Saturday, May 9, 2009

Teletype. Why?

'Printing telegraph' was introduced by Morkrum, an American company that in 1910 installed first devices for Postal Telegraph Company in Boston and New York. Fist general purpose teletype was produced by the same company in 1922.
Teletype is an electro-mechanical typewriter which can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point and point to multipoint over a variety of communications channels that range from a simple electrical connection, such as a pair of wires, to the use of radio etc. For many decades it was an important instrument of news agencies, government institutions, private corporations and armed forces.
Actually the correct name is 'teleprinter', and 'Teletype' is a trade mark of Teletype Corporation of Skokie, Illinois, USA. German teleprinters made by Siemens & Halske were called 'Fernschreiber' (telewriter).
From 1920s teleprinters were an integral part of Telex networks.

In our AH this bulky device plays a significant role. Mark starts his media career as a petty staff worker with national news agency translating teleprinter feeds from abroad. Then he widely uses teleprinter preparing his news broadcasts. Eva for at least two years is employed as a typist by a regional branch of Pan-European Continental Telegraph Agency. In German-dominated Central Europe the device is called 'Fernschreiber' (see above).

Shown: Telex machine T100 manufactured by Siemens

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