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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 18th Aug 2018, 9:53 pm   #1
fathermck
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Default Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

Hi all,

my great-grandfather left me a Grundig Reporter 700 L he bought in 1953, including 2 tapes.

I think he used it to record his band playing music and maybe his voice.
I plugged it and it seems to work (FF and Rewind).

But how can i use it to listen the recordings ? I don't want to test too much because there is a lot of "record" buttons.

Thanks a lot.
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Old 19th Aug 2018, 10:50 am   #2
camtechman
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

This will tell you how to use it:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GRUNDIG-R...-/183175193169
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Old 19th Aug 2018, 10:55 am   #3
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

i believe you press "tape" on the left and then "start" on the right . I too tried to find you an online manual but could only find the service manual in German.
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Old 19th Aug 2018, 12:59 pm   #4
fathermck
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

Quote:
Originally Posted by camtechman View Post
Thanks camtechman for the link, but 20 euros for 13 pages


Quote:
Originally Posted by NorfolkDaveUK View Post
i believe you press "tape" on the left and then "start" on the right. I too tried to find you an online manual but could only find the service manual in German.
Yes I hoped to find the manual here in English...
Above the the "Tape" Button I can read "REPROD" so it's a "REPROD TAPE" button, scary Do you think I should try anyway ?
The others on the left are "Recording TELE" / "Recording MICRO" / "Recording RADIO/GRAM" and on the right "Reprod GRAM" / "Fast Rewind" "Fast Forward" / "Start".
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Old 19th Aug 2018, 1:25 pm   #5
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

Quote:
I too tried to find you an online manual

See post #2
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Old 19th Aug 2018, 1:41 pm   #6
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

Why not get some blank tapes or tapes with unwanted material and experiment to your heart's content?
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Old 19th Aug 2018, 1:47 pm   #7
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

REPROD stands for 'reproduce' which is another word for playback (obvious to most readers of this forum, but perhaps not the OP). 'REPROD GRAM' most likely plays back a connected record player through the internal power amplifier and speaker of the tape recorder. So, barring any failure in the machine, REPROD is exactly what you're looking for.
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Old 19th Aug 2018, 2:52 pm   #8
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

I have 'The Grundig Book' (Fredrick Purves, a Focal Sound Book) here and it gives 'Working Instructions in a Nutshell' for this model :

CONNECT TO MAINS with lead from locker in side of case

LOAD WITH TAPE -- full spool on left, empty spool on right -- and wind tape on to right spool untl metallied strip is all on right of sound channel [head/capstan area -- ARD]

SELECT SPEED wth switch on right of deck

CONNECT INPUT from microphone, pickup, radio etc by inserting plug into appropriate socket in distribution panel at back of case

SWITCH ON by turning central knurled ring clockwise until it clicks

RECORD (a) Press key on left labelled with input you want to record. (b) Adjust ring control until magic eye just closes on strongest signal. (c) Press Start key (end ofright key bank) to start tape. (d) Press Stop Bar (in front of right key bank) to end recording (Stop Bar on left is held down when you just want to pause)

WIND BACK (a) Press Fast Wind key marked for Right to Left. (b) Press Stop Bar wehn all tape is back on left spool

PLAY BACK (a) Press 'REPRO TAPE' key (right key bank). (b) Press Start Key to start tape. (c) Adjust volume with knurled ring Volume Control. (d) Adjust tone with thumbwheel at back centre of deck. (e) Press Stop Bar to end playback.

SWITCH OFF (a) Press Stop Bar. (b) Turn Volume Control anticlockwise until it clicks.

Incidentally the 'REPRO GRAM' key is described as 'Play Back Grem P.U. through built-in speaker', so I guess it is to use the machine as an amplifier.

There is a similar book (same author and publisher) 'The Philips Tape Recorder Book' which I find quite useful. Totally non-techincal (as is the Grundig Book) but these brief operating instructions are often all I need to get a machine working.
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Old 19th Aug 2018, 7:10 pm   #9
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

Thanks a lot ! Indeed "Repro tape" and "start" were needed. It worked !
Thanks to you I could hear the voice and the saxophone of my ancestor, that was touching !

Now I need to record it to a wav file.

So I have 2 options :
  • Use a microphone (poor quality but easier)
  • Find the kind of connector in the rear to plug it between a computer and the Grundig Reporter. But I really don't know where I could find it. It doesn't seems to be a jack...
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Old 20th Aug 2018, 4:54 pm   #10
Ted Kendall
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

It is a jack, but of a diameter long since abandoned. You need either to turn down a quarter inch jack in a lathe or to connect to the socket's tags inside the machine.
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Old 20th Aug 2018, 5:09 pm   #11
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

Yes, Grundig used 6mm jacks on these machines (the modern one is 1/4" so slightly larger). The other 'gotcha' is that the microphone input was designed for an (old) condenser microphone and has a large-ish (100V or so) DC polarising voltage on it. The book warns tht if you use any other type of microphone you have to put a capacitor in series with it. Of course if you have the original microphone (it will have a model number starting 'GCM' I think) then you can use that with no problems.
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Old 20th Aug 2018, 7:45 pm   #12
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

I don't think the OP is intending to use a microphone into the Grundig, but to use one as a last resort to transfer audio into a computer.
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Old 20th Aug 2018, 8:05 pm   #13
fathermck
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Kendall View Post
I don't think the OP is intending to use a microphone into the Grundig, but to use one as a last resort to transfer audio into a computer.
Yes that's the idea, if only I can find the 6mm jack. Because I don't want to open the recorder just for that.
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Old 20th Aug 2018, 9:14 pm   #14
Ted Kendall
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

A man and a lathe is your best bet in that case - the connector was obsolete by 1960.
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Old 20th Aug 2018, 10:03 pm   #15
fathermck
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

It will not be easy to find either but I'll try
I searched google for "6mm jack" but nothing...even on ebay.
I don't even know if it is a mono or stereo jack. Anyway a stereo should fit in a mono.
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Old 21st Aug 2018, 9:41 am   #16
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

The machine is mono, so they are certainly mono jacks. As noted 6mm jacks are long gone, one might search eBay for an original microphone, broken if possible (since you are not interested in the microphone itself). Still, it can be hard to actually see if the plug is 6mm or 1/4", and sellers often don't have (or say they don't have) a clue.

I once made a connector by wrapping a 4mm screw with (sticky) tape so the diameter became 6mm, then sandwiched the ground wire between the tape and socket as I inserted it. Not pretty but it did work and did not require a lathe.
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Old 21st Aug 2018, 12:45 pm   #17
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Default Re: Need help with my Grundig Reporter 700 L

Here's a link to a similar jack plug, but it's 5.4mm

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=66094
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