[QuadList] lunar orbiter project--Please support--Benefits to Quad VTR operators

[Ted Langdell]

On Feb 27, 2013, at 12:59 PM, Videomagnetics wrote:

> http://www.rockethub.com/projects/14882-lunar-orbiter-image-recovery-project


To which I would add this paragraph from the linked page, written by project leader and QuadList member Dennis Wingo:

"Your generosity will allow us to get up to five tape drive heads refurbished, which are necessary to run the tapes as the tapes act like sandpaper to grind the heads down.  

Your generosity will also allow us to pay our engineering team that maintains the 1960’s tape drives, plays the over 700 remaining tapes that we have (at one hour per tape), processes the digital data (over 20 terabytes so far), creates the images (over 600 so far and another 850 to go), and does the paperwork to provide the images to the National Space Science Data Center where they will be archived for the science community.  

The images are also provided on our public site (www.moonviews.com), via our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/17596829126/ and follow us at twitter (#LunarOrbiter).  

These images will be provided at full resolution for free to anyone that wants them as this data was originally obtained with tax dollars and we wish to provide these to as many people as possible. 

- See more at: http://www.rockethub.com/projects/14882-lunar-orbiter-image-recovery-project#sthash.Q8PZEWc4.dpuf"

The video head assemblies used on the Ampex FR-900 data drive are a spin-off of Ampex's Quad VTR technology.

A byproduct of supporting the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery project is that Quad VTR head refurbishing will continue for a time at Videomagnetics in Colorado Springs, and enable continued short-term support for this aspect of Quad VTR operation and maintenance. 

Videomagnetics is the last rebuilder of Quad heads still in operation.

If you have un-checked Quad heads you've been holding onto, either waiting for a need, or waiting for refurbishing costs to come down, you may want to reconsider just letting them sit.  

Fewer heads being sent in for refurbishment continues to drive up costs for everyone, as there are no "economies of scale" to be obtained when ordering parts, or when a big batch of items has to be ordered to get parts for just one or two heads. 

Less income from this work also increases the likelihood that a sudden end to refurbishment could occur, affecting your long-term ability to transfer Quad tapes.

If you don't know what shape your stock of head assemblies is in, it's possible to have them checked and a report generated on condition.  The cost would be applied to any refurbishment done while the head assembly is still at VideoMagnetics.

Click here for information:  
http://mail.quadvideotapegroup.com/pipermail/quadlist_quadvideotapegroup.com/attachments/20111003/68b6e81a/attachment-0003.pdf

VMI can do the same for other head assemblies, upper and lower drums, etc. you may be holding on to. Be sure to mention that you downloaded the flyer from this post, and you may get a pleasant surprise.  

A bigger surprise may be available if you want to get a batch of heads done at the same time.

Replies off-list to ted at flashscan8.us.

Now back to our regular programming, already in progress <dissolve to Quad 4>

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary



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