RCA TR-70C 2 inch quadruplex video tape recorder (Pt.1)

This first installment is an overview of this RCA TR-70C. Since I recorded this video, I have learned that this machine originally came from the "Instructional Resources Center" at the University of Georgia in Athens, and was not part of the studio facility at WGTV. I couldn't find out an actual date when this machine was retired and moved into storage, but apparently it was a few years after the WGTV ones were stored in 1983. There it remained until April 7, 2009 when I purchased it along with the three others that had been used at WGTV.
For more info on me and what I do, please check out my website: www.AnalogRetentive.com

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• quad
• quadruplex
• RCA
• broadcast
• video
• 2 inch
• TR-70
• video recorder
• videotape

[IowaEye]

We were still mastering our ads on a pair of RCA Quads at KTVO in Kirksville, Mo. (Market #199) in 1991. Our chief engineer had a saying: "If it works, and somebody is still using it, it's not obsolete!"

[RCAquadruplex]

@IowaEye

Wow....that's amazing! Keepin' the flame alive, big time, I'd say.

Do you know what happened to those machines after they quit using them?

[crustyhead]

Nice but wait until you see my TR 70B Documentary 111

[RCAquadruplex]

Great.....I'm looking forward to it!

[Keithwelwyn]

Many thanks for showing me round the TR-70 . I used to use them at the BBC until 1985. . Some memories: During a transmission the TR-70 Stop button got stuck in and I had to hold in the play button for the short TX. . TR-70s would occasionally rip apart tapes, especially the Chroma 90s. . Oh yes, during editing, the erase stack would randomly switch on wiping the playback master recording. . Otherwise they were ok . Thanks for the video

[RCAquadruplex]

Ouch....those are some scary memories.

I must say that I've never had any of those things happen to me. If they had, I'd probably have still be having nightmares.... in RCA blue!

I remember that Chroma 90 tape was often problematic even when it was new....it's even more so now some 30+ years later. As for the tape breaking, I'm assuming you had the machines under editor control when that happened?

I never had a 70 under editor control, but I can see them being a little rough on tape that way!

[jaworskij]

It's HUGE!

[Boeing744andRCAquad]

I'd love to see videos of an Ampex AVR-1 up here. They say it's quite an incredible VTR.

[wrtlpfmpf]

You need to get a "Fernseh" Quad. Or a "Mavicord" one from the GDR.

[MrTypetheword]

@Keithwelwyn Hello Keith. I was involved in the testing and acceptance of the BBC machines. The manufacturing plant was in Jersey Channel Islands. We supplied many European television stations with these vtrs. I also worked on the TR60s and 100s. The units came into Jersey built but untested. It took about 6 weeks to go through the complete testing. I was respnosible for the final testing were we took the machines through all the test to ensure they performed to the published specs.

[heroineworshipper]

Modern cell phones may do HD in a lot less space, but they don't have warning lights.

[kc4100]

Sure takes me back too! I worked at CKWS TV in Kingston Ontario Canada and we had 2 TR-60's. Then I moved to Global TV in Toronto and they had about 10 of these TR-70 machines. They were durable as hell as we used to load them on our 18 wheel mobile when it went out on shoots. Thanks for the memories.

[PlaneAndTVtechfan]

I mean a small drop in power?