This week, my search for a picture of a big teleprinter leads to a Web site of greener pastures.

Last week's "Editor's Note" at the end of that column mentioned my "behemoth of a Teletype machine, a Model 28 ASR."

See what RTTY equipment looked like before the dawn of home computers at the Teletype machines gallery of the Railroad Signaling and Communications Web site.

It has been a long time since I sold mine and I wanted to take a gander at one of those monsters, but I had no photos of my Model 28 ASR. Today, with a digital camera on hand, I'd have plenty of photos, but back when I owned my Model 28, photography was different and I did not take multiple photos of everything that passed through my life. So, I searched the Internet and quickly found a photo of my long departed Model 28 that looked very much like the one that rocked my ham radio shack back in the mid-1970s.

That photo of the Model 28 is part of the gallery of Teletype machines at the Railroad Signaling and Communications Web site. The gallery includes other Teletype machines that were popular with ham RTTY operators including the venerable Model 19. This Web site even has a video clip of a Model 19 in action!

One thing leads to another on the Internet and a reference to "Green Keys" on the Railroad Signaling and Communications Web site led me to RTTY.COM, a Web site "dedicated to Amateur Radio Teletypewriter hobbyists and enthusiasts worldwide." George Hutchison, W7TTY, and William Bytheway, K7TTY, are the Webmasters behind the scenes at RTTY.COM and they have put together a very comprehensive Web site for the RTTY enthusiast.

I wish I had resources like the ones at RTTY.COM back when I was messing around with local loops, stunt boxes, tape readers, and typing reperforators. Besides the online resources, there is a link to the Greenkeys mailing list/reflector, which is devoted to the discussion of older RTTY gear.

Until next time, keep on surfin'.

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, sold his Baudot Model 28 ASR Teletype machine to buy an ASCII Model 33 ASR Teletype machine to serve as his first computer printer. To discuss Teletype machines, stunt boxes, and other neat stuff, e-mail Stan or add comments to his blog.

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