[TowerTalk] Re: What was his name

[Bill Putney]

Talk about off topic... Welcome to TapeWars@contesting.com

My first job out of H.S. was as a "Quality" Technician at Muntz Stereopac, the
4 track player company. We tested and aligned (if required) every tape player
that came from the off shore factory.

4 track was an adaptation of the 2 track broadcast spot announcement cart
players. It used the same .25" tape and the same plastic enclosure for the
tape. Getting to 4 tracks was just a matter of changing heads to off the shelf
4 track stereo reel to reel head(s). When I was working there the 2 sets of
stereo tracks were "switched" by a solenoid that pulled the head position down.
When you put a cart in a 4 track the rubber pressure wheel came up from the
drive into the cart and held the tape against the capstan.

The 8-track was a completly different cart and drive layout. The cart was more
closed because it had it's own built in pressure roller. The heads were pushing
the technology of the time to record tracks that narrow. The early 8 tracks
were pretty lo-fi because it was really hard to mass produce drives and carts
that could track the narrower tracks well. I think track switching was a
combination of switching between a pair of heads and moving them up and down.

- Bill

On Sep 21, 11:34am, Jim Idelson wrote:
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Re: What was his name
>
> Clearly, Muntz saw those 4 extra tracks as an unnecessary cost in the product
.
> . .
>
> >Yup, Lear got the 8-track, but apparently Muntz created a 4-track. I wonder
> how similar they were?
>
> For some basic info:
> http://www.8trackheaven.com/muntz.html
>
> Mike
> N2MG
>
> On Wed, 20 September 2000, edbruns@juno.com wrote:
>
> > The 8 track goes to Lear of Lear Jet fame.
>
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>-- End of excerpt from Jim Idelson



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