Rescue of data from Pioneer 10 & 11 tapes at JPL needed. Vintagecomputers slated for demolition.

[William Donzelli]

> I don't know anything about these tapes in particular, but it is 
> possible they were recorded in analog right off the receivers at the 
> tracking stations (Madrid, Canberra, or Goldstone) and sent to the 
> Lab.

I think it was always done like this, correct? - redundant analog tape
machines coming off the redundant receivers. These tapes were then
processed into the digital data (getting rid of the fades, farts, and
burps from the radio).

I suspect all of the noises that keep popping up about unreadable tapes of
the space program have to do with these original analog telemetry
tapes. Nobody uses them anymore (have not for years).

RCS has a big HP tape transport - a seven foot rack with 12 channels (I
think). It records something like 1000 Hz down to DC. We have tried to
give it away for years (yes, speak up now if you want it - pick up only in
Providence), but have not found a single interested taker.

William Donzelli
aw288 at osfn.org