the second TR-70 quadruplex video tape recorder gets a "wake up" call

[heroineworshipper]

The vacuum pump & cooling blowers work, but is the independent passenger & driver side climate control working? Hate it when that goes.

[crustyhead]

Not as interesting as ' VT Frolics'....this is tosh !!!

[bakonfreek]

wasnt this fromat invented in the '50s?

[RCAquadruplex]

@bakonfreek

Actually, the format was developed by Ampex Corporation and first made available in 1956.

[bakonfreek]

@RCAquadruplex ah

[analyzingfunny]

Dude, you got me. Can you do a "user end" training film? This is so completely fascinating. Would you set up a small studio? So we can see what a real operation would look like? Wow, this is so complex. I am just blown away. Do you know George Laforgia?

[RCAquadruplex]

@analyzingfunny

I'll be doing an "operational" video soon, detailing the procedures involved in setting up a tape for playback. As far as a "studio", been there, done that. I built and owned a commercial video production studio for twenty years, back when this now vintage equipment was "state of the art". Twenty years of that was plenty!

I'm not familiar with Mr. Laforgia.

[Superedit]

1,800 lbs of 70s technology! Beautiful! Never saw a glass takeup reel before - very cool. Hope you can pry it off without breaking it. Hearing that video head whine brings back some great memories.

[tk41c]

Now this is a real VTR! I have many years on a pair of 70Bs. You can't beat the sound of the headwheel singing and real video record/playback must have reels turning at 15ips. Thanks for the post and I am looking forward to more.

[747400fan]

What's the RCA Quad machine that's next to the 70-C? It looks like a TR-22, am I right?

[RCAquadruplex]

Actually, it's a TR-70A that also came from the University of Georgia and WGTV. I already have an operating 70A that's in much better shape than this one, so this one will probably be relegated to "parts' status.

[belston1604]

Nice to see it running. Lots of memories with these machines.

[747400fan]

I wonder why more of these old quadruplex machines don't find their way into museums, where the younger generation can see them in action. I know there are some TV Broadcast museums actually opening up in various places. It's sad that there's not more of an effort to keep these machines up and running, and the old tapes being restored..lots of TV/entertainment history being lost.

[747400fan]

I'd love to see these machines close-up. I know the Smithsonian has an Ampex machine, a VR-1000. Too bad museums like Philadelphia's Franklin Institute doesn't have a TV studio exhibit, it would be nice to have vintage equipment like old VTR's and cameras on display. Especially since the RCA factory was located across the Delaware River, in Camden, and one of the first working TV stations here in the US was in Philly.

[RCAquadruplex]

Headwheels are a bit of a problem these days. Luckily, I have been collecting them for many years and have a very good supply on hand. Apparently, there is only one place left in the world that can still rebuild them and we're not sure how long they're gonna be around.

[philkarn]

Ah, now I see the head cover that I remember. It's all coming back to me. The head cover was removable by releasing a bunch of slide clips, but the tape had to be unthreaded first. They got a lot of abuse because we'd take them off to clean or replace the headwheel assembly.

Where are you getting headwheels? As I recall they had to be rebuilt every 1000 hr or so. Kodak Spin Physics was one of the places that did that.

[ShaiDrori]

Lovely. Bring on the dinosaur back to life. The glass reel is fantastic don't take it off. Veryy cool.

[austvarchive]

Thanks for this video, most enjoyable - and i am so glad to see the machines are in a good home where they are treated good - james in australia