Calibrating the ATR60-16

[ron-e-g]

This thing is possessed! Update to my update. Seems everything has settled down. Why I do not know. I went back after a little break and started again.
Everything was going great! I was moving along at Track 6. Then I noticed the consoles oscillator was still set to 1K from before!! So I reset it and went back to Track 1. Seems it don't like 10k but 1k it starts coming alive. The rest are so so. Just wondering is there a better way to input the 10k -6 signal? When I use the board, the meters are inconsistent as the signal input is varied by the consoles faders. It's maybe not a big deal. I know peak is peak and -7 db is pretty straight froward, But it would be nice to see exactly what each track is doing with a constant input level signal I think.

 

[BradL8068]

I have just skimmed this thread.. Didn't study it carefully but there may be a few things at play here.
1) If you switch to sync mode, and you are in record, and sending tone. The machine will switch to input. So all the meters will look great BUT you are seeing what you are sending to the machine, not what you are recording.
2) I saw mention of Ampex 456. If that is the tape you are using. It is most likely bad. Ampex tape hasn't been made in years and suffers from sticky shed syndrome.
It can leave gunk on the heads and guides that could cause tracks to not erase, or levels to go up and down, all sorts of odd behavior.
3) I do not know ANYTHING about this model machine. I do know that many tape machines use adjustable inductors to tune the erase signal to the erase head. Those inductors can spin all the way around ( no stop). It seems interesting that you lost erase after spinning a control all way around with that had no stops. Is it possible you turned an erase adjustment? Again I don't even know if your machine has this.( this is why I recommend people tape over controls they do not want to change.
Good Luck
Brad

 

[ron-e-g]

Thanks for your response Brad. I will have to admit, this thread has taken some strange, and unexpected turns. Even to the point of spawning another thread!
But... I believe I said, I'm using Quantegy 456. So no worries. But thanks for the heads-up. But yea, might be worth mentioning. Any Ampex 456 prior to 1995 is probably no good! The Erase problem was effecting all tracks not just the two initial cards I had adj. the bias pots on. Turned out to be a connector inadvertently pulled at some point. (I think)

 

[ron-e-g]

I just wanted to put this one to bed. I managed to get everything working OK. With the help of mdainsd ,miroslav, fgonza2,wkrbee and Bradl8068

I appreciate everyones time, and contributions to this thread! Without your help, and willingness to give up your time I would have been, or should I say... this Recorder would have been in the Deep!

Thank You all!