[GreenKeys] Storing 5 unit tapes

[Roy Morgan]

At 04:57 AM 8/20/2005, Larry Rice wrote:
>I'm wondering how do Greenkeyers store their  tapes?

Larry,

I have some 200 tapes here, acquired from an estate sale some years ago. 
Most of them came coiled in an oval shape to just fit a sandwitch size 
plastic baggie.  These are now settled in soft drink flats that fit inside 
Xerox paper boxes - I thinkk there are two flats per box.  Tapes longer 
than about 30 minutes are in two or three parts.

I have a number of 7-unit IBM test tapes that are one inch wide. Most of 
them are on gray plastic reels meant for the purpose.

(No doubt other folks with way more experience handling tapes can add to 
the following.)

As to handling, the ones I have are not all that convenient, because they 
are almost all chad type tapes; the little chads are still attached to the 
tape and make for difficult winding.  If you wind a chad type tape with the 
start in, it goes easier, but then you need to unwind it to play the 
thing.  Maybe that's not a bad thing.

I have a couple of gadgets used in the film editing business: hand cranked, 
geared spindles that hold 16mm film reels.  I also have what are called 
"split reels": they are heavy aluminum with a threaded hub to allow the 
film to be removed from the hub once wound.  These gadgets are handy for 
winding the tty tape.

I also have a teletype tape winder. It's a little spring wound gadget that 
keeps a modest bit of tension on a tape as it's fed through the machines 
and winds it up.  (At least I think that is it's use - it may be used only 
for winding up loose tapes and not meant to accept a tape from a T/D or the 
like.)

Roy

- Roy Morgan, K1LKY since 1959 - Keep 'em Glowing!
7130 Panorama Drive, Derwood MD 20855
Home: 301-330-8828 Cell 301-928-7794
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