[QuadList] Helical, Quads

[David C. Crosthwait]

Trevor,

Here is a picture of a VR 660. We have three of them here (one is a 660).

http://dcvideo.com/obsolete-video-formats/2-inch-ampex-vr-660.html

David
www.dcvideo.com





Quoting Trevor Brown <videovault at sky.com>:

> VR 660
>
> Keep seeing references to this machine, I assume it's the two inch helical
> with two heads
>
> Fixed drum rotating heads through a slot machine with
>
> nice Joysticks, Drop out comp was an external unit
>
> Took 7 seconds to cycle out of long insert edit
>
>
>
> If so it was VR650 in the UK
>
>
>
> Changing a head was fun you had to track it up on the wrong head to see the
> errors when the new head was not 180 degrees from the other
>
> Tweak and re check
>
>
>
> I was only in education TV then, we had two, but one of the UK Broadcast
> companies had one
>
> and a guy rang up one day to say he had taken the band off to retrieve a Q
> tip how do you put it back
>
>
>
> I thought it was windup nobody would unscrew the hex screws that held the
> band would they
>
> Well apparently yes I think it had to go somewhere like Germany to get put
> back together again
>
>
>
> He never rang again
>
>
>
> Trevor
>
> UK member
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com
> [mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf Of Don Norwood
> Sent: 08 February 2010 23:02
> To: Quad List
> Subject: Re: [QuadList] Helicals, Quads
>
>
>
> George:
>
>
>
> Thanks for sharing more of your great stories!
>
>
>
> There actually was an Ampex model VR-1200/E.  There was also a VR-1100/E.
> You can see brochures for them in the literature section of my website:
> http://www.digitrakcom.com/ under the Ampex 2" tab.
>
>
>
> Obviously, I don't know what machine was used to record the aircraft video,
> but there are some Ampex publications showing VR-1100's in that service.
> There is also documentation of them using VR-660's for the same application,
> and when I first started reading your story, I thought maybe that's what the
> tapes would turn out to be.  By the way, the noise of the BB headwheels
> varied considerably from one head to another.  I have a couple of them that
> sound essentially the same as air bearing, and then some that don't!
>
>
>
> Don
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> From: georgenann at aol.com
>
>
>
>
>
> I ran into one neat machine.   It is an Ampex 1200-E with the flat deck.  It
> belonged to Charlie (Chubby) Salvato from Orange County, NY.  It was put
> together by AF Assoc.  They installed Volvo motor mounts on it with wheels
> so it could be rolled anywhere with just your fingertips.  It also had no
> Amtec, Colortec, Proc, etc.  They put in a CVS Digital TBC, I don't remember
> the number, but it had a "16" in it (I think).  CVS had a mod for it to work
> with Quads, it was a board which had to be installed in it.  I remember
> taking it to CVS to have it done for Chubby.
>
>
>
> This was done around the time the AVR-2 came out.  Ampex propaganda had
> fotos of 2 people picking up the top deck then the TBC bay and showing how
> easy it was to move. Chubby bragged how easy this machine is to move.  A
> cavewoman could do it alone. He brought it to my home from time to time so I
> could tweak the servo, etc. We just rolled it in and out of his van easily.
> That was the only time I had a Quad in my garage.
>
>
>
> Another interesting thing, sometime in the 80's, my Navy Reserve unit was
> having a triple Retirement and Change of Command.  I was given the job of
> getting it done.  I was able to get the "Intrepid" in NYC for the ceremony.
> While schmoozing  the museum curator we came across a room full of 2" video
> tapes.  He told me they were recordings of  flight ops. while she was in
> commission. (One of the early uses of video tape was recording flight ops on
> carriers so the pilots could watch their landings, and they still do.) Also
> that he wanted to get them dubbed to U-Matic as he wanted to use them in
> displays around the ship. (The machines they were recorded on were gone.) I
> forgot all about the first thing I learned in the Navy, "Never "Volunteer"
> and I offered to help him out.  I also forgot how heavy a 2" reel of tape
> can be after carrying them about a mile, from the Intrepid to CBS, and back
> but I needed the exercise. I thought I was in deep trouble with the first
> reel.  I found they were recorded at 7.5 IPS.  Would you believe we also
> found some 5 Mil heads on the ship which were in good shape.  I put one on
> the Quad near my shop and had good luck with it.  The only problem is they
> were ball bearing heads and made about 10 DB more noise than the air bearing
> heads do and I was trying to do this whole job un-noticed. Fortunately the
> maint. manager at time was interested in WWII planes as his father worked
> for Grumman designing some of them and let me get away with it for the small
> price of VHS copies of some of the tapes.  The tapes were fabulous. I
> managed to do about 50 reels for him. I don't know what model VTR they were
> made on.
>
>
>
>



David C. Crosthwait