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CHAPTER 1: General troubleshooting procedures

In our experience with long play tape recorders, the vast majority of "problems" can be solved by carefully reviewing this troubleshooting guide. Please be assured that all our tape recorders are 100% tested prior to shipment; although, on very rare occasions, a problem "escapes" us, MOST "problems" are NOT with the recorder. Before calling us, PLEASE READ the instruction manual that came with the recorder and please refer to this troubleshooting and applications information. Of course, if you still experience trouble after reviewing this info, one of our applications engineers is only a phone call or e-mail away. We will now present typical "problems" in a "Question/Answer" format.

Q. The recorder will not run (nothing moves). What is wrong?
A. Did you plug the recorder's AC cord in a "live" AC outlet? If you are not sure whether the AC outlet is "live", try to plug in a table lamp to make sure. If you are using batteries, are the batteries FRESH? If you have a battery checker, test the batteries.

Q. I spoke into the microphone, but when I tried to listen to the recording, there is NOTHING on the tape---
A. Did you rewind the tape to the position where you started recording? When you recorded, did you use the "manual level control" mode, but did you leave the record level control at the lowest setting, rather than turning it up to the proper level? Did you start recording at the very beginning of the tape? On the 10 and 12-hour recorders, the tape has a blank leader at the start of the tape. You CANNOT record on this blank portion of tape. For a 10-Hour recorder, this blank leader is approx. 30 seconds long. Rewind the tape fully, then put the recorder in the "record" mode and wait 30 seconds before you start recording. Or, rewind the tape fully, then reset the counter to 000 and wait until it reaches 001 before making a recording. The 14 and 16-hour recorders use leaderless tape and you can start recording right away.

Q. I made a voice recording on a 10-hour recorder. When I play it back on my car stereo, it sounds like "Mickey Mouse”, very high-pitched and very fast. What is going on?
A. Recordings made on long play recorders run much slower than a regular recorder. You CANNOT play them back on a normal recorder.

Q. I use "metal" tape to make recordings on my home tape deck. When I try one of these in my long play recorder, it sounds AWFUL. Why is this? These "metal" tapes are supposed to be much better than regular tapes...
A. Yes, "metal" tapes are great for making recordings on a regular home cassette deck. BUT, our long play tape recorders are SPECIFICALLY designed to obtain the best possible fidelity using REGULAR BIAS tapes.

Q. The tape you supply with the 10-hour recorder is a C120 tape. If I use a C60 or C90 tape, how long will they run in a 10-Hour recorder?
A. C60: 2.5 hours per side for a total of 5 hours. C90: 3.75 hours per side for a total of 7.5 hours.

Q. I want to make recordings off my scanner or short-wave receiver. How can I do this?
A. IF your scanner or SW receiver has an output jack marked "tape out" you can USUALLY just connect a patchcord with matching plugs between the "tape out" jack of your receiver and the "AUX" jack on the long play recorder. For further information see chapter 2: "Recording from scanners and receivers".

Q. I am trying to make a recording from a scanner/receiver/telephone/other external source and I have made what I believe to be the proper connections, but when I play the tape back I hear a lot of: distortion/hum/very loud sounds. What is wrong?
A. To determine WHERE the problem is, just make a test recording by speaking into the microphone of the recorder. If the playback sounds distorted:
Did you use the proper tape?
If using batteries, are they FRESH?
Is the record/playback head dirty?
Are you using the manual record level mode? Is the Volume Control turned up too high?

If your test recording sounds OK, the problem is NOT in the recorder. The problem is therefore in the connections between the external audio source and the recorder. UNLESS the external audio source is properly matched to the input of the recorder in terms of LEVEL and IMPEDANCE, you WILL get distortion etc. When recording from an outside audio source and using the manual record level mode, did you turn the record level up too high? If you are using the ALC record mode and your recordings are too loud/distorted, then you are "feeding" the recorder more audio than the ALC can handle.

It is very important to "feed" the recorder properly!!!

Q.I have connected my short-wave receiver that has a "line out" jack to the "aux" input of my long play recorder. The recordings are clear and without distortion, but there is a "hum" in the recording---
A. Your receiver not being grounded probably causes the hum, Try grounding your receiver.

Q. I want to use one of those Radio Shack recording devices to make recordings of my phone calls. These devices will automatically start a cassette recorder when I pick up the phone, record my call and stop the recorder when I hang up. But they will NOT work with the 10-Hour recorder----
I get a lot of HUM and the recorder does not stop running when my phone is hung up. What is wrong??
A. The Radio Shack (and similar) automatic recorder activators will work FINE with normal, consumer-grade cassette recorders, but they are NOT suitable for use with professional recorders. One of the reasons is that these activators have one side of the telephone line connected to the "remote" plug. Therefore, they cannot be used with recorders that have an AC cord with ground pin. Even with the recorder used on battery power, these activators will NOT turn the recorder's motor on and off. For further information please refer to chapter 3:"Making recordings of your phone calls.

Q. How long is your warranty? How do I send you my recorder in case it needs repairs?
A. One year parts and labor. See our catalog for warranty information. Call us for a repair number BEFORE Sending in your recorder for repairs in or out of warranty

CHAPTER 2:Making recordings from scanners and other receivers

This chapter will provide some basic information on automatic (unattended) recording from scanners, short-wave receivers, AM/FM receivers, etc .Due to the great variety of equipment on the market, we recommend that you thoroughly read the owner’s manual that comes with your scanner or receiver. The owner’s manual should discuss connections to tape recorders.

1. Scanners with a "tape recorder " output:
The scanner manual will explain whether to connect this output to the microphone input or the "aux" (or "line") input of a recorder. When using a voice-activated recorder, the recorder will start automatically when the squelch breaks on the scanner. You will need a patchcord with the proper plugs.
2. Scanners with a "tape recorder" AND "recorder start" output:
The scanner will start the recorder when the squelch breaks. You will need a regular long play recorder (not voice-activated) and patchcords with the proper plugs.
3. Scanners that ONLY have a "speaker" or " earphone" output:
You CANNOT use a regular patchcord for connection to a recorder. If you do, there WILL be distortion and/or hum and/or other assorted disappointments, because a regular patchcord does NOT provide a proper signal transfer to the recorder. You will need to make or buy an ATTENUATING patchcord. If you use an attenuating patchcord, such as our PC1, you need a voice-activated recorder.
4. Other types of receivers abcd
You can make unattended recordings from other types of receivers IF:
....A. The receiver has a "tape recorder" output and a squelch OR
....B. The receiver has a "tape recorder " and a "recorder start" jack OR
....C. The receiver has a "speaker/earphone" jack and a squelch.
See above for hardware requirements.
NOTE: Some receivers have a "timer" output that will start and stop a recorder at a preprogrammed time. A recorder used with those receivers need not have the VOX option since the recorder's motor is turned on from that "timer" output.

Q. I need to turn on my receiver and recorder between 2 and 5 a.m. to record a radio show. How can I do this?
A. Purchase an inexpensive (typically $4.99) plug-in appliance timer at your supermarket or hardware store. These timers are normally used to turn on an appliance such as a coffee maker. The timer plugs into a wall outlet and has an output in which to plug the appliance. Simply preset your receiver to the proper frequency, connect it to your recorder, put the recorder in the record mode, plug both receiver and recorder into the timer, then set the timer to come on and go off at the desired time.

Q. I have connected a long play recorder to my scanner. Everything works fine, but when I play back the recorded material I can hear a low-pitched hum in the background. How can I get rid of this?
A. Your scanner is quite probably not equipped with a 3-prong power cord, but is powered by an AC adapter that plugs into a wall outlet. The scanner is therefore not grounded, but the recorder, which has a prong cord, IS grounded. This causes the hum. There are 3 solutions to this:
1. Reverse the scanner's AC adapter in the AC wall outlet.
Note: some AC adapters have pins of different sizes, so reversing cannot always be done
2. Purchase a 3-prong to 2-prong adapter for your recorder's power cord. This "ungrounds" the recorder.
3. The above "tricks" solve 95% of all hum problems. If hum still persists, try running a wire from the chassis of your scanner to the screw in the middle of your AC outlet. Plug the recorder in WITHOUT the 3-prong to 2-prong adaptor.
If none of the above helps, you have a bad connection in the shielding of the audio cable between the scanner and the recorder. Re-solder the shield connections or replace the patchcord.

CHAPTER 3: Making recordings of your phone calls

Recording your telephone calls SEEMS to be a simple operation; just plug a "magic box" into your telephone jack and plug the other end into a recorder –
It is not always as simple as that, so in this applications document we will try to present some helpful information in a "question and answer" format.
Note: You can also see a page showing our telephone interfaces. Hit: (Telephone Interfaces page)

Home telephone installations:

Q: My home has ONE telephone line (one phone number). There are telephones on this line everywhere in my house. Can I plug a TA-100 with a VOX recorder into ANY phone jack and record my calls from ALL my phones?
A: Yes, all calls from all phones on that line will be automatically recorded.

Q. I am trying to use a Radio Shack (or similar) telephone-recording device with my 10-hour recorder. I get hum on the telephone line, the recorder will not start/stop, etc. Why will this not work?
A: Please understand that this applications document is NOT "Electronics 101”. The SHORT answer is because these types of devices are not galvanicaly isolated from the telephone line.

Q: My home has 2 telephone lines (2 phone numbers). My phones are 2-line types that plug into ONE modular jack (RJ14 jack) What options do I have with regard to recording my calls?
A: 1. To record your calls on line 1 ONLY: plug a duplex adapter into ANY phone jack. Plug your 2-line phone into one of the openings: plug the TA-100 into the other opening
.....2. To record your calls on either line on a ONE telephone you’ll need a VOX recorder and a TC-10.
.....3. To record your calls on line 2 ONLY is a bit trickier. There are four wires involved in getting your two telephone lines to the jacks you use. The wires are color-coded. It is customary to use red and green for line one and use yellow and black for line two. You must take off the jack's cover, loosen the screws holding the spade tips of the wires going to the jack, which is part of the cover; and interchange the spade tips. Interchange the spade tips going to the red and yellow wires, and then interchange the tips going from the green and black wires. Reconnect the cover. Now when you plug in the TA-100, it will be working with the number two line.
Note: If you plug a duplex adapter into the jack so you can also use a two line telephone there, you'll notice that the lines are backwards on that particular telephone- line two is now where line one used to be.

Q: I use a room in my home as an office. I want to record the calls I make from the phone in that room ONLY, not all calls made on the same line from other phones in the house. How?
A: Use a TC-10. It connects between the base and the handset of a telephone and records all calls made using that handset, regardless of how many telephone numbers are involved.

Q: When I record my calls with a TA-100 and a VOX recorder, the recorder sometimes stops when the distant party speaks very softly. I tried increasing the VOX sensitivity, but the recorder still stops now and then. What can I do?
A: Is the ALC switch ON? If the problem still occurs, this means that the ALC cannot compensate for the very weak audio from your distant party. The ALC is designed for NORMAL differences in audio levels. It MAY help to switch to MANUAL level control and turn it up fairly high. However, this may cause the local voice (your voice) to sound distorted on the recording. Another disadvantage is that the recorder may not turn off automatically at the end of your call, because it may start on normal telephone line background noises after you hang up. The best solution is to switch the VOX off, turn the ALC on and manually start the recording process.

Q. I often make calls with soft-spoken distant parties or where telephone connections are poor and I need to make recordings AUTOMATICALLY even under such conditions. What are my options?
A: We recommend the TA-2000. This telephone interface has audio compression which keeps the signal level much more constant.

Business telephone systemsdefg

There are many different business telephone systems on the market, each with its own unique "challenges". Plugging a TA-100 into a modular jack will not work.

Q: I have a system with 6 incoming lines and 20 extensions .I need to record lines 1, 2, 3, and 4 only. What do I do?
A: You need a TA-100 and a recorder with VOX for EACH line.

Q: On my desk, I have a phone with 6 lines. I want to record ALL my calls from this phone, no matter what line I am using. How?
A: Use a TC-10 and a VOX recorder.

Q: I only want to record only certain important phone calls. I don’t want to record each and every call automatically. How can I manually start the recorder?
A: If the recorder is on your desk and you are using a TA-100 or a TC-10 in conjunction with a VOX recorder, you can turn the VOX off and push the record button whenever you wish to record a call.

IMPORTANT NOTICEfghi

Under Federal law, you may record a phone conversation if you are one of the parties to the conversation, or where one party has given prior consent to recording.
State laws may require 2-party consent. (See page showing which States require it.)
Surreptitious recording of telephone conversations is unlawful everywhere. If you are in doubt as to how Federal and State laws may apply to your particular situation, we suggest you consult with your attorney.

CHAPTER 4: Operation and troubleshooting of the voice activation feature (VOX)

It is IMPORTANT that you realize that the voice activation is OFF when its knob has been turned fully COUNTERCLOCKWISE, past the click. When the VOX is off, the recorder will run continuously in both the "record" and the "playback" mode. When you put the recorder in the "record" mode and you turn the VOX on (by turning the knob CLOCKWISE past the click) the recorder will START and record when a voice (or other sound) is present. The recorder will STOP approximately 5 seconds after the voice (or sound) stops.

TURN THE VOX OFF WHEN YOU WANT TO PLAY BACK A TAPE.

The SENSITIVITY of the VOX (how MUCH sound is needed to start the recorder) is determined by the setting of the VOX control. The VOX is at MAXIMUM sensitivity when the knob is turned JUST past the click. As you turn the knob further CLOCWISE, the sensitivity will become LESS. When the knob is fully CLOCKWISE the VOX sensitivity is at its MINIMUM. If you set the sensitivity TOO high, the recorder may very well start on background noises (when you record a meeting, for example) or it may start on background hum or noise from an external source (when you record from a telephone, scanner or receiver).
It is generally advisable to use the ALC record mode when using the VOX

What to do when it seems that the VOX is not operating properly: 01

BEFORE you decide that the VOX is not working properly (does not start, does not stop, etc.) when recording from an outside source of audio, such as a scanner or receiver, or TA-100 telephone interface, please perform the following simple test:
1. Unplug the cable from your external audio source to the recorder.
2. Put the recorder into the "record" mode, with the ALC "on"
3. Speak into the microphone, and visually verify that the tape is running and the red LED is flashing.
4. WHILE SPEAKING, turn the VOX knob FULLY clockwise.
5. After 6 seconds, the tape will stop.
6. Speak into the microphone, and WHILE SPEAKING, turn the VOX knob slowly COUNTERCLOCKWISE. You will see the tape start.
If everything works as described above, the VOX is OK.

The problem is therefore with the outside audio source, such as the receiver or scanner. Excessive hum or background noise from a scanner may prevent the VOX from turning off. You can easily verify this by playing back the tape. If there is a lot of background noise or hum on the tape, it may prevent the VOX from turning off. See chapter 2 for information on how to solve "hum" problems.

Another typical problem is:
My recorder will do NOTHING! When I press the "play" button, the tape will not move.
When I press the "cue" and "review" buttons, NOTHING happens, NOTHING moves…
The answer is
The VOX MUST be OFF for playback

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