Ron Priest
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Apr 5, 2008, 11:56 AM
Post #6 of 6
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Re: [Chris Walsh] PD170 heads clogging issue
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Hi Chris
I think I'm having the same problem. I shoot with VX2xxx cams, but have been using these expensive Panasonic AY-DVM63MQ tapes for .. oh I guess about a year and a half now. I have 3 cams two VX2000 and one VX2100. My oldest camera's internal battery is dead and I'm not going to pay someone $200 to replace it. But I never have any problems with that cam, except it tells me to set the clock when I turn it on. No big deal, the clock keep time when I have a battery connected to it and I only use that cam for my balcony static shot any way. But It has never reset timecode on my. My other VX2000 on the other hand resets timecode a lot, and it often flashes the "Clean Tape" warning. Is that the clogged head warning your talking about?
I sent that camera in to get it cleaned and they tried to tell me the internal battery needed to be changed and that's what was causing it to reset time code to 00. I just can't accept that answer, because for one reason, that internal battery had never died, it always kept good time even when sitting without an external battery connected for several weeks at a time. But they changed the battery and said they cleaned it. After I got it back, it reset time code on me after about 50 min of tape time, pausing and starting the cam as you would on a live shoot. I sent it back to them and they told me they couldn't duplicate the problem. Don't know what tapes they were using for their bench check. Well using this camera the other day on my first shoot after it was cleaned, it reset time code once after the 1st or 2nd tape.
Then I guess I had a head clog on my VX2100 back on a December wedding. It was strange, I normally am the only one that uses this camera but I let my assistant use it for the bridal prep and then the ceremony and it stopped working just as the bride was getting ready to come down the aisle. Ticked me off! So my assistant just went up to the balcony and started shooting with that cam. After the ceremony, I checked it out and it worked fine, I used it for the rest of the night without any problems. Is that the nature of a clogged head? Change tape or whatever and it will start working just fine?
So if it's a tape problem, I wonder what I should do? Switch to a different tape, even though we've been told that we shouldn't do that? I switched to this Panasonic AY-DVM63AMQ tape because I couldn't get the AY-DVM63MQ tape anymore. I was told Panasonic stopped making it and this was it's replacement. Well when you pay $6 for a tape you don't expect to get crap tapes!
I've also started have a problem with my DSR-11. I'll put a tape in it and at times it will think it's a DV-Cam tape and wont play. If I run a tape cleaner through it, it's ok for a while, but it will happen again before long. I like you am wondering if I just got a bad batch or something. I bought 20 of them not long ago, I'm thinking maybe I need to switch to something else, but I don't want to send these cams off and have to pay $$ to get them cleaned because Im saving up for some new cams and hope to get them before long here in a couple months maybe.
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Ron Priest - Louisville KY
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