[QuadList] Helicals, Quads

[bill.spencer at northstarstudios.tv]

I resist answering every post because I would have something to say
about every topic and it would take the greater part of my waking day!  

While I was in the US Navy in the 60s they were already recording
carrier ops on videotape.  My unit was still recording everything on
film as only the special folks got the new-fangled stuff.  I think they
had been making kinescopes before the VTRs came on the scene.  That made
an easy transition because the cameras were already on the deck.

The mention of the VR-3000 brought back memories of "Jean Shepherd's
America" with us putting a VR-3000 and PCP-90 in the back seat of Jean's
Sunbeam Alpine and he recorded his trips to out of the way places (in 20
minute chunks)!  Jean was a real cool guy and a Ham, K2ORS (SK).  I know
that footage must exist somewhere, but I haven't seen any of it in 35
years.

The mention of AFA reminds me of my visits to NJ and some of my friends
that used to work there.  My best friend there was Harry 'Bud' Pearson.
He lives in FL now also and I think I'll send the link on to him and see
if he is interested in remembering quad stuff.  I found an
instruction/installation manual for the AFA gated audio mod, sometimes
affectionately called the 'buzz-off' mod.  I will get it scanned to a
jpeg or pdf and post it if anyone is interested.

The blanking thread peaked my interest because I did a lot of the
drafting work for the illustrations related to RS-170A and they were
used by the FCC for the broadcast rules.  The fuss over blanking had to
do with the amount of power the transmitter put out while in black as
the minimum was 12.5% carrier.  In the US we used negative modulation
for video so black was minimum carrier.  The secondary reason was that
there were design limits in the sync circuits in the receivers and a
certain leading edge of sync to end of burst timing had to be
consistent.  In the deregulation years, they decided that if you could
keep your audience with black edges on your pictures and the color
changing all the time go ahead!  It was let the market place decide.

The sync head on the BVH-2000 saved our bacon a few times when we were
able to replace VI/TC on a tape where it didn't get recorded.  I took
delivery of a number of TR-800 RCA 1" machines, but they were sent back
and replaced with VPR-80s within a month.  Most of the ones I saw
working were in overseas facilities so I guess they did ok in PAL.

Well, I've vented enough of my pent up answers so I can make it a week
or two until I feel compelled to say something else.  Of course any Ham
knows to listen a lot more than you transmit and being an old ECM
operator I spent a lot of time listening.

73 to all,


Bill Spencer, KY4O
RF Engineering Supervisor
NorthStar Studios, Inc.
3201 Dickerson Pike
Nashville, TN 37207
email bill.spencer at northstarstudios.tv

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