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Automation system nicknames

R

radiorob2.0

Years ago, we christened our Harris System 90 “FRED” for F***ing Ridiculous Electronic Device. What did you call your old school automation system?
 
Oh Jeez...it reminds me of our old "music machine" which was a series of six Ampex reel decks with a manuel sequencer and laughable in studio control boxes, circa 1968 or so. It appeared to be held together with toad crap and waxed paper, and was quite the workhorse, but is seems that all the reels wanted to run out at pretty much the same time, so I was usually too busy cussing at it to give it a nickname.

As I recall, nobody else nicknamed it either. I wonder why. ???
 
Arrakis - A rack o shoot. Something like that.

It was a solid box within limitations but pass those limitations and then you had problems.

The Harris 55 machine and automation had a nickname i can't remember. Just let 1 cart not re-enter correctly and that was a great catastrophe. The noise was something like a train hitting a subaru.
 
I have always affectionately referred to automation as "Robo-Jock".
Everything from an old Cetec 7000, to a Schaeffer 903 to the modern day Prophet Nexgen..

Dave
 
Ever since it's gone digital and computerized, I've referred to all automation systems as "HAL 9000."

Thankfully none of them have ever said to me, "I'm sorry, Josh, I'm afraid I can't do that." But if one ever did, out would come the 50-pound sledge.
 
Old audio switching with Ampex reel machines (forget the system name)

Chester
 
Harris System 90...casette tape memory load and all. At WFPG-AM, it was referred to as "Mrs. Harris". The story I inherited was that the station didn't have enough female staff, so "Mrs. Harris" was counted in.
 
I worked for a group of stations that used Dalet automation. We had a clever PD who always signed off with "Dale T. is comin' up next" when he was done with his airshift.
 
We just called it the b*****d.....

"Harris System 90...cassette tape memory load and all."
Ooooo luxury! A tape reload!
When our p.o.s. would start to role the numbers on the console like a slot machine you knew it was all over. Open the power supply door & cycle the switch. Then sit down for a 45 minute manual reprogramming session. Got REAL GOOD at using the numiric keypad. SOB would occasionally dump while I was reprogramming it.

One little static discharge in the wrong place and 144 carts, 4 reel-reels, and 2 time machines would all start at once. Fuses would then blow on the Insticarts silencing them.

The "upgrade" to the System 9001 wasn't that much better. That was labeled "SOB".
Think that's still in the U-Stor-It behind the AEL FM25KD carcass.
 
"Autumn" is what we called her. 4 reels...splices everywhere in the tapes...as Autumn always found a way to break the tape.....I used to chuckle inside when I did my last break....Autumn is next..have a great night..we had a receptionist saying the call letters every other song or so. Autumn got lots of mail as she would never pick up the phone. Nice being in listening range of the Federal Pen....74' ish

The system I work with now is AudioVault and we call it "AV"...not as creative...
 
I don't know if anyone named the SMC automation system that KEOM originally used beginning in 1984. I probably would have dubbed it as Harris Roboto. I'm sure Harris Corp. and Styx would have loved that. :)

R
 
The station I started out at in the early 90's had 3 - GoCart 24 carousels, mounted in a large refrigerator sized rack, with the audio switcher in the top part of the rack and two Harris single play cart decks sitting on top of the rack (for IDs and weather liners). This all controlled a talk radio formatted station, switching between 5 to 6 different networks and so forth.

We called it 'The Beast'. . .

A couple of the GoCarts had putty knives taped against a solenoid that loaded the carts. If there was no pressure against the solenoid, the carts would not load and a nice bright 'ERROR' light would come on. Couldn't get parts for the machine, ya see. . ::)
 
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