Sometimes you see something that just…you HAVE to have it. Especially if it scratches an itch regarding the interest of the week: RTTY and Teletypes. Earlier this year, I came across the Dovetron MPC-1000R(ish) Mark II and thought it looked so bad ass that I had to have it. It would add a RTTY cross display to my setup as well as maybe add some features? Anyway it came packed well, so lets dig into this thing and see what a nightm..fun time we’ll have with it.
Continue reading “Diving into the Dovetron MPC-1000R Mark II RTTY Terminal Unit”Learning about Teletypes – Down the Rabbit Holes We Go!
With temps in the high 90s and low 100s in Philly, after picking up my Teletype ASR-32 a week ago, I’ve been sitting in the AC diving into all sorts of resources, web sites, and videos learning about them and the various technologies they either originally used or continue to use today.
Continue reading “Learning about Teletypes – Down the Rabbit Holes We Go!”Hamfest Weekend and Teletype acquired!
Did a ton of walking and shopping this weekend at two back-to-back hamfests. What’s a hamfest? Easiest answer is “an electronics flea market”. They’re called “hamfests” as they’re often hosted by ham radio clubs, and while a majority of the gear for sale is radio related, you’ll find other deals at them as well.
The first was the MARC Hamfest in Kimberton, PA. Got a few goodies there and met up with some regulars.
Next up on Sunday was the Sussex County Hamfest up in New Jersey. This one is a bit of a haul and I attend it both to support some friends, and plugs it’s a bigger event. I found a few goodies here as well.
The biggest item on the loot pile? A Teletype ASR-32! While it’s not the ASR-33 (I’d still LOVE to find one for a decent deal!), its nearly identical in appearance and I’m hoping I can use it for vintage computer fun as well as some ham radio RTTY (radio-teletype) action. As part of the deal I also got a HAL ST-6 “teletype unit”, which is a demodulator (receiver) for RTTY. You can find a picture of it here. This unit receives RTTY signals from a radio, and converts them to serial data thats transferred to a teletype via a “current loop” connection. In this case the HAL ST-6 has been modified with a AFSR board so the teletype can be used for sending RTTY as well. More importantly, it looks techy and has blinky lights. No pics yet, but some will be forthcoming as I mess around with it and get it going.
With weather forecast in the mid to hid 90s this week, I think imma stay in the AC and geek out some!