[ARSCLIST] Audio cassette woes

[Mike Richter <mrichter@xxxxxxx>]

I recently realized that I was down to my last few empty shells. Is there a
source - hopefully on the Internet - for those essential tools for recovery
of this most frustrating format?

One was used in a project which has been not merely frustrating but
maddening. The recording is on Ampex Plus Series, a line which has been
reliable for me both mechanically and magnetically since the recording was
made about 1980. Fast-forward and rewind are flawless and nearly silent.
However, in any of my players the tape will not play. It begins readily
enough but runs for only a few seconds or at most a few minutes before
stalling depending on the player used. The speed decay is sudden and the
tape will move neither forward nor back. There is no sign of physical
problem - no curling or irregularity of an edge. Neither is there any
resistance when wound by hand.

If the problem occurred at the same spot regardless of machine or,
particularly, if it changed in a given well from one attempt to another, I
would suspect some sort of lubricant on the working surface. Even without
that consistency, I've examined the tape carefully and can see nothing
amiss. Similarly, though there was no indication of mechanical problem, I
changed shell to no avail.

Does anyone have a suggestion on where to look for the cause? This is not a
priority project, but it is the first time I've run into the problem and
I've some dozens (hundreds?) of Ampex Plus cassettes over which it may loom.

Mike
--
mrichter@xxxxxxx
http://www.mrichter.com/