Dictaphone 5202 1/2" 4-head reel to reel tape transport Logger 10.5" R2R 1990 - black rack mount

NOTE: there will be no further price drops. If this doesn't sell during June 2026, I will throw it away. Thanks for looking!

This transport was part of a rack-mount institutional 20-channel tape logger made in the USA in 1990. Nuance communications stopped servicing them in 2002.

The 5000 series was installed at police stations to record conversations on many different telephone lines, but the transport was also used at radio stations to verify ad times for sponsors. It ran at very slow tape speed to record an entire day on a single tape. Although it's difficult to find conclusive info, we believe this operated at 15/32 ips, producing an acceptable frequency response between 30 and 3000 Hz.

It's in unknown condition and needs a power cord or power supply. Both capstan rollers' rubber has rotted.

Three beefy reliable Japanese motors. Capstan belt is still functional. Reel motors spin freely when brake is removed. This thing has a lot of useful stuff in it for a lo-fi project. Just imagine what you could do with those four heads!

You get the transport, the 10.5" metal take-up reel, and the tiny control panel. For $200 more (shipping to USA included), I'll throw in the power supply/channel selector and what looks like a digital tape search control panel. Not sure what to do with it otherwise, but it's REALLY FREAKING HEAVY.