 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
Tapes made and recorded, say, prior to 1990, are now at extreme risk for normal playback unless they've been properly cared for."Properly Cared For" -- means {1} storing tapes in a temperature-controlled enviroment; {2} kept relatively dust-free; and {3} wound and fully rewound every six to twelve months.
Tapes made by TDK, Maxell, Fuji, Sony and JVC seem to last the longest {even some that haven't been rewound within the last 5 years!}.
Tapes by BASF, Scotch-3M and Memorex also last about as long, but each tape needs to be checked periodically.
Ampex Tapes {the 189's in the ALL-GRAY carton, and older ones in a black carton with a rainbow logo) are the Critically Endangered Species List.
If you have such Ampex tapes, especially any that were made and recorded more than 10 years ago--then they have probably begun to deteriorate. Playback of such tapes is not recommended, as they can clog tape heads and may also cause warping and/or breakage of the VCR's tape transport.
Such Ampex tapes will also put a devestating strain on your VCR's Fast-Foward and Rewind functions. This is especially true of the "Fast-Wind" generation of VCR's that have been made within the last six years.
Follow Ups:
I can see how bad tapes can shed oxide and clog heads but how do they break transports ?Terminal binding within the cassette housing causing strain on the transport?
Most modern VCRs IME, although lightweight in construction, seem to have better engineered transports. Gentler tape handling, automatic shutoff if a tape binds.
As for your "Properly Cared For " rules, I try to observe 1) & 2) but 3) doesn't seem to make much difference.
I try to leave my tapes in the "tails out" , played position, as per old professional practice but to be honest I have never come across print through on consumer tapes.
I use Sony, Maxell, TDK, Panasonic, Philips and assorted cheapie tapes.
The Panasonics have the best longevity.
cheers
michael w
I am about to buy a DVD+RW and transfer all the tapes to DVD! I guess VCR will not be around for long!JCW
There are tapes here from the 80's, not played for 10 years which come out recording better than new. Nearly all are Maxell & TDK. As for BASF, I had to throw out the last one yesterday & it was only about 5 years old.However I concede that care is needed in storage temperatures but have not yet found the winding/rewinding bit necessary. Has anyone?
John
Greetings John C. and Thanx,You are right about TDK's and Maxell's from the 80's. The ones that I have from as far back as 1983 do seem to be holding up well. And most of my Scotch's, BASF's, Memorex's and some others also seem OK, although with them it is a tape-to-tape thing.
But it is the Ampex 189's (ALL-Gray) and Ampex Rainbow-on-a-Black Box from the 80's that are all dying on me. You can ONLY play them back on any Sharp VCR that uses the Mid-Drive Assembly, but that too is a tape-to-tape thing. The Sharp is amazingly tolerant with most of the Ampex tapes. However, some Ampex Tapes wouldn't play/wind at all in the Sharp, so it was bye-bye for them.
I have many Ampex's that are going to be trashed because the deterioration they are experiencing. I will be able to transfer some stuff to modern tapes, but a lot of other things are now irretrievably lost.
Thanx-A-Lot and Enjoy,
Frank
Please Visit My Humble Abode
I'd sware that it was buried several pages back by now!
Thanx-A-Lot and Enjoy,
Frank
Please Visit My Humble Abode
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
