First tape dropouts.
 

Damn, we changed to a new tape out on the ramp at a recent airshow. Even though we did it as fast and clean as possible we got four HD dropouts in the new tape over 80 minutes. The first dropouts I've had with the A1 in about 10 Pana MQ 83min tapes.

Next time I'll change tapes before I go out the crew room, even if the current tape has only a few minutes on it.

Dust causes dropouts dammit!

I would never use 83 min tapes, but that's just me :)

Bill, I still work by the old axiom that thinner (2microns in this case, so go figure:) wraps around the heads and guides better. Tape transports have changed a lot and that's not relavant now but that and the extra time when shooting archival stuff work for me.

BTW the first mag tape I ever used was made by the Kraft Company, yes the cheese people. It came on a 7" white bakelite spool and was a roll of 1/4inch wide thin paper or cardboard sprayed with a magnetic coating. It was fairly stiff and I seem to remember it topped out at about 1000cycles on the Phillips mono valve recorder. Cheers.

I can understand that, but because it's somewhat thinner (or so they say), I think it would be more prone to stretching.

Well my experience is, if the DV transport is going to stretch 83min tape it'll do so with 63 min tapes or any tape in fact. It'll be out of spec and needs repairing. If I saw that I wouldn't load another tape till it was. I've only seen this about twice in my career, and it was years ago when the tiny motors were in their early stages.

Pulling any DV tape out of its shell will certainly be prone to stretching and getting fingerprints on the oxide, which'll cause dropouts. Unless you know how to handle it, don't do it. Get pro help.

Cheers.

Been there, done that, and will still... reluctantly... do it if I have to :) I know what to do & how handle things. It's just the braking mechanism & those pesky little springs when all is ready to be re-assembled that tick me off :-\