Have you actually used a KOI-18 Tape Reader?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 08:53:30 -0400

I would teach my Soldiers about the history and operation of it. Every unit I was in had one of these because of MILTOE requirements.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Sep 21 at 2015 8:54 AM

SGT Ben Keen — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 08:54:20 -0400

Heck yeah, that thing was a staple for us. Just had to pray you didn't wriggle the paper!

Response by TSgt David L. made Sep 21 at 2015 9:33 AM

TSgt David L. — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 09:33:04 -0400

Yes. I had the unfortunate duty of being the COMSEC and COMPUSEC NCO and had to fill/load, maintain, inventory and babysit the folks who didn't know how to do any of the above. PITA, but someone had to do it! LOL

Response by SFC Stephen King made Sep 21 at 2015 9:38 AM

SFC Stephen King — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 09:38:46 -0400

Used to use it all the time as a 25C (RATT Rigger)

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2015 9:48 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 09:48:07 -0400

I'll be honest, in all of my years in......I have never heard of nor seen this piece of equipment.

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Sep 21 at 2015 10:42 AM

SGT Bryon Sergent — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 10:42:51 -0400

never seen or even heard of one!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2015 9:27 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 21:27:48 -0400

I used to pull tape through a KOI-18 and then have to burn the tape. Which sucks because that tape is waxy and does not burn for crap. This was in the early 2000s, so not that long ago.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2015 10:48 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 22:48:51 -0400

Yes! Those things suck! The paper tapes were really thin and crappy. Every time you would try to feed the tape in, it would just crunch up on the feeder side. Once you got a wrinkle in that tape, good luck ever feeding it through the reader again. Talk about ancient technology...

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2015 11:40 AM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 11:40:23 -0400

used it in Korea in 2001-2. Remote mountain sites couldn't just up and leave to get keys in the winter.

Response by SPC Karl Tigges made Sep 22 at 2015 3:47 PM

SPC Karl Tigges — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 15:47:23 -0400

In the field I received this data on tape

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2015 3:50 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 15:50:56 -0400

Counted many times, never used.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2015 4:23 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 16:23:57 -0400

We were just talking about these at drill this weekend. Apparently there is still one on our books...

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2015 4:25 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 16:25:21 -0400

So is there a way to remove duplicate posts?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2015 4:43 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 16:43:15 -0400

Bro! It's an obsolete piece of equipment. There are better things to teach and learn about.

Response by SPC David S. made Sep 23 at 2015 12:39 AM

SPC David S. — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 00:39:01 -0400

Never used it - just babysat it with all the other stuff chained to the floor.

Response by SSG John Gillespie made Sep 23 at 2015 1:27 AM

SSG John Gillespie — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 01:27:15 -0400

Yes, I used one to load crypto twice a day for years, from 2002 through 2006.

Response by PVT Maggie Todd made Sep 23 at 2015 1:56 AM

PVT Maggie Todd — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 01:56:55 -0400

I wish I learned this, my ncoic knew it, but it was consider obsolete to us

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 23 at 2015 7:11 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 07:11:56 -0400

Used this a long time ago in the Marines... This is the godfather of fill devices. The hard part was shredding all the paper tapes after lol. Personally, I miss the KYK-13< old reliable

Response by CPT Jim Pratt made Sep 23 at 2015 7:29 AM

CPT Jim Pratt — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 07:29:46 -0400

Yes- in my Signal Bn that U.S. How we did the first initial key when keying up.

Response by SGT Kenneth Waltenbaugh made Sep 23 at 2015 9:46 PM

SGT Kenneth Waltenbaugh — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 21:46:11 -0400

yes a long time ago in ratt rigs i

Response by PO1 John Miller made Sep 24 at 2015 5:43 AM

PO1 John Miller — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 05:43:13 -0400

I used this many times for daily, weekly, and monthly loads in addition to other paper key fill devices.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Sep 24 at 2015 6:50 AM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 06:50:41 -0400

Never heard of it.... Is this somehow connected to that elusive box of grid squares?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 24 at 2015 8:08 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 08:08:51 -0400

We used it in the Arty to encrypt our digital commo. some times you would have to feed it a couple of times before it took, and if the tape was wrinkled ... good luck loading that up. burned the last tape every day, it was waxie so it gave out black smoke when burned. Bur prior to that we had a KOK card that you would have to manually set, UGH if one setting was off by just a smuge, so ya a tape reader was big improvement......

Response by TSgt Marco McDowell made Oct 19 at 2015 5:01 AM

TSgt Marco McDowell — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 05:01:59 -0400

KOI and a KYK got me all types of letters and comms. Mainly because the OICs and SNCOs thought I was a magician whenever a radio or the 57 lost a fill. All praise crypto!

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 2 at 2016 12:36 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 00:36:59 -0400

More times than I care to try to remember.

Response by SGT Greg Peno made Feb 17 at 2017 5:35 PM

SGT Greg Peno — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 17:35:37 -0500

A better question might be how many people that have used it actually wrote the date when they changed the battery.

Response by John Murdock made May 12 at 2021 1:11 PM

John Murdock — Wed, 12 May 2021 13:11:45 -0400

I used one from 2000-2008 as a civilian defense contractor at the AF Reserve. I actually almost never had any problems using it. I have a KOI-18 on my bookshelf today. There was an electronics surplus company selling them a few years back. They were demilled, so there is no electronic components inside--just the complete aluminum casing. they also removed the label saying what it is. They sold for $15 each! The company sold out of them very quickly.