ID help, Ampex tape drive and other things.

[Dave G4UGM]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Pontus
> Pihlgren
> Sent: 18 May 2015 09:24
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> Subject: ID help, Ampex tape drive and other things.
> 
> Hi
> 
> I'm about to go on a small road trip to pick up some computer gear. I'm
> curious about what I'm actually getting :)
> 
> http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/L%C3%B6fberg-haul/
> 
> I know what the Siemens and IBM things are, but:
> 
> What system would the the Ampex Series 800B have been used with?

They don't look like computer tape drives. They have notes on the side that
talk about tracks 8-14 which is odd if they were computer drives as that's
normally 9-track tape. Possibly some kind of audio recorder?

> 
> The Alfaskop terminals, are they 3270 compatible?

If the other kit is related probably not. The IBM screens are 5250 so
mid-range. I would have thought the Alfaskop were also 5250 compatible, but
then I can't find any reference to Alfaskop having made 5250 screens. If
they have co-ax connectors they are 3270 compatible, if they have twinax or
DE-9 then 5250 for S/36, S/38, AS/400.

> 
> Regarding the huge stack of tapes, what should I look for in order to
identify
> what might be on them, is the "9270" label any clue?

The other labels. "9270" looks like a tape library number, and as it also
says CA-DYNAM-T I suspect the tapes were managed by a Computer Automation
Tape Library Management program, and the only pace the content of the tapes
was recorded was in its database.

> 
> I will leave the Esselte Scribona FD 20 behind, but I'm curious what it
is? I
> think it may have served use on an airport, printing boarding passes or
> similar.
> 
> Regards,
> Pontus.

Cheers,
Dave