Equipment Identification Question

[AMRadioGuy]

Unfortunately, there's not a ton to go off of here... I'm curious - does anyone recognize any of the equipment in the rack shown here?
It's right on the side of the image, so quite a bit of it is cut off. Looks like some sort of patch bay at the bottom. I'm guessing the top piece is either some sort of distribution amp or leveler? Not sure, though. This is from an old radio studio - I'm curious what equipment was in their studio.

Thanks!

 

[Oldie919]

Looks to me like the whole rack could be for reel-to-reel tape recording.....
Record/play electronics in the top unit ---- a couple of what look like Magnacorder rack-mount tape decks...
The old "over-the top" vs "underneath" tape transport(s)......
Anyone else have ideas???!

 

[bigdonho]

Probably a Magnecord PT6.

 

[dc2bluelight]

I recognize the two Magnecord PT6A machines. The lower one has the typical electronics unit above it, the PT6J (the combo was sold as a PT6AJ), the upper one looks like its just below a PT6-P "portable" amplifier. I have no expirence with the PT6-P, but I know the PT6-AJ combo all too well. The spooling motors were capable of shattering a slightly defective platic reel in high-wind. Talk about fast!

Here's some literature:

Magnecord - Reel to Reel Tape Recorder Manufacturers - Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording

The turntable is a Gates CB-77 (in the original gray color from before Harris Intertype bought Gates) with most likely a Micro-Trak 303 arm (though there's not really enough visible to be sure) and a Gates M-6244 preamp (usually mounted in the cabinet below the TT) with switchable high cut filter (the knob on the right corner). The turntable also came in the 16" "transcription" size, called the CB-500. The model designation CB was in honor of Parker Gates' mother Cora B. Gates.

The wall clock is probably a GE Telechron (most were).

 

[AMRadioGuy]

This is gold - thanks guys! I figured someone here would be able to ID it. I don't believe I've ever seen Magnecord units like that. Pretty doggone neat-o! The station went on the air in the early 50s, so I'm guessing the stuff was probably original to that time period.

 

[AMRadioGuy]

I recognize the two Magnecord PT6A machines. The lower one has the typical electronics unit above it, the PT6J (the combo was sold as a PT6AJ), the upper one looks like its just below a PT6-P "portable" amplifier. I have no expirence with the PT6-P, but I know the PT6-AJ combo all too well. The spooling motors were capable of shattering a slightly defective platic reel in high-wind. Talk about fast!

Here's some literature:

Magnecord - Reel to Reel Tape Recorder Manufacturers - Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording

The turntable is a Gates CB-77 (in the original gray color from before Harris Intertype bought Gates) with most likely a Micro-Trak 303 arm (though there's not really enough visible to be sure) and a Gates M-6244 preamp (usually mounted in the cabinet below the TT) with switchable high cut filter (the knob on the right corner). The turntable also came in the 16" "transcription" size, called the CB-500. The model designation CB was in honor of Parker Gates' mother Cora B. Gates.

The wall clock is probably a GE Telechron (most were).

That was a very fascinating read - thanks for the information & link!

 

[dc2bluelight]

This is gold - thanks guys! I figured someone here would be able to ID it. I don't believe I've ever seen Magnecord units like that. Pretty doggone neat-o! The station went on the air in the early 50s, so I'm guessing the stuff was probably original to that time period.

The PT-6 was an early tape work-horse. It did some things well, some not. For example, the tape guidance was so bad that the initial release didn't claim frequency response to 15KHz. They released an upgrade, an add-on "pole piece" that improved guidance and got the frequency response to 15K. I worked for a station in the early1970s that had a small handfull of them. One was used, along with some additional guide rollers mounted to a rack panel, to create a tape based profanity delay. Retired from that job before I got there, but still in place. They'd moved on to a cart-based delay. The PT6 was also sometimes considered portable, if you lifted weights first. I personally owned an M30, the consumer PT6, just a few years ago. And I also knew the P63 well. The later 1022/1024 machines were simply dreadful.

 

[AMRadioGuy]

The PT-6 was an early tape work-horse. It did some things well, some not. For example, the tape guidance was so bad that the initial release didn't claim frequency response to 15KHz. They released an upgrade, an add-on "pole piece" that improved guidance and got the frequency response to 15K. I worked for a station in the early1970s that had a small handfull of them. One was used, along with some additional guide rollers mounted to a rack panel, to create a tape based profanity delay. Retired from that job before I got there, but still in place. They'd moved on to a cart-based delay. The PT6 was also sometimes considered portable, if you lifted weights first. I personally owned an M30, the consumer PT6, just a few years ago. And I also knew the P63 well. The later 1022/1024 machines were simply dreadful.

Considering they came out in the early 50s, the specs seem decent. Pretty cool that the station you worked for was using one for a tape delay at one point.

I think there was a case you could get for the PT6 to take it out and about, but as you say, it would have been quite heavy!

 

[dc2bluelight]

Considering they came out in the early 50s, the specs seem decent.

One of the things about frequency response specs (and no different today!) is a response range, like 40Hz to 15,000Hz is useless unless a response level is also stated. And they didn't! Ampex introduced the 600 series in the mid 1950s as a true portable. The PT-6 package weighed in at 74lbs, the 600 was 54lbs...but no speaker or amplifier. That was in a separate unit, the 620. But if you look at the Ampex specs, they state 40-15K "down no more than 4dB at 15,000". We wouldn't consider that response to 15KHz today, would we? And that was an improvement over the PT6.

Pretty cool that the station you worked for was using one for a tape delay at one point.

They actually tried several reel to reel delay rigs. The PT6 was one, they also tried two 1022s in tandem. They fashioned a tape tensioning device with a hair clip and felt. Then gave in to the Tapecaster delay cart recorder. Delay was hard back then.

I think there was a case you could get for the PT6 to take it out and about, but as you say, it would have been quite heavy!

There were several. You can see some in the link I posted. They could split the electronics and transport into two cases, or one. These were plywood with metal corners and hardware, covered with a textured black feaux-leather stuff, so the boxes added a lot of weight too. Arm stretchers. The Ampex 600 wasn't really much better, though the 54lbs included the nice Samsonite suitcase mount with a spot in the cover for take-up reel and cord. The 600 series was a far better machine in many ways. I actually met the machinist who made machined the original prototype frame and chassis for the 600 from which die-castings were derived. Interesting fellow.