![[Tim Stoffel with an AVR-1]](/quad/avr1_2.jpg)
Quadruplex park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains, switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
It is hoped that this will become the home of 'tips' the broadcast equipment collector's online magazine. This can only happen if you, the reader of this page will contribute material to publish in the 'magazine. Suitable material might include descriptions of your collection, some unusual angle of collecting you are following, acqusition and maintenance tips for old equipment, stories of your involvement in the industry or with the equipment, parts availability, locations of public collections, etc. etc.. Of course, pictures are always welcome; that's half the fun of the World-Wide Web! Submit any material to the email address below.
On December 17th, 2001, I moved into a new home which will be the future home of Quadruplex Park. (Provided that changes in county government don't tax me off the land!) Initally, the collection will be spread between the oversize living room of the home, and a large garage. As time and financial resources allow, I hope to erect a building just for the collection. One other side benefit: I gain three African Lions as neighbors! (Read more about my interest in lions on the Tim Stoffel 'King of Beasts' Page. Here is a picture of the land. You can read the whole story at Quadruplex Park house page!
You can still read the blow-by blow account of how I managed to move 45,000 pounds of equipment from Rochester, NT to Reno, NV on a shoestring budget. Also, learn about some of the really fun activities I have been involved with in the first month after I moved to Reno, NV. Click here to begin your adventure!/
Coming soon! A pair of Ampex AVR-3's have arrived, as well as an additional ACR-225. My long-awaited Vidifont Graphics 5's have arrived.
COMING SOON! Pictures of the 'great quad reassembly party'. Also, pictures of two important new acqusitions: An Ampex VR3000 poratble quad VTR and a Sony HDV-1000 full bandwidth analog HDTV VTR!
In it's first digital VTR acquisition, Quadruplex Park has managed to snag a 'state-of-to snag a 'state-of-the-art' Ampex ACR-225! For those not familiar, this machine is a digital video spot playback system. It contains four D2 composite digital VTR's, room for 256 cassettes, and a robotic arm to keep everything loaded. Using one of the most efficient threading mechanisms ever made, this machine can load, thread, cue, and play 10 second spots back-to-back continuously with digital quality! (In fact, this same transport is still being built as a data recorder. (Ampex DST) Although all machines of this type have been superceded by disk-based digital video servers, this machine will still outperform 99 percent of those both in quality and amount of material it can hold. This machine is HUGE! 80 by 86 by 35 inches and weighs in at 2,600 pounds. Click here for pictures!
While waiting for the ACR-225 to be shipped, I was contacted by a VTR collector living on the East Coast. When we started comparing notes, I had an excess of AVR-2's and he had an excess of VPR-300's. So, we traded! The Ampex VPR-300 is a D-2 digital production recorder. It is the same legendary transport as used in the ACR-225. Of course, it has all the bells and whistles you would expect of a top-of-the-line editing VTR. The machine I have is in nearly perfect physical condition and is fully operational. This machine originally came from HBO master control. Look for details and pictures in the near future!
A great article about Quadruplex Park and this Webpage appears in the March, 1997 edition of 'Audio Media' Magazine!
I have historically done dubbing of obselete format videotapes when I have a working machine for the given format. Although I do still plan to do this, the long time it is taking me to finish my move is preventing me from doing any of this kind of work. I also do dubbing only as a hobby/side job. Meanwhile, I can recommend two places that do obselete-format videotape transfers. One is Antique Video, who specializes in quad transfers. The other company does quad, but also does many other oddball formats, including many no one else can do. They are Vidipax. There are other smaller firms that do this type of work, but I am not familir with them at this time.
At the present time, the following items are included in this site: Tour Quadruplex park, A look at my personal collection; VTR theory, a discussion on how videotape recorders work; VTR formats, detailed information on all of the known VTR formats; Ampex and RCA equipment catalogs, descriptions with pictures of the various VTRs Ampex and RCA made over the years. What's down the road? Tips online magazine, more old equipment catmore old equipment catalogs, FTP archive of past articles on broadcast equipment and....your suggestions for improvement!
