[QuadList] VR-660's used for Apollo

[Ted Langdell]

On Jul 16, 2009, at 5:00 PM, Don Norwood wrote:
> The link that was posted to the Honeysuckle info site ( http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/station/video.html 
>  ) also indicated that a VR-1100 was used.  The site says that 660's  
> were used instead of the 1100 after Apollo 14.  But a color pic on  
> that site which includes the VR-660's and the VR-1100 clearly shows  
> that the 1100 was in record mode at that time, and the caption  
> claims that it was during Apollo 17.
>
> Don


It looks like the VR-660's got used for a lot of things during Apollo.

We learned this morning that a pair of modified VR-660's were used to  
record the slow scan video signal at Parkes. Those were the only  
straight video recorders at Parkes. The other recorders were Mincom 22  
data recorders.

 From the Parkes website, photo of the VR-660's:
http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/apollo11/index.html


Photo CSIRO: The 2 inch video tape recorders at Parkes.
As the video and telemetry downlink was being received at Parkes, it  
was recorded onto 1/2 inch magnetic tapes on a Mincom M22  
instrumentation recorder at a rate of 120 inches per second. These  
tapes had to be changed every 15 minutes during the whole period of  
the moonwalk.

If this caption is correct, the modified VR-660's are pictured here.

Click here for a bigger picture of the VR-660's at Parkes:
http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/apollo11/images/ampex_tapes.gif

The page continues:

The scan-converted commercial NTSC standard television at Sydney Video  
was recorded on an Ampex VR660 two-head helical recorder using 2-inch  
tape.

Which is here, just off the right side of the photo on this page:
http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/apollo11/parkes_comms.html

Bigger photo: http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/apollo11/images/sydney_video.jpg

Photo courtesy of Richard Holl: The scene in the OTC Paddington  
terminal. (L-R) Charlie Goodman, Verne McGlynn, Richard Holl, Elmer  
Fredd, Ted Knotts, and Ray Louve.
The photograph on the right illustrates the scene in the OTC  
Paddington terminal. Charlie Goodman is seated to the left of Verne  
McGlynn (his surname is uncertain) who is operating the switch that  
selects the Parkes or Honeysuckle Creek TV. The console has four small  
monitors and one large monitor. Of the four small monitors, the top  
left one had the TV from the Honeysuckle Creek scan-converter and the  
top right monitor had the TV from the Parkes scan-converter. The  
bottom left monitor displayed the TV from the ABC and the lower right  
monitor had the TV from Houston. The large monitor was displaying the  
output of the switch.

Richard Holl, seen standing with his back to camera, was the Bendix  
Field Engineering Corporation engineer who helped design modifications  
to the RCA scan-converters. He was the first to arrive in Sydney, and  
with the help of OTC technician, Wayne Ozarko, he installed all the  
equipment seen in the photograph. Elmer Fredd is seated at the scan- 
converter. To his right is Ted Knotts standing at an oscilloscope. Ray  
Louve is sitting in front of an Ampex VR660 video recorder.

Behind Charlie, just out of view, was another room known as the  
International Telecommunications Operating Centre (ITOC). Here the OTC  
personnel controlled the relays that fed the signals to Charlie  
Goodman and his team. In charge of ITOC was Bob Goodman (who was no  
relation to Charlie). Bob was the OTC International Co-ordinator for  
all the transmissions between Australia and the USA. There was a glass- 
panelled wall separating the two rooms that allowed the OTC and ABC  
personnel to monitor the broadcast from the Moon.



Ted Langdell
Secretary
Skype: 	TedLangdell
e-mail:	ted at quadvideotapegroup.com

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