELETYPE MACHINES BECAUSE OF THE INVENTION OF COMPUTERS AND DOT MATRIX PRINTERS, WHICH CAUSED TELETYPE TECHNOLOGY TO BECOME OUTDATED. THE DOT MATRIX PRINTERS OPERATED SIMILARLY TO THE INK JET PRINTERS OF TODAY. THE MACHINE WOULD HAVE BEEN USED WITHIN THE PROVINCE BEFORE JOE GOT IT. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPENSIVE ORIGINALLY. PARSONS THINKS IT WAS USED FROM 1961-1970/71 BEFORE IT CAME INTO HIS POSSESSION. PARSONS MENTIONED AGT MIGHT HAVE USED THEM AT ONE TIME – “EVERYBODY HAD A FINGER IN TELETYPES.” ACCORDING TO PARSONS, THERE WERE MANY THOUSANDS OF HAM RADIO OPERATORS. THEY USED THE RADIO RATHER THAN A LANDLINE (FOR EXAMPLE A TELEPHONE) TO COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER. SOME OF THEM ORGANIZED CIVIL DEFENSE GROUPS. DURING AN EMERGENCY FOR EXAMPLE, THE MAYOR OF LETHBRIDGE COULD COMMUNICATE WITH THE MAYOR OF EDMONTON IF NECESSARY. ONE ADVANTAGE OF THE TELETYPE MACHINE WAS THAT ONCE ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT HAD BEEN ACQUIRED IT WAS FREE TO USE. IN THE DONOR’S CASE, AMATEUR RADIO WAS HIS HOBBY. HE SAID HAM OPERATORS USED TO SAY TO EACH OTHER “I’LL MEET YOU ON THE GREEN KEYS.” THE “GREEN KEYS” REFERRED TO THE COLOR OF THE KEYS ON THE TELETYPE MACHINE. IN MOST CASES GREETING MESSAGES AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS WERE SENT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN HAM OPERATORS. THE LEASE AGREEMENT ALSO PERMITTED USE OF THE TELETYPE MACHINES IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. THE DONOR’S MACHINE WAS USED FOR PRACTICE SESSIONS BUT NEVER FOR A REAL EMERGENCY. IT WAS ALSO USED DURING THE WINTER GAMES IN ’75, WHICH WERE HOSTED IN LETHBRIDGE, AB. EVENT RESULTS WERE PASSED TO THE LETHBRIDGE COMMUNICATION CENTER FROM VARIOUS VENUES. WHEN ASKED ABOUT USING THE MACHINE, PARSONS SAID “WE JUST MADE IT DO WHAT WE WANTED IT TO DO. SOMETIMES IT WAS A CHALLENGE.” THE TELETYPE HAD LOTS OF QUIRKS AND QUARKS. “IT TOOK YOU TO YOUR END TO GET ‘EM GOING.” ACCORDING TO PARSONS, THEY “HAD TO BUILD EQUIPMENT THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO CONNECT TO OUR TRANSMITTERS AND RECEIVERS.” THEY USED FREQUENCY SHIFT KEYING (FSK). FSK TOOK THE TONES FROM THE TRANSMITTER AND SET UP THE SELECTOR MAGNET, WHICH WOULD BE TRIPPED. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE RELAY IN THE MACHINE TO DROP OUT AND THAT WOULD CREATE THE SELECTED CHARACTER “A, B, C, D…” A TICKER TAPE USED BAUDOT CODE, WHICH WAS READ BY THE MACHINE ALLOWING IT TO CORRESPOND WITH DIFFERENT LETTERS AND NUMBERS. NUMBERS AND PUNCTUATION WERE ON FIGS (FIGURES SHIFT). IN OTHER WORDS, ONE HAD TO USE A SORT OF SHIFT KEY TO ALLOW THE KEYS TO CORRESPOND TO NUMBERS AND PUNCTUATION. IN ORDER TO SEND MESSAGES, OPERATORS MADE THE TICKER TAPE. THE TICKER TAPE FOR THE TELETYPE MACHINE WAS ‘CHAD,’ MEANING THE HOLES IN THE TAPE WERE COMPLETELY PUNCHED OUT (VS. STYLES WHERE THE HOLE WAS ONLY PUNCHED PARTIALLY IN A “TOILET SEAT” OR U-SHAPE). A PERSON TYPED A MESSAGE THAT WAS PUNCHED IN THE TICKER TAPE. THE TICKER TAPE WAS READ BY THE MACHINE AND WOULD THEN BE TRANSMITTED AS LETTERS TO THE RECEIVER’S MACHINE. THE KEYS WERE NOT LIKE TYPEWRITER KEYS. THEY WERE MECHANICAL. THEY HAD A SPEED SET TO 60 WORDS/MINUTE. “YOU HAD TO GET A RHYTHM.” JUST LIKE IN THE SONG “THE TYPEWRITER” BY LEROY ANDERSON. “BUT ONCE YOU GOT IT [RHYTHM] YOU COULD GO ALONG REALLY WELL.” JOE BUILT AN AUTOMATIC CHARACTER GENERATOR TRANSMISSION SYSTEM TO KEEP THE RHYTHM GOING ON THE TELETYPE. “IF YOU LOST THE RHYTHM IT GOT ALL TANGLED UP.” THE CHARACTER GENERATOR TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED BY A FRIEND OF THE DONOR’S, IRV HOFF (CALL SIGN W6FFC). HE WAS FROM SAN FRANCISCO AND HE WAS A CAPTAIN FOR UNITED AIRLINES. THE SYSTEM WAS CALLED A UT4. ACCORDING TO PARSONS, THE TELETYPE MACHINE HAD A BELL IN IT. LORI (LAST NAME UNKNOWN) A COMMERCIAL TELETYPE OPERATOR FROM EDMONTON, AB WOULD PLAY CHRISTMAS CAROLS ON THE TELETYPE BELL KEY. WHEN SPACED CORRECTLY IT PRODUCED THE NOTES FOR THE SONGS. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH A COMBINATION OF THE FIGS KEY AND THE LETTERS KEY. SHE WOULD CREATE THE TAPE ON HER EMPLOYER’S (UNKNOWN) MACHINE AND THEN THE CAROLS WOULD COME THROUGH AS TRANSMISSIONS TO OTHER OPERATORS AROUND THE COUNTRY OR MAYBE EVEN WORLD WIDE. PARSONS WOULD LEAVE THE GARAGE DOOR OPEN BECAUSE IT GOT HOT IN THE TELETYPE ROOM. THE NEIGHBOR SLAMMED THE DOOR SHUT TO STOP THE NOISE. PARSONS STOPPED USING THE TELETYPE AROUND 1986 WHEN HE BUILT HIS COMPUTER. THE TELETYPE WAS GIVEN TO THE GALT RIGHT AWAY. HE GOT INTO AMTOR (AMATEUR TELEPRINTING OVER RADIO). HE USED A COMPUTER AND BECAME A SYSTEMS OPERATOR WITHIN A MASSIVE GROUP ALL OVER THE WORLD – THEY USED APLINK (AMTOR PACKET LINK) WHICH ALLOWED THEM TO CONNECT FROM HIGH FREQUENCY TO VERY HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO. HE DONATED THE TELETYPE MACHINE TO THE MUSEUM BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS AN IMPORTANT HISTORICAL PART OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS. THE TELETYPE WAS USED BY SO MANY COMPANIES. FOR EXAMPLE, IT WAS USED FOR TELEGRAMS ETC. “IT WAS A BENEFICIAL PART OF SOCIETY THAT NEEDED A NEW HOME. IT WAS THE LAST OF THE BAUDOT MACHINES.” HE THOUGHT THE GALT WOULD PROVIDE A GOOD HOME FOR THIS LANDMARK OF COMMUNICATION. IN TERMS OF THE DONOR’S HISTORY AS HAM RADIO OPERATOR, HE GOT INTO IT FROM “KNEE HIGH TO A GRASSHOPPER.” HIS NEIGHBOR WAS A HAM OPERATOR IN MELLVILLE, SASKATCHEWAN. PARSONS COULD HEAR HIM TALKING TO PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD. HE WANTED TO DO THAT TOO. PARSONS ENROLLED IN A RADIO COLLEGE, SPECIFICALLY THE MOOSE JAW TECHNICAL INSTITUTE IN 1959/1960 IN MOOSE JAW, SASKATCHEWAN. HE SUCCESSFULLY WROTE HIS HAM OPERATOR LICENSE EXAM IN 1960. LATER THAT YEAR HE GOT HIS COMMERCIAL LAND STATION AND MARINE LICENSE. THE DONOR'S HAM OPERATOR CALL SIGN IS VE6PD. HE WORKED FOR TRANSPORT CANADA AS A COMMERCIAL OPERATOR AT CAMBRIDGE BAY, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES FROM 1960-1963. FROM 1963-1964 HE WORKED IN FORT SMITH, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. FROM 1964 – 1966 HE WORKED IN YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. THROUGHOUT HIS TIME IN THE ARCTIC, HE LOOKED AFTER ANY INFORMATION THAT WAS TRANSFERRED FROM THE ARCTIC TO EDMONTON. AT THE TIME, HE USED A MODEL 19 TELETYPE OR MORSE CODE TO COMPLETE HIS DUTIES. PARSONS SAID, “(THE) WEATHER HAD TO GO OUT, IT WAS KIND OF LIKE THE MAIL.” HE ALSO HAD TO ASSIST IN ORGANIZING SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNICATIONS TO BOTH THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS AND THE DOWNED AIRCRAFT. ON JULY 1, 1966 HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE OLD AIRPORT IN LETHBRIDGE. WHILE THERE, JOE LOOKED AFTER FLIGHT PLANNING OF AIRCRAFT. IN 1979 PARSONS RESIGNED FROM THE AIRPORT. HE BEGAN TO WORK FOR GTE AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC’S TELEPHONE MANUFACTURING PLANT IN 1980. IN THE MID 80S THE LETHBRIDGE PLANT WAS SHUT DOWN AND NOVATEL TOOK POSSESSION OF THE BUILDING. AT NOVATEL JOE PROGRAMMED ROBOTICS. HE WAS PART OF A TEAM THAT WENT TO SEIMEN’S MUNICH, GERMANY TO BUILD A PICK AND PLACE ROBOT THAT WOULD PLACE COMPONENTS ON CIRCUIT BOARDS FOR MAKING CELLULAR TELEPHONES. THE ROBOT WAS CONTROLLED BY A HEWLETT PACKARD COMPUTER USING HEWLETT PACKARD LANGUAGE (HPL). HE RETIRED IN 1992. PARSONS MENTIONED HE HAS SOME OLD PHOTOS AND POSSIBLY AN OLD TRANSMISSION HE COULD DIG UP.

Catalogue Number

P19860170000

Acquisition Date

1986-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail