9 Dec
2003
9 Dec
'03
11:23 p.m.
From: "Pete Turnbull"
--On Wednesday, December 10, 2003 04:07:30 -0800 Brent
Hilpert
<hilpert(a)cs.ubc.ca> wrote:
I agree with Pete. BASF and Memorex are normally fine. However, especially
the last decennium or so, the number of tapemanufacturers was dwindling
rapidly, and it became very common to buy tapes OEM, and relabel them. 3M
also had some good tapes.
Nico
On a similar note, can someone comment on the
long-term prognosis of
9-track tape? Is it still being manufactured or is everyone that
still uses it relying on new-old-stock? Is the oxide coating stable
if stored at the proper temp./humidity or does it turn flaky/icky
after a few years regardless?
I've got old BASF and Memorex tapes (20 years +) that are fine, but not
all tapes are created equal. Was it Black Watch tape that was supposed
to be wonderful, but which people found started to shed its oxide after
a fairly short time?
It probably also depends on how they were stored.