Cart Equipment Archive (original) (raw)
MacKenzie
Louis G. MacKenzie developed his "repeater" in 1955. Using a silver coated tag applied to an endless tape loop (to provide a "cueing" function, the single and "five pack" machines could provide instant starting of desired spots. The tape cartridges were square metal boxes, with the tape loop hanging out.
The MacKenzie repeater was used extensively in places as diverse as radio stations, television and movie studios, and Disneyland. The multi-deck units were very popular for use to insert "sweeteners" in television and movie productions - added laugh tracks, for example, or audience applause, etc. Perhaps the biggest drawback for broadcast was that the tape loop was exposed outside the cartridge, making it easy to damage.
MacKenzie Repeater 500
MacKenzie Repeater APR-20
MacKenzie ProFx repeater
MacKenzie Cart (The box is metal, with an endless loop inside, but hanging outside.)
ATC (Automatic Tape Control)
Ted Bailey (then CE of WJBC) and staff engineer Jack Jenkins developed the ATC (Automatic Tape Control) machine based on a transport from Moulic (SMC). A joint patent was granted to Bailey, Jenkins and Nolte (station manager of WJBC) as inventors. The cart machine was offered first to Gates, however Parker declined because he had the ST-101 in development.,
Collins Radio got wind of the machine, so when Gates Radio turned them down, Bailey and Jenkins took their design to Collins Radio and immediately made a deal to market the P-150/190 unit. ATC was formed in Bloomington, IL to manufacture the machines. Collins seemed to have set fairly high prices and sold fewer units than ATC desired, leading to a parting of the ways, giving Gates a second opportunity at Jenkins' design.
P-150
P-190
Criterion
TwinTape
Gates Radio
When Bailey and Jenkins approached Gates with their design, Gates Radio was already developing the ST-101. The ST-101 found its way into many stations, but it was not practical to run more than one spot at a time. Eventually, Gates changed and built machines that could utilize individual cartridges.
Eventually moving their products from Collins to Gates, Jenkins designed the Criterion series. The company was purchased by Gates and became the Automatic Tape Control Division. (Harris was afraid Automatic Time Control would charge trademark infringement.) Mo Franklin, Andy Rector, Jack Jenkins and others resigned and departed the Gates Radio Division when it became apparent that Harris would not support a continuation of the ATC quality tradition.
This led to ITC.
ST-101 - 1960 - $995
This unit featured a 13-inch-wide tape belt and moveable head. It could run 101 different tracks, but only one at a time.
CartriTape
CartriTape II
Criterion II
Criterion 80
Criterion Compact
Criterion Compact III
Harris
Criterion 90
from Radio Estancia, Sao Lourenco, Brazil
Criterion 90-3
Broadcast Electronics
In 19xx, Broadcast Electronics was formed to manufacture the Spotmaster brand. The original machines used a Viking 36 deck. Quite a few announcers who got their start in the 1960s remember the distinctive lever, used to engage the cartridge.
Spotmaster 400A recorder
Spotmaster 4 05 reproducer- The first of the famous ones with the "hand crank" to bring the pressure roller up for use. The case on this one is made of wood!
Spotmaster 500Arecorder
Spotmaster 500B recorder
1963 - $695 - to switch from record to play you had to rotate the knob on the lower right.
Spotmaster 505B playback
1963 - $545
Spotmaster 500C recorder
The record switch was replaced with a button.
Spotmaster 500D recorder
Spotmaster 500AR Rack mount
Spotmaster 10-70
2100C
4200
5100C
5300C
5400C
5500C five stack
Approximately $5000 in 1988
Ten Spot
PhaseTrak 90 RPS featured a built-in phase meter and correction, and a splice finder
Delay unit - Many stations used this model to foster local talk shows, especially the telephone talk programs. This and similar machines eventually gave way to digital (bit brigade) machines.
Tapecaster
Rockville, MD
TC-1000 - playback Sold for $400
6 00-P - reproducer
700-RP - recorder
700-RP - recorder
700-RP - Stereo recorder
700-P - reproducer
X-700RP - recorder
X-700P - reproducer
Sparta (Spot-O-Matic)
This is another company that started with the Viking deck and built a solid broadcast cart machine, then branched into other products.
Bill Oberhouser: I had purchased for KROY here in Sacramento the early Collins cart machines (ATC?). Had problems with them missing the stop tone and the board guys were going nuts. I bought some Viking decks with the foil sensor heads and packaged them for rack mounting. They replaced the Collins. I branded them as Spot-O-Matic. Word got around that they worked well and were inexpensive Some other stations wanted them so started a little company and built more. Later we also came up with the same unit but with tone sensing.
We made a little money so incorparated as Sparta Electronic Corporation and named the cart products Sparta-Matic. Over time we advanced into better machines, audio consoles and other audio products including transmitters. I sold Sparta in 1968 and stayed on as President & G.M. for 8 years.
Spot-O-Matic
A Viking deck with foil sensors.
Sparta-Matic
Sparta-Matic
Sparta 600P Rack Mount. A record amp was available.
Century Series
RCA
It is reported that RCA's early machines used a Viking 38 deck, modified for broadcast use.
RCA Four Stack, with automation switching
Glen Kippel says: "There is a rotary switch on the front (minus the knob) marked MANUAL-REMOTE-SEQUENTIAL-AUTOMATION. I assume that in the REMOTE position, the carts could be started by buttons on or near the mix console. SEQUENTIAL may mean that it will fire the carts 1-2-3-4 in sequence. AUTOMATION [probably] means that the carts could be controlled by some sort of automation system. MANUAL probably means the bttons on the front panel are used. It is a HEAVY dude -- I would guess somewhere in the vicinity of 100 pounds, or more.
RT-27
RT-7
ITC - International Tapetronics Control
Before his resignation at Harris, Jenkins was working on a new tape deck design. Franklin, Rector, Jenkins (as President, Sales Manager and CE respectively) and several backers then formed a new company south of Bloomington called ITC (International Tapetronics Control). The ITC designs were all pure Jenkins. The RP and SP machines were known as workhorses that truly merited the label "Premium Series." In the late 1970s, the "99" series was born, a combination recorder, player, eraser and splice locator. ITC was purchased by 3M in 19xx. 3M sold it to Don Carle and Al Taylor in 1990. The company did not do well and went out of business in the 90s.
The RP/SP series were among the most popular of all cart machines.
SP - 1970 - The workhorse for thousands of stations.
RP - 1970
3D - a nice machine in many ways, but the lack of a middle bearing made the center deck subject to more wow and flutter than the top or bottom decks. A bit of a maintenance headache at stations where there was only one unit in the control room.
**99 (**There was an "A" and a "B")
PD-II - a real budget level machine for stations that could not afford the RP and SP. Designed by Paul Dillow, it was the second attempt by ITC to build a low cost machine, hence PD-II
Delta - 1983
Delta 3 - Unlike the 3D, each deck could be removed without affecting the other two.
Omega - another cheap effort
Series 1 - This was a 3M driven machine.
Series 2 - Built after 3M sold the machine, it was never a big success.
1K - 1977 -a concept product. Only one was built. It lived as aa automated telephone library system at the University of Wisconsin, Madison for about 10 years. Technology moved too fast - and this Z-80 based machine was obsolete almost as soon as it was designed..
PR&E - Pacific Recorders & Engineering
In the late 1970s, the folks at Pacific Recorders designed the Tomcat. Using "MaxTrax" heads, unmovable precision heads with extra width on the program channels to improve S/N and headroom, many stations found the S/N and stereo integrity of the Tomcat's fixed heads to be superior.
Carts recorded on the Tomcat were incompatible with any other machine. However, the Tomcat quickly had a reputation for solid operation with stable stereo reproduction.
Still, the Tomcat was quite expensive. So in 1986, PRE delivered the Micromax, based on the British Sonifex machine. The Micromax was a very quiet, cool running (the recorder only used 15 Watts) machine that many stations found to be just what they wanted. The belt and flywheel kept wow and flutter way down.
Tomcat - 1980 Recorder
Tomcat - 1980 Reproducer (Three in a rack mount)
Micromax - 1986 - Recorder - Electronics by Jim Tonne.
Micromax - 1986 - Reproducer
Ampro
Ampro was sold to Scully in 197x. In November 1983, Ampro/Scully was sold to TTC
2500 Series
3500 Series
4500 Series
8300 Series
Otari
CTM-10 Series CTM-10/CTM-10M/CTM-10S/CTM-10R
CTM-10 Series reproducer
Beaucart
Series 100
Series 200
Audi-Cord
Audi-Cord was founded by Carl Martin who was another former ATC engineer.
A Series A10
E Series E10/E11/E15/E16/E20/E21/E25/E26/E50/E51/E55/E56
S Series S11/S16/S21/S26, TDS1/TDS6
DL Series DL-P/DL-R/DL-D
Fidelipac
In 19xx Mike Sirkis began to build a new line of machines for Fidelipac, among others. His Dynamax series, for example, used photocells to identify different carts, allowing the system to react to different emulsions, recording levels, or even contact closures. Unfortunately, his association with Fidelipac did not last. The CTR-90 was designed by others.
Dynamax CTR-10
Dynamax CTR-30 - a three stack
Dynamax CTR-90
Dynamax CTR-100- recorder
Dynamax CTR-100- reproducer
Aristocart
In the early 1970s, Don Kalmokoff and engineers at CKNW invented the Aristocart whwen the CFMI automation system had problems with stereo music on the Fidelipac carts. The company lasted until the mid-1990s, with Kalmonkoff retiring in the early 90s.
Sonifex
A British company, Sonifex machines have had an impact on American machines, but have not sold well here.
**microHS - 1979
**microHX - 19
Rapid-Q
Keycart
1000 Series
KRS
A curious cart machine. Designed by Ry Smith, this one was the only cartridge machine able to reverse/rewind. KRS Magnetics was in Los Altos, CA. Smith even turned the idea into a reversible 8-track machine (the REV8) ... in 1979.
KRS STACT - A single record/play
IGM - International Good Music
InstaCart 48 slots! (48 heads and rollers to clean!!!)
Primarily used in automation systems, it was also employed by some stations with "aggressive formats."
Sono-Mag
T he Moulic family (Edison and sons Robert and William Jr. started Moulic Specialities in 1945, renaming Sono-Mag Corp (SMC) in 1968.
MaCarTa = Magnetic Cartride Tape - almost exclusively used in automation systems (see below).
DP-1 Digital Programmer
SMC Controller
KIOC - Vidor, TX - 1982 - Courtesy: Michael Minn
-
2 50 - Carousel - 1962 - some 10,000 sold.
350 - Carousel -
5 90/592 Cart Record/Play
790/792
Gocart
Carousel
Automation Systems.
IGM, SMC, Gates, Harris, and others had automation systems that used cart machines in various forms.
Carousels, Gates 55, AudioFile, and other names were familiar to users of these products. This page can be found here.