From: Ken Goldman<kgold@watson.ibm.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:55:49 -0500
I have to use ange-ftp because the server I'm connecting to doesn't run
ssh. When I transfer, it uses binary, which does not work. The server
is a mainframe and likely uses ebcdic.
Are you using ange-ftp via "C-x C-f"? If so, tell Emacs to decode the
file, as in "C-x RET c ebcdic-us RET C-x C-f whatever RET".
If you use some other command, again prefix that command with
universal-coding-system-argument ("C-x RET c") to tell it to use
EBCDIC, or whatever is right for those files.
IOW, just imagine the file was on your local disk, and do the same.
You cannot tell disk I/O to "use ascii", can you?