Wanted - Tape deck

[Lee Bee]

Anyone got a spare tape deck? I can't find any locally here in south Devon. I know there's eBay, but thought I'd check here first in case anyone has anything unused or going cheap? Or can recommend a good way to get hold of them.

Don't actually need it for a Spectrum, I'm just trying to digitise some old tapes to PC, plus I'd like to plug in a mic and use it to record a few spoken notes. (I know tape is hissier than digital devices, but I try my best to avoid digital/modern devices )

[ionut76]

I got one of these but different color from an online shop in Romania. I see a link for a shop in UK, take a look, I am using it to digitize tapes, it works fine: https://www.auna-multimedia.co.uk/Radio ... Black.html

[Lee Bee]

Thanks. Would prefer something vintage rather than new, but this is interesting.

[ionut76]

It looks classic but it is new.

[TMD2003]

Those new tape recorders - most of them sold under different no-name brands - will work, but beware: the EAR socket is stereo, so it'll need a stereo-to-mono adapter of some kind. Check the head to see if it's stereo and that should confirm it.

[Lee Bee]

Those new tape recorders […] beware: the EAR socket is stereo, so it'll need a stereo-to-mono adapter of some kind.

Thanks, that's really useful info. I'd actually be fine with stereo, but I don't really want anything new. New things suck.

[PeterJ]

Hi @Lee Bee,

The model that I have heard recommended on a number of Spectrum FB groups is the WH Smith CPD 8300 Data Recorder. There is one on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145265783679

Dataserve retro do replacement belts for it.

I used to own a Sony TCM-939 which worked well on the ZX81 & Spectrum. You can pick these up on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256194529282

[WallyX]

Does the magnetism on tapes remain viable after a few decades? I have some programs and art I made and saved to tape more than 35 years ago and was wondering if it is worth trying to find a tape player to salvage them. Has anyone had tapes that have "gone bad" in storage?

[PeterJ]

@WallyX,

This article from Kodak suggests they last 30 years if kept in ideal conditions (it's an advert for Kodak digitising services so it's going to be on the minimum side).

https://kodakdigitizing.com/blogs/news/ ... lfunctions.

However, 40 year old Spectrum tapes are still being traded and sold on Facebook and eBay as tested and working, so I would suggest the lifespan is probably longer than that.

If you have kept your tapes well, then I would say it's well worth trying to preserve the contents.

[WallyX]

Thanks @PeterJ. The tapes were kept in their covers in non-humid conditions in a box so as best as they could be preserved I guess. I think I'll start looking for a tape player then, the Speccy was so much part of my childhood that it would be the equivalent of uncovering old lost photographs that have a lot of sentimental value.

[Lee Bee]

Does the magnetism on tapes remain viable after a few decades?

Well, I digitised most of my tape collection a few years ago - dozens of tapes from the 80s and 90s, many different types of content, different tape brands, recorded with different machines. Plus I'd dragged those tapes around with me (in a big plastic box) between dozens of houses, with them sitting in all kinds of poor conditions, and I'm sure they must have sat in a few magnetic fields. But when I bug them out, they all seemed absolutely perfect and no quality loss was apparent. It was all there.

Same thing with my dozens of videos which has also been kept in plastic boxes. When I dug them out to digitise them, they were all perfect, great quality. The only exception was one mysterious tape which I'd labeled as being full of important home videos, but it was completely blank - nothing but static. I guess it's possible it was mis-labeled. It would seem odd for the entire tape to be completely wiped with no trace of anything while all the other tapes were fine.

I like audio tapes and IMHO the recording quality is far superior to modern digital recording devices. Same with everything - newer tends to mean shoddier.

[WallyX]

The only exception was one mysterious tape which I'd labeled as being full of important home videos, but it was completely blank - nothing but static. I guess it's possible it was mis-labeled. It would seem odd for the entire tape to be completely wiped with no trace of anything while all the other tapes were fine.

Hmm.. might be that time you were transported to another planet and recorded nothing but static? The ending of the film "Contact" comes to mind

Your post gives me some hope though. When I get a working tape player my only worry would be hearing that disturbing slurring sound, which meant your tape was about to be sacrificed to the bowels of the dreaded tape-eating monster, but I'll make sure to test with some non-valuable tapes first.

[Lee Bee]

Hmm.. might be that time you were transported to another planet and recorded nothing but static? The ending of the film "Contact" comes to mind

Your post gives me some hope though. When I get a working tape player my only worry would be hearing that disturbing slurring sound, which meant your tape was about to be sacrificed to the bowels of the dreaded tape-eating monster, but I'll make sure to test with some non-valuable tapes first.

LOL at all the above! I have no recollection of being transported to another planet, but who knows?

As for the tape-eating monster (tapes coming unwound and chewed up), that's something which did happened to me a few times back in the day. Thankfully, I never had any such problems when I digitised my tapes. Perhaps it's down to the quality of the tape deck?

Two things I highly recommend for digitising tapes:

1) For each tape you do, always adjust the azimuth using a screwdriver. This will let you get the stereo balance perfect.

2) Make sure you clean the player's head. This requires a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, which you can get on eBay. Some of my tapes were absolutely filthy, while others were better. But all left some degree of black gunk on the head. Cleaning really does make a difference to clarity. I typically cleaned the head before every side of tape I did, with more attention paid to cleaning for more important tapes. I applied it with cotton buds, though I've since learned that buds aren't ideal due to the slight risk of debris. I'm planning to find out a better method. I'm sure you can find info on YouTube, or two trustworhty VCR-related forums: www.videohelp.com or www.digitalfaq.com