The following is a reprint of a Popular Communications review by W. W. Smith that appeared in the April, 1996 issue

POP'COMM REVIEWS PRODUCTS OF INTEREST

Anyone involved in the radio listening hobby for any length of time probably can give a dozen reasons for owning a tape recorder. I must confess I never gave much thought to any tape machine more complicated than my old bargain-basement cassette deck that I've used over the years. I've seen Viking International's ads in POP'COMM and other radio magazines and I've never given them more than a glance. Long-session tape recording always seemed more of a novelty to me than a necessity.
Well I'm here to tell you that an old dog can learn a new trick from time to time. You probably could talk me out of a receiver or two before you would get me to give up my 10-hour recorder now that I've spent some serious time filling tapes with stuff I would have missed otherwise. I might even go so far as to say that an extended-duration tape recorder is a necessity for anyone trying to manage a normal life and the radio listening hobby.
Face it: At best, most people can spend an hour or two a few nights a week for some serious listening. Even if you were able to devote every waking moment to radio listening, you still probably would miss much of what might be worth hearing. Murphy's law indicates that while you're tuning around on your short-wave receiver tracking some rare country, your scanner will be alive with a once-in-a-lifetime event. An extended-duration recorder evens up the score with Old Man Murphy!
As a matter of fact, it was a progressive personal lifestyle change that brought the Viking International 10-Hour Recorder into my hobby practice. I found the real world was presenting me with less opportunities to sit at the receivers and more time commuting in my car. It became a simple solution to set up the 10-hour tape recorder to do some real-time listening that I then could enjoy going to and from work. Let's take a look at the hardware and then we can discuss a few possible ways a 10-hour recorder might work for you.

It's Different
The first thing you will notice when you take the Viking International 10-Hour Recorder out of its box is that this is not your common garden variety cassette tape machine. This is a truly heavy-duty professional unit that is built for serious use. Physically, the unit is slightly larger in size than most common cassette players; in inches it measures 8 by 11-3/4 by 2-3/4. The case is equipped with a very sturdy metal pullout carrying handle. This minimally larger case makes room for many features not found on common cassette recorders. The most notable feature is the Listening Center which includes no less than four 1/4-inch phone-jack positions for group listening of tapes. Next is a 3.5mm auxiliary input jack ("aux in") that allows for recording directly from outside sources such as receivers or other devices capable of audio output.
Additionally, there are microphone/remote jacks ("mic remote")-3.5mm and 2.5mm respectively - that provide a connection for common dual-plug microphones equipped with remote start-stop switches. Like more common recorders, the 3.5mm microphone jack can be used for mikes not equipped with switches. The recorder has an LED record level that allows the user to monitor effective volume while recording. Its operation is quite simple. If the LED's out, the volume is too low. If the LED's on continuously, the volume is too high. Simple volume or gain control adjustment to allow for a flickering light indicates that things are as they should be.
The unit comes with an excellent and accurate mechanical digital tape counter with a reset button. Unlike many inexpensive tape machines, the Viking International recorder conforms to 2X ANSI standards. Repeated rewinding and fast forwarding always brought the tape right back to where it started. Next comes the ALC switch for switching between automatic level control and manual level control during recording. The unit also is equipped with a built-in condenser microphone that has high sensitivity for recording meetings or conventions.

Control Center
Tape control and management controls essentially are the same as you might find on any standard cassette machine. You find keys marked "record," "stop/eject," and "pause". Where traditional recorders have keys marked "fast forward" and "rewind", the Viking International unit has keys marked "review" and "cue". These function the same as they would on common recorders. Of interest to those who are visually handicapped, this recorder is equipped with approved Library of Congress symbols for ease of use.
The unit's built-in speaker provides fine sound reproduction with excellent amplification all within the limits of reasonable use. Power for operation can be had from either the built-in standard three-pronged line cord or from six standard "C" cells. Alkaline cells are recommended. The battery case is located under the unit, as is the AC line cord storage area.
Optional automatic voice activation (VOX) also is available and is adjusted by a single control that is found on the left side of the VOX-equipped units. This single control turns the VOX feature on and off as well as adjusts for sensitivity.

Optionally Speaking
The recorder comes with a relatively standard one-year limited warranty against defects in workmanship and materials. The manual is well written and fully informative as to the use of the recorder. Viking International also provided me with several applications handouts that demonstrate the versatility of this unit. Needless to say, between the professional quality and the extended time recording capability, this unit is ideal for any serious radio hobbyist. Viking International also can supply recorders with 12-, 14-, and 16-hour capability in addition to the basic 10-hour unit.
In actual use, I initially expected to find a significant drop in fidelity because of the much slower tape speed. I was pleasantly surprised to notice that within voice and radio communications situations, any reduction in signal quality is unremarkable.
You won't keep many audiophiles happy, but you won't miss a word when reviewing the tape. My test applications included connecting several AM broadcast, short-wave and scanning receivers up to the unit. Receivers that had dedicated tape recorder output jacks required only a standard patch cord with appropriate plugs on each end; two of the receivers had no separate output. In these cases, I utilized the headphone jack and an attenuating patch cord with some judicious gain adjustment. This worked well with no significant distortion or hum as long as I kept a close eye on the controls.
The unit I received from Viking International was not equipped with VOX capability, but use with a scanner equipped with a tape recorder output should be fairly straightforward. With the VOX unit in operation, the recorder would run only whenever the squelch broke with a signal. This could make for some very efficient listening, especially if your intent is to monitor a specific frequency over time.
Some scanners are equipped with "recorder start" features. In these cases, the receiver itself activates the recorder's remote microphone switching circuit. For scanners with this capability, the standard non-VOX recorder might be a better choice. Viking International also markets a device called the SR 9 ScanRecord, which allows for automatic recording whenever the squelch breaks using a regular long-play recorder. It would be wise to review your various receiver manuals before deciding which recorder (VOX or standard) will best fit your needs.

Tape Tips
Your choice of cassette tapes will determine how long your recorder will operate. Viking International recommends regular bias tapes for use in its recorders. A standard C-120 delivers the full 10 hours at five hours per side. A C90 tape will get you 7.5 hours at 3.75 hours per side. C60 tapes give five hours at 2.5 hours per side.
You need to remember that most common tapes have a leader on them. In most cases, a fully rewound tape will need to run for about 30 seconds before actual recording starts. If this bothers you, you can purchase leaderless tapes from some audio stores, but their cost probably is not worth the trouble. A tip that the folks at Viking International shared is that you simply let the recorder run to 001 on the counter and you'll clear the leader.

Using the recorder
Now let's look at some of the fun I had putting the unit through its paces.
One of the neatest activities in the world of AM broadcast listening is catching DX tests. These are special transmissions by AM broadcasters that often represent the only opportunity to add some of these stations to the logbook. The big problem for me is that these often occur at very late hours, well past the bedtime of anyone who has to get into work the next day. Rather than taking a chance of falling asleep on the job, my practice now is to connect my receiver and the Viking International tape recorder to a simple timer. So now at 2 a.m, when the DX test is running, I'm stacking ZZZs while the test is being recorded. I then can review the tape at a more reasonable hour.
Tracking the time is easy. I know what time the recorder started recording. I simply follow the tape recorder's timer with a stopwatch to figure out what time things actually happened during the test. The highly accurate counter assembly on the 10-hour tape recorder makes this practice relatively accurate.
Several times a year, pirate radio activity is increased. Certain holidays, notably New Year's, Halloween and the Fourth of July are full of free radio fun. Often on those dates, a single frequency is chosen and the pirates coordinate their broadcast efforts. This can result in a full evening of interesting and entertaining listening. However, since these holidays are also special days for non-radio oriented folks, I often have commitments to family when the listening is hot. No problem. Again I just tune up the receiver, start the recorder and head out for the family activity. When I come back, I usually have a few new pirate programs to add to my collection. The same technique can be applied to regular weekend pirate listening. I find I usually get called to dinner just as things begin to get interesting. All I need to do is hit the record button and family bliss is maintained.
Similarly, some of the best short-wave logging opportunities from the far Pacific regions hit my receivers when I'm busy getting ready to head out for work. Using a memory scanning short-wave receiver, I just enter the hot frequencies and get the tape recorder running. Basically any known frequency can be monitored while you deal with the world around you.
In the amateur radio world, I've used the recorder to monitor network operations on my local repeaters and on the HF bands. Often it is useful to have a record of what went on for later review. This last winter, local ARES/RACES net response to a major snow emergency made for a tape that our group uses for training purposes with new members.
The recorder also can be useful for propagation analysis. For example, you could set the recorder up with a receiver tuned to any of the 10-meter beacon frequencies. As the signal moves in and out of audibility, you can make a comparison with expected conditions established by any of the common propagation programs available for personal computers.
Also, several times a year, VHF operators try their hand at long-distance communications by taking advantage of the several known meteor showers. Common communications is high-speed CW or packet radio because the openings that the meteors create are extremely brief. Letting the recorder run on the common weak signal frequencies will let you listen in on some of the most interesting activity that ham radio has to offer.
If you are a contester of any stripe, the 10-hour recorder running in the background will help you sort out those places in your log where things get confusing in the heat of battle.
A more terrestrial but still useful application would be bringing the 10-hour recorder with you to radio hobbyist conventions and get-togethers. This recorder is ideal for catching all the information that is shared in the lectures and forums at such shows. The built-in microphone on the Viking International unit is specifically designed for this purpose and you will be able to get a ton of stuff down on one tape.

In Conclusion
Obviously, I am excited about the Viking International 10-Hour Recorder. It is a truly professional piece of gear.
The unit is built to give years of service, making it well worth the additional investment over less-expensive cassette units. You will also discover that "time shifting" some of your listening will make you a lot more popular around the household. Chances are that will more than make up for the price.

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