Bad NOS EMTEC 911?

[lo.fi.love]

Hey folks,

I suspect that two EMTEC SM911 1/2" tapes that I recently bought off eBay may be bad. My transport seems really dirty after using one of these tapes for maybe an hour or two. Thankfully I paid only $50 for the pair, so it's not too big a loss if I have to chuck the tape. I can at least keep the precision reels and use them for something else.

Anyone else have this problem?

 

[lo.fi.love]

My fault? My transport wasn't working properly.

While cleaning my deck, I realized that the drum on the takeup-side tension roller was not spinning. Some time ago, I unscrewed it and lost the little washer, and since then it has apparently been stationary, and not rolling. I think this is what may have caused all of the oxide to build up in my transport, because it was acting like a little rasp on the tape after numerous passes with the usual, expected slow buildup of oxide that occurs in typical use.

I searched around and found the washer and reinstalled it. Everything is OK now.

How #$%#ing dumb of me. I just hope I haven't thrashed any of the tapes that I was using.

I'll try again with the fresh, unused reel of EMTEC SM911 and see what happens.

 

[Beck]

I searched around and found the washer and reinstalled it. Everything is OK now.

How #$%#ing dumb of me. I just hope I haven't thrashed any of the tapes that I was using.

That could physically damage the tape... at the very least reduce the number passes before significant dropouts occur.

For the record, I've never seen nor heard of a bad SM911 from either BASF or EMTEC. It's one of the most consistent backcoated tapes I've ever used.

Glad you got everything back together.

 

[lo.fi.love]

Everything's OK. I confirmed that it was my mistake. The tape totally checks out.

I just wanted to follow up on this and let future readers know that it was totally my fault!

Now, I'll have to revisit the sections of tape I recorded on in the past two weeks and see if any of it should be cut off and dumped in the trash bin. Expensive mistake... I'll consider it "tuition paid"