7 Aug
2008
7 Aug
'08
3:08 p.m.
On Thu, Aug 07, 2008 at 02:41:45PM -0700, Eric Smith wrote:
Keith M wrote:
Fortunately, I suppose, I missed _that_ era. I have fiddled with real
TTYs, but mostly as PDP-8 peripherals, not as a primary dialup experience.
I did pick up an ASR-33 w/110 baud "data set" in the pedestal for $35
at Dayton after everyone had moved to 300/1200 baud. I had hoped to
use it with my first PDP-8/L, but never figured out how to divorce the
TTY part from the modem (I could probably do it now). Unfortunately,
in my youthful exhuberance, I removed the touch-tone pad, so now it
sits, unable to call anyone (though I think I later tested that I could
call _it_ and print messages on it, then send EOT to turn it back off).
Yet another of those long-term projects is to put the touch-tone pad
back in and get it working. The follow-on would be to build and install
a reader-run relay circuit and get it working as a DEC console TTY,
but since I _have_ one of those (that _is_ working), that aspect of
the restoration isn't as pressing.
I didn't miss the 300 baud era. I remember my
first modem was a "direct
connect" 300bps model sold by radio shack. It had an "answer or
300 baud? Luxury! We *dreamed* of having 300 baud. We used Model 33
Teletypes at 110 baud, and we were darned lucky to have those. One guy
I knew only had a Model 28 Teletype at 45.5 baud. On the other hand,
the Model 28 was *much* more reliable than a 33. And we had to walk to school. Uphill. Both ways.
Amen. (oh... and in Ohio, we added "in the snow"...)
-ethan
--
Ethan Dicks, A-333-S Current South Pole Weather at 7-Aug-2008 at 22:00 Z
South Pole Station
PSC 468 Box 400 Temp -48.1 F (-44.5 C) Windchill -90.1 F (-67.8 C)
APO AP 96598 Wind 24.2 kts Grid 9 Barometer 682.0 mb (10553 ft)
Ethan.Dicks at usap.gov http://penguincentral.com/penguincentral.html