FRIDAY BACK THEN, On the breaking edge of technology

Today’s picture: NEW TECHNOLOGY (then)

 

Early FAX machines

 

(Posting early, rainy here got a couple leaks to seek!)

So for today:

Seeing my friend Corporal Fletcher brings back so many memories. He is an OLD man now, a year older than I. When we were Privates and PFC’s we were always the same age. How did he get to be a year older? Life confuses me at times.

But that aside, I am not sure if Dallas remembers his job in the Corps, but we were unique. After boot camp we were assigned to a battalion’s Radio Relay & Construction Co.

Our jobs were to relay messages (automatically via radio), mostly voice from battle zones back to Headquarters. I think our limited distance was about 25 miles per unit. If the distance was 75 miles it would take 4 units one at both ends and two in the distance.

We both had our own units. The unit was a ¾ ton truck with the radio equipment on back towing a trailer with antenna equipt, 2 generators and extra gas to keep the radios up 24/7. We had 1 or 2 man crews to operate around the clock. We both had expected to be ‘ground pounders’ (infantryman), Neither of us saw combat, but were always ready, that was why we joined.

I started this because we had a couple of small machines that were ‘state of the art’ at the time, called the ‘facsimile machine.’ To be honest, I had no idea what the word meant, and the machine was seldom used, but we could operate it.

Now? The Fax, is common knowledge; it is about antiquated.

The source was paper (to or from the Command Post), messages, pictures or sketching's of a situation.  The paper was attached to an 8” wide drum about 4” in diameter. The machine turned slowly and transmitted a small line at a time as it turned. One message could take from 15 to 30 minutes.

                Above machine is receiving a picture

Back then (1956) it was amazing to see something appear black/white left to right, about 1/16^th of an inch at a time.

At a site we raised antennae (transmit and receive), up to 40’ high. Align the antennae using a compass, start the generator and make contact with sender and receiver. That was the cutting edge of communications. (Me ‘n Dal were very smart, LOL.)

In the field we never saw each other, but on base, in the barracks, we spent many hours together. Sharing dreams, plans and stories of our girlfriends. Both of us had the prettiest girl in the world. LOL

Nite Shipslog

PS:  Our jobs put us basically alone, isolated, hoping someone would find us with gas and 'c' rations when we ran out. LOL

AGAIN THANKS for reading the  Shipslog.  Remember Life goes on, until it doesn’t!