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From: riddle@hoss.unl.edu (Michael H. Riddle)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Teletype Marked "Crypto" and Other Found Treasures
Message-ID: <10953@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 16 Aug 90 19:39:21 GMT
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In <10923@accuvax.nwu.edu> Daniel Birchall <SHAG@mercury.bitnet>
writes:

>My father and I recently acquired (read: took from a pile of trash
>marked "free") a teletype machine. 

>[marked] CRYPTO.  Does that mean that this machine will put
>out encrypted transmissions?  Or was it used by some department that
>had 'crypto' level clearances?  Any guesses?

>one of the widgets is a CV-89A/URA-8A "Frequency Shift
>Converter" ... what the heck is that? :) Also, there was an RCA AR-88
>Receiver, 540 KC to 32 MC ... Final question, who is or was W2VZM?

Ah, old memories!  Sounds to me like you picked up the NON-crypto part
of an old radio-teletype set.  The CV-89 converted the frequency-shift
keying into marks and spaces for the teletype machine.  From the
"Crypto" part, at least the table, if not the whole set, at one time
was hooked through a cryptographic device.  (I guess another
explanation would be an offline crypto unit.  I certainly spent many
an hour repairing them).

Your final question, W2VZM is an amateur call sign.  I'll leave it for
the hams in the group to explain if there was anything special about
it.


riddle@hoss.unl.edu                 
riddle@crchpux.unl.edu              
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