The Teletypewriter - Digital Communications from the 19th Century

Most everything from smartphones to room thermostats to refrigerators is enabled with some form of digital communication, but when did digital communication originate? Would you believe the 1800s?
In this 'AWA Shares' presentation, Duncan Brown explores the long history of the first form of electrical digital communication, the teletypewriter. At a young age, Duncan was interested in radio and built various radio kits, getting his Ham license in 1958. When he went into the Army in 1966, he assumed he would be given a radio job, either repair or operating. But he was assigned to Teletypewriter Repair School, something he knew nothing about.
After the Army, he worked at RF Communications (now L3-Harris), while attending Rochester Institute of Technology during the evenings, where he earned a BSEE degree. After 19 years at RFC, he moved to Microwave Data Systems for 9 years. Then 1 1/2 years at Xerox working on an RF-powered color ink jet printer, before retiring in 2000.
After retirement, he joined the AWA to keep his hands in radio and started volunteering at the Museum. His first project at the Museum was setting up a Mobile Telephone Display. Then he found that hidden away in the Annex were pieces of a military radio teletype system (AN/GRC-46B) that he had worked on in Vietnam. That system was resurrected and became the beginnings of the present teletypewriter display in the Museum.
The AWA Museum now has one of the largest collections of teletypewriter equipment with over 30 different models from 10 different manufacturers.

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