[QuadList] RCA Color Tape

[Kenneth Zin]

The RCA Color Broadcast (first) was made on an Ampex VR1000 with RCA electronic for the signal system.  The First RCA VTR's had a different video to audio sync spacing. Ampex had never change the sync spacing since the first VTR. That is why many people believed that the recording was made on a Ampex recorder and did not know why the De emphasis was wrong. I received the Eisenhower tape from the Library of Congress and that tape was played back several times and without being dubbed. The tape was not in good condition, but still have the color bars. With some experimental circuits and an final board made for the LOC both the board and tape were send to Allan McConnell Head Engineer Library of Congress. The De Emphasis is a 4:1 ratio in this first color tape of Eisenhower, Sarnoff, and others. I do not remember any audio faults with this tape, you may check with the LOC as they have the tape and copies. I remember that there were two of these machine made
 and that RCA had kept the "Ampex" part quite. The Ampex VR1000 had much better servos that the RCA VTR TRT had at that time, in order to have color RCA needed the servo stability of the Ampex VR1000. Later I worked with a team that used a  AVR-1 from UCLA that had some of the circuits modified to play back a second tape that came from the Eisenhower library in Kansas. IF THAT the tape that you are talking about with the audio fault, check with LOC and compare the audio.
Regards, Kenneth Zin