[rfeenstra]

Haven't been doing much with radios these days but did work on these projects:

   

Otari MX5050 MKIII-2 1/2 track with 1/2 track and 1/4 track playback heads. It only records 1/2 track. The amplifier, bias section, power supply have been recapped with Nichicon and Panasonic electrolytics. Transport control logic board has not been recapped but works perfectly.  The heads have been lapped to remove wear from studio use over the years.  The machine is working great and sounds awesome.  I needed a half track machine because I have a bunch of 1/2 track masters from the 70's of organ recordings for several LP's.  I found this one on the Reverb web sight and bought it knowing it would neeed a lot of work.  Unfortunately tape from the 70's experiences sticky, shedding syndrome caused by the binder absorbing moisture.  I had to bake the tapes in a food dehydrator before they could be played to make digital copies.  Fun project!

       

Ampex ATR700 (made by Teac for Ampex) 1/4 track deck.  Every electrolytic has been replaced with Nichicon or Panasonic caps.  The heads were lapped on this machine as well.  This machine is working well and sounds great.  I've had this deck for years but rarely used it until a friend needed a couple of old tapes transferred to digital. Managed to get it done but it was obvious the machine needed work.  It piqued my interest in getting it done.

I'm waiting for an alignment tape from Magnetic Reference Laboratory so that I can get the machines calibrated properly for head azimuth, record levels and response curves for NAB and IEC recording equalizations.  Tape speed has been calibrated using a marked piece of tape at 300 inches and used a stop watch to calibrate.

Both machines are 2 speed, 7.5 ips and 15 ips and are considered semi-pro machines.  They were often used in radio stations and recording studios to make copies of master tapes.  They certainly are not Studer's, or high end Ampex used as the primary recording machine.  But they are good enough for my needs.

[morzh]

Always wanted one, almost bought AKAI 747dbx. Something stopped me. It's near impossible to get good cassetes from my Nakamichies, and Reels...forget it.
Still want one. Probably will die wanting.

[rfeenstra]

Such a deal have I for you today, morzh!

[RodB]

This is the end-of-life period for tapes. All that oxide is starting to flake off. Think about the digital computer magnetic tapes of the 50s and 60s, millions.

[radiorich]

Hello rfeenstra ,
Nice I have a few in my collection too one them is a Roberts Akai !
I have nice Sony suitcase style .

Sincerely Richard

[rfeenstra]

RodB - Many older tapes from before the early 70's play fine. The acetate tapes play fine. I am told that the problem came about in the mid 70's because of a change in the binder used to hold the oxide. "They say" that it was about then that Ampex, 3M and others had to stop using whale oil as part of the binder and switch to some sort of synthetic lubricant. Turns out this stuff is hydroscopic so tapes stored where the binder can absorb humidity are now giving the problem. I've had oxide flying all over during a rewind process. My tapes have been stored in the basement next to the concrete wall. Not a good place, unbeknownst to me. A sometimes temporary solution is to bake the tape at about 140 degrees for quite a few hours in a dehydrator to get rid of the moisture and reconstitute the binder. It has worked to some degree. I have been able to play most of the master tapes with only some garbled sound as the oxide comes off. Have to clean the heads often!

[morzh]

Yeah, it was all that Green Piece of YKW "Save the whales".

I have a T-shirt. Sometimes I wear it to work.

"Screw the whales. Save the Walrus!"

[DaleHCook]

Ampex ATR700

I have one sitting here waiting for an overhaul so I can digitize some tapes.

They certainly are not Studer's, or high end Ampex used as the primary recording machine.

I always liked the MCI-Sony studio machines as well. I took care of one of their 1/2" 4-channel machines for a number of years.

Dale H. Cook, Retired AM/FM/TV Chief Engineer, Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA
https://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/index.html

[MrFixr55]

I have a Uher 28 somewhere that I bought for $50 and had to put a head in it when I was a kid. Have a TEAC 4 track that will do 7.5 or 15 IPS. Similar to the one in the college radio station lo those years ago. FF and RW was so fast that you did not hit stop, you hit FF if you were rewinding or REW if you were fast forwarding, otherwise you would have about 100 ft of tape spilled on the floor.
I should try to resurrect them some day. Have some very old Ampex, can't remember the model, likely from the 50s buried in the garage. may be PRO but not high-end pro. Also have a 3M Wollensak that I found in the mid 70s, and a Webcor that plays back in stereo but records mono only. All 1/4" tape. So much stuff to play with, so little time or energy.

[Arran]

I wonder if it's an issue with some tape and not others? I have a collection of 8 track cartridges from various years and have never noticed the oxide flaking off of any of them, some were very badly treated, buried in dirt, mangled by the machine, etc. However I have one where the graphite keeps flaking off of the back of the tape, which means that I have to clean the head frequently if I try playing it, it's was a blank cart for home recording, no a prerecorded one. I can't remember who supplied the tape to the eight track cart manufacturers, they tended to use plastic cases of their own design however, such as RCA carts were different from Columbia ones, and Columbia different from Learjet ones, etc.
Regards
Arran

[DaleHCook]

I have a Uher 28 somewhere ...

We had a pair of Uher Report 4000s in college, but our pride and joy in portable recorders was a Nagra III. I used both models during the year when I was often remote engineer at college basketball games. While doing post-game interviews our sports director held the mic while I had a Uher or the Nagra slung over my shoulder.

Dale H. Cook, Retired AM/FM/TV Chief Engineer, Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA
https://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/index.html

[RodB]

MrFixr, where do you keep all that stuff? "Oh, and this is my vintage basement. It's not an old basement, but where I store my vintage stuff." Is Steve Jobs living in your basement?

[RodB]

Yes, Arran, that's what happens with some tapes. They were caught up in producing the next best idea and forgot to make something that reliably recorded and kept information. I remember when 3M came out with a half inch computer tape that had the latest and greatest, super thin, double density tape. Trouble was only the government and high end computer users could afford to buy them and after a while they started loosing integrity and tape cleaners got gunked up with all the lovely technology.

[DaleHCook]

Many of us have vintage basements. Mine contains a modern, well-equipped, home studio where I record my weekly LPFM radio program. My vintage basement also contains an RCA 77-DX microphone (not used on the show, but we had several of them at the college station) and a Collins 212Z-1 remote mixer (the same model I used in college).

Dale H. Cook, Retired AM/FM/TV Chief Engineer, Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA
https://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/index.html

[morzh]

My basement has radios around the perimeter. I am sure soon enough I will have to get rid of the pool table that has recently fallen into disuse and start using the whole area more productively, meaning to put more radios in my basement.
Well, I guess, one could consider it a vintage basement, somewhat.



Dale,

does this case shown on your website come with the tools or is it case by itself that one could populate with the tools of one's own choice?