Reperforator

in telegraphy, a device for punching holes in paper tape in accordance with the telegraphic-code symbols received from a telegraph transmitter. The reperforator also punches tape-feed holes—a uniformly spaced row of holes used to advance the tape. Reperforators are used in the receiving of messages at telegraph switching centers. The received messages can then be automatically retransmitted by a transmitter. This system eliminates laborious manual handling of messages at switching centers. In the manual system, a tape on which the characters of the message have been printed is pasted on a blank, and the message is then transmitted manually from a keyboard.

Several types of reperforators are used in the USSR. An example is the RP-58, which perforates a paper tape 17.5 mm wide with holes spaced 2.5 mm apart and which can produce up to 600 characters per minute. Another type of reperforator that is more convenient to operate not only punches holes but also prints the corresponding characters on the tape, thereby simplifying the reading of the address of the message. In most cases, the reperforating device (as well as the transmitting device) is an attachment to the telegraph apparatus. Combined reperforator transmitters have come into limited use in the retransmission of telegraph messages.