RCA 8-tracks

[Ronald1973]

I can remember my parents buying tapes religiously via the RCA Music Service. I still collect tapes, and I have a good 95% of the tapes they owned. Two Hank Williams tapes, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Elvis Presley, Ronnie Milsap, Kenny Rogers, and a few others. Taking a lickin' and keepin' on tickin'!

I know people poo-poo the format, and it obviously had drawbacks. For the format, though, you can't top the RCA tapes in general. Tapes that are approaching 40 years old, yet they still play like new when I stick them in the player. I've only had one tape break, and that was because I put it in a bad player. The splice seems to hold up and their pressure pad system was the best.

It's a shame that other manufacturers didn't have the same care for the format that RCA did.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Agreed, on average RCA 8 tracks for me have been the most reliable of the major brands with age.

 

[tom3]

Not real hard to repair either. Cut a slot in the center rivet with a dremel tool and back it out with a screwdriver and the cart comes apart easy. Usually a quality tape in there too.

 

[1tumbleweed]

Their tape was Tarzian Industries in Indiana - not well known, but much better than average "duplicator grade".

Great tip on the rivet style carts - I've been drilling them out! Your way is better.

Cheers,
Larry B.

 

[Ronald1973]

Not real hard to repair either. Cut a slot in the center rivet with a dremel tool and back it out with a screwdriver and the cart comes apart easy. Usually a quality tape in there too.

Of my parent's tapes, I've only had two that went bad. One was ate by a under the dash player that was no good, and the other one was a Charlie Rich tape that just broke at the splice. I've bought a couple at flea markets that didn't work out good, but by and large they haven't presented too much of a problem.

 

[62vauxhall]

Not real hard to repair either. Cut a slot in the center rivet with a dremel tool and back it out with a screwdriver and the cart comes apart easy. Usually a quality tape in there too.

Don't own a Dremel but Iearned how to open a riveted cartridge with a soldering iron. Stick the business end of a wooden clothespin in the cartridge opening and press the other ends together. Simultaneously, put the hot iron's tip in the rivet's dimple. That sounds pornographic. In any case, the plastic around the rivet softens slightly and the pressure from the clothespin spreads the cartridge halves apart and the rivet usually stays put in the upper half. To close, align the rivet with the bottom half's hole and apply pressure to the rivet with the hot iron top. The rivet will soon slide back into place, just like nothing happened.

 

[tom3]

Have to remember that one, thanks for posting. And the closepin deal would work with most others too.

 

[62vauxhall]

Have to remember that one, thanks for posting. And the closepin deal would work with most others too.

No it probably won't. Those clothes pins break easily. When used as described for riveted cartridges, the pressure is not extreme just steady. When I see the wood start to bend a bit, I don't squeeze any harder. For other cartridges, most others that is, a small bladed screwdriver and a tool called a Richard roofing knife are all I usually need to open them. The roofing knife is ideal to pry and/or hold apart the cartridge halves while working the pins with the screwdriver. I obtained one of those by chance - just spotted them in Home Depot when looking for something to pry adhesived on drivers from speaker baffles. It worked perfectly for that and turned out to be ideal for working on 8 track cartridges. I've also employed it in many other projects so much so that it has become the most used tool I have. Highly recommend. Get one, you may be surprised what it becomes usefull for.