Instrumentation tape recorders found a variety of industrial and commercial applications where sensor information needed to acquired and returned to a laboratory facility for further and repeated analysis, or for safety or process continuous monitoring for forensic analysis, or for national security surveillance monitoring of hostile states.

A few examples of these are shown here.

Radar Recording

Air traffic control relies on radar plot data to show the location of aircraft in the air. Continuous recording of this data enables traffic analysis, and in the event of a significant incident, forensic investigation of flight patterns preceding the incident.

SE Labs, then Thorn EMI Datatech provided the first radar recording systems for the London air traffic control centre in Hounslow, then the Scottish ATCC in Prestwick.

Picture of London Air Traffic Control Centre radar recording system, 1977, showing 3 SE7000 tape recorders and a control/signal conditioning rack.
London Air Traffic Control Centre Radar continuous recording system, 1977
Picture of Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre radar plot recording system, 3 x SE9000 tape recorders and control rack to provide automatic tape changeover without data loss.
Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre Radar Recording system, 1987

Field Acquisition

The SE7000 Tape Recorder was particularly useful in field applications, almost always as FM recording, where the frequency response to D.C. and enhanced linearity was important.

Picture of DAF trucks, a test rack and a SE7000A FM tape recorder. 1977
Test track recording of DAF trucks in West Africa

Picture of a JCB Digger being stress-tested with the results recorded on a portable SE7000A Instrumentation Tape Recorder.
Real Load Testing of a JCB using a SE7000A FM Tape recorder.

Original Caption
‘The illustrations show a typical example of the use of instrumentation recording under field conditions. By attaching transducers to the appropriate part of the JCB Digger, parameters such as vibration, strain, engine torque, etc. can be recorded under actual operating conditions. The recording can then be studied and analysed in the Laboratory. ‘

Picture of a digger being tested with a SE7000 Tape Recorder
Load testing of a Aveling Barford digger

Original Caption
‘The Instrumentation Tape Recorder is the preferred way today of capturing data of a random, fleeting of “single-shot” nature. In some cases it is the only way.
Many points of interest may be recorded simultaneously under difficult environmental conditions. They may then be repeatedly analysed at leisure in better surroundings and a more convenient time.
In the photograph you can see a truck-borne 14 channel F.M. SE7000A about to record stress and load data on the frame of an Earth Vehicle. Notice the transducer, for changing mechanical into electrical signals, attached to the pivot point of the hydraulically operated wishbone between the shovel booms. These signals are then fed to the recorder.
The Engineer operating the 7000 and the plant driver can pass operational instructions to one another via microphone headsets.
This information when analysed may be used by structural engineers to validate previous design calculations or be the base for an entirely new design.‘

Picture of Hovercraft type SR.N5 being tested with data recorded by SE7000A FM tape recorders.
Hovercraft SR.N5 testing with SE7000A FM Tape recorders.

Original Caption
‘SE7000Series Recorders have been used for acquiring data on the performance of Hovercraft. Various parameters such as wave height, wind speed, hovercraft speed etc. can be recorded along with a commentary on weather conditions and operating details.These can be analysed at a later date. This is an example of an instrumentation tape recorder operating in an adverse environment, since much of the investigation concerned operation in bad weather. ‘