LAST MAGNETIC TAPE FACTORY CLOSES!!! YIKES!!!

[NewYorkDave]

The problem is that "we" failed to say no to imported products with our wallets. "Made in USA" or fill in the blank with your country's name used tomean something to a lot of people. Of course, this can be construed as a form of racism.

That's ridiculous; people of all races live and work in the USA. Matter of fact, when I worked in electronic manufacturing in the '80s, at least half of my fellow factory workers were ethnic minorities, and a large percentage of employees, of any race, were women.

We all vote with our pocketbooks, but sometimes we don't know or realize it during the process. Perhaps we should have all started with a boycott of Walmart from the outset??

It's never too late to have the courage of one's convictions. I boycott Wal-Mart. I buy American goods whenever possible and gladly pay a little more if I have to. (Unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to exercise that option as some things are simply NOT made here anymore). Sure, it's a drop in the bucket... but enough drops will fill an awful lot of buckets! :green:

You make a good point, Rich. Many times I think we are too concerned with trying to legislate morality whilst we unknowingly get cut off at the knees on some issue that has a much greater long-term effect on us all.

It's much easier to appeal to Middle America's fear of homosexuals and the "northeastern liberal elite" (the Republicans' code word for Jews and intellectuals) than to tell them that they'd better make a choice between cheap consumer goods today and a good standard of living tomorrow.

 

[mesmer]

Hear hear! Dave I feel the same way.
Peter

 

[mesmer]

Brad, hording stock is ok for today. A few years agoI put up some ampex 456 from 87' and it shredded. There's an experation date that varies depending on the kind of tape.
Peter

 

[SonsOfThunder]

[quote author="NewYorkDave"]That's ridiculous; people of all races live and work in the USA. Matter of fact, when I worked in electronic manufacturing...a large percentage...were women.[/quote] Right you are, but I would still contend that we are effectively saying that "I" and my fellow "Americans" have a right to a better standard of living than anyone living in "X" country, yes?

It's never too late...

Right again, Dave :thumb:

...enough drops will fill an awful lot of buckets!

That's an awfully big bucket tho, dude!

Peace!
Charlie

 

[Peter Knight]

[quote author="SonsOfThunder"][quote author="NewYorkDave"]That's ridiculous; people of all races live and work in the USA. Matter of fact, when I worked in electronic manufacturing...a large percentage...were women.[/quote] Right you are, but I would still contend that we are effectively saying that "I" and my fellow "Americans" have a right to a better standard of living than anyone living in "X" country, yes?
[/quote]

I think the word you may be after is "nationalism" rather than "racism".

 

[Jonathan Hayward]

To get back on topic...ish

What's the likelyhood of sort of 'retreading' magnetic tape like old car tyres? getting something not quite up to new spec but useable. Presumably it's a chemical process that gets the oxide there in the first place - and baking tapes isn't so exotic any more. It strikes me that the really tricky bit is 'making' and cutting the tape itself.

 

[NewYorkDave]

[quote author="SonsOfThunder"]Right you are, but I would still contend that we are effectively saying that "I" and my fellow "Americans" have a right to a better standard of living than anyone living in "X" country, yes?[/quote]

Bottom line, the first responsibility of a government and a society is to its citizens. You don't help other countries by dismantling your own.

 

[SonsOfThunder]

@Peter,
There's the word!

@NYD,
Yes, I see your point now. But it does seem that the US has a long habit of blowing up countries and then spending tons of money to rebuild them. We really aren't as stingy as the UN makes us out to be. :green: :green: :green: :green:

@Brad
I wonder if they would sell other formulations if there was enough request for it? It might be the case that they will start off making more sale-able product and work the other stuff back in later.

Seems to me that Q has been spending a lot of $ on advertising in the last couple of years in all the high profile magazines... that can certainly drive your operating costs up quickly. :roll:

Peace!

 

[aurt]

bradzatitagain wrote:

The tape has to pack *reasonably* flat without a forced tape guidance system on the transport.

It's not just the pack on the reels that makes a difference. Also, I'd qualify the guide rollers on Studers as "forced tape guidance". When Ampex first came out with 499 they had serious slitting problems. One guy I know related that had to re-shim said guide rollers on the A-800s for every new batch of 499 that came in the door, bummer. Some years later, and using Emtec tape, 468 I think, I ran into some similar troubles. We had a client locking out the whole place, three rooms, for an extended period. Setting them up to track in B, I brought along the tones reel from A, as well as the MRL that I had previously set up the machine with. Sure enough, the tones reel was a dB and a half down. Went to check it in A, they were the same. Much head scratching and half a morning wasted before I remembered what that guy had said, the other half wasted shimming the thing (and remembering that the cap on those rollers is reverse threaded) and documenting the shims for later reversal of the process. Basically, in one room the tape was riding 1/4 track width higher/lower than in the other.
So, slitting is a huge deal. Emtec's machinery gone to the scrapyard is a travesty. If Quantegy goes the same way, it will be very difficult to economically re-invent that wheel.
On a hopeful note, there have been boutique tape manufacturers in the past. If anyone remembers Zonal, they made some very nice tape. Perhaps if Quantegy does go down it could convince them to start doing so again, but it ain't gonna be cheap.
As to the race to the bottom, I've never bought anything at Wal-Fart, and have no inclination to. Fair free trade is something I support. Fair in a "sure, no tariffs on your imported products, as long as your workers are guaranteed similar minimum standards of safety, wages, hours and collective bargaining" kind of way. Any other approach is big trouble in the long run.