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3. Ship tapes properly. Whenever it is necessary to mail or ship recorded tapes to
other locations, take certain precautions to ensure the safety and integrity of
the tapes in transit.
• The outer shipping container into which the canisters are placed must
afford the necessary strength and ridigity to protect the tapes from
damage caused by dropping or crushing. Pack wood or cardboard spacing
material between the tapes and the outer shipping container for physical
protection as well as for isolation from any magnetic fields that could
cause accidental tape erasure. Three inches of this bulk spacing should
constitute adequate protection from stray magnetic fields.
• While a 100% watertight container is not necessary, a reasonable degree of
water resistance must be ensured. For example, the container should be
able to protect the contents from damage if it is left on a loading dock in
the rain.
• Though the free end of a reel of tape should always be secured, it is particu-
larly important when preparing reels for shipping. While in storage,
either a hold-down sponge or vinyl strip may be used. During shipping,
however, it is advisable to use both.
• Tape in transit may be subjected to temperature extremes. Thmperatures
as low as -40°C might be encountered in an aircraft cargo hold at high alti-
tudes. A temperature of
120~
could easily be encountered in a motor
vehicle in the summer sun. It must again be emphasized that all incoming
tapes should be allowed to reach environmental equilibrium before being
used.
Media Requirements
The magnetic tape media to be used with these magnetic tape units must comply
with American National Standards Institute standard, X3.40-1983, Unrecorded
Magnetic Tape for Information Interchange.
A magnetic tape that does not meet these standards can degrade the performance
of a tape unit. In addition, a non-standard tape can cause astual damage to the
tape unit itself or excessive wear to the unit.
Characteristics of non-standard tapes include poor edge conditions, abrasive sur-
face, interlayer slippage, and poor oxide adhesion (which can cause particles to
separate from the tape causing errors on that tape and poor performance of subse-
quent tapes used on the tape unit). It should be noted that l.O-mil tape is not
allowed by ANSI X3.40-1983.
Operator Maintenance
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