Signedplate on side: BOEHME / INK RECORDER / TYPE 4-6 SERIAL NO. 2126 / PAT. NO. 1858510 / MANUFACTURED BY / H.O. BOEHME, INC. / NEW YORK, N.Y.
Inscribedstamped in orange on side: SO / 1026;
label: TESTED / 4G 2126 / APR 19 1944 / EP
FunctionBoehme Inc. developed a system for transmitting and receiving telegraphic messages by radio at high speeds. The system included, in addition to transmitter and receivers, two distinct devices: the "keyer" or "puller" which read and transmitted the message on a paper tape punched manually in Morse code at a speed defined by the user, and an ink recorder, which was used to print the message back at the receiver side.
With this system, it was possible to increase the speed of transmission of telegraphic messages beyond the capabilities of a human operator (ca. 40 words per minute) to about 500.
The Boehme recorders were also very useful for recording eavesdropped enemy radio messages, one of its main uses during Wartime. The U.S. themselves switched early in the war to teletype-based messages, an entirely different system that does not use Morse code.
Primary SourcesAn article that describes in detail the role of Boehme recorders during wartime is describe in the Popular Mechanics article, "The Ether Patrol" (November 1944, pp. 14-17, 158, 160). Available online on Google Books here.
A list of some of Boehme's patents for automatic tramsmitters and receivers can be found on this website.