On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 11:55:59 AM UTC, Len Wood wrote:
On Friday, 24 March 2017 11:26:08 UTC, Metman2012 wrote:
On 24/03/2017 10:35, Ron Button wrote:
On 24/03/2017 08:55, Crusader wrote:
Wasn't it some sort of urea/ammonia mix that the paper was impregnated
with...with a few other odd chemicals to prevent lremature drying?
It was also amazing what one could use the paper roll centres for as
well as the used fax blades. Many an exhaust pipe has been temporarily
re-attached to the car with old blades before going home after a shift.
Paper roll holders were excellent firework launch tubes!

Dunno about you lot that had cushy postings to sleepy out stations ,but
at the frantic LAP those on night shift arranged a roster whereby every
body were given a two hour sleep break thru the watch,that meant all us
junior bods were alloted the first break i.e midnight til two,in the
Teleprinter room !
I'll leave the rest to your imagination.....
RonB

When were you at Heathrow Ron? I was there in the 70s and we had a rest
room (actually two, male and female). No peace in the teleprinter room,
especially after the 75 baud teleprinters were put in. Boy were they fast!
Because the two nibbed pens ran out (I too believe they were German), we
experimented with a Rotring pen, with black ink at one end and re at the
other. You plotted all the black info, then the red. Wasn't too bad.

Then there was the guy who plotted a synop - entirely within the station
circle on a Eumed chart. And it was legible. But it took rather a long time!
There was one SO who had to wear rubber gloves when handling fax paper
as it had a bad effect on him. Don't know if he had them supplied.
Anyone remember Archie Clifton as it was he?

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Used to receive fax charts at our met station at Plymouth Poly (later Plymouth Uni).I remember the ammonia type smell.
There was a story going that at the local RAF Mount Batten met station, on one occasion they run out of loo paper and had to use fax paper. Left with a sore bum.
:-)

Len
Wembury
SW Devon
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Well, the excitement of FAX rolls has certainly drawn all the ex MetO employees out of the woodwork.

Whilst it's rather endearing that so many could not only cope with the working for a big company (something that proved too much for me), but have fond memories of their employment, it does make posts about cutting the grass seem exciting!

I can only pray that this thread doesn't drift onto 'exciting things I did on the photocopier'.

Graham
Penzance