PR-99 - conversion mono to stereo?

[rstl99]

Hi all,
Someone locally is selling a PR-99 he acquired from a radio station some years back.  Oddly, this one is mono.  Can they be converted to stereo, for possible tape project usage?  If so, what would that entail, work/cost wise?
Thanks.
  --Robert

[ironbut]

Hi Robert, welcome to the forum. These mono machines were set up for speech only and were primarily used for broadcasting. Given enough money, any Revox/Studer can be converted to any format/speed as long as the same tape width is going to be used. That said, you can probably replace the circuit boards and heads with new ones but it would be quite a bit of money. If the machine hasn't been used in some time, you also need to budget some money to have it gone over, lubricated, and adjusted. You should probably check with JM to see how much converting it to the 1/2 track stereo 15 ips  IEC eq that the Tape Projects require.
http://www.jmtecharts.com/

[rstl99]

Hi Eric, thanks for your message.  Indeed, I figured that converting a mono machine to stereo would not be trivial nor inexpensive, but thought I'd ask just in case there was something I hadn't thought about.  I have plenty of reel recorders so don't need a mono PR99 at this time.

If I do intend to equip myself with a "Tape Project" compatible machine some day, I'll look for one that already has the necessary configuration.   I suppose in a pinch I could consider doing something to my 2 track Ampex 440C, but that may be beyond my technical capabilities.

Cheers, and season's greetings to all!
  --Robert

[High and Outside]

 I suppose in a pinch I could consider doing something to my 2 track Ampex 440C, but that may be beyond my technical capabilities.

Robert,

Your Ampex 440C should be an excellent playback deck for Tape Project albums. It's quite a good transport (especially if yours has the servo capstan) and the electronics are better than decent. If memory serves, there's an internal switch in each electronics module to change it to the IEC curve. If not, you can probably crank down the HF adjustment control enough to match our alignment tones, and you'll find that matches the curve quite well.