"Paul W. Schleck" wrote in message
...

[snip]

I don't know a lot of detail about the economics of this, particularly
at the bulk/wholesale level, but I wonder if switching to CD-R's would
be a reasonable alternative at this point. At retail at least, I
observe that spindled CD-R's are about as cheap, if not slightly less
so, than cassette tapes. CD players with headphones are approaching
$10-$15 at box retailers, and CD-capable drives are ubiquitous in most
households that have either PC's or DVD players, so this shouldn't be a
hardship for the listeners, either. I recall a CBS "60 Minutes" piece
about NetFlix, where they determined that a DVD could be mailed in a
simple flat envelope inexpensively, and the odds of accidental breakage
was low enough, that it was cheaper over large quantities to send it
that way and just send a replacement for the occasional broken disc.
CD-R's mailed that way would at least be under the 1/4" limit, and would
save the extra postage.

There would be the need to set up CD burning equipment, but most
standard PC's seem to already come with CD burners, and are not that
expensive to buy separately. Whatever investment in new equipment by
both sender and receiver would appear to be quickly offset by the saved
postage multiplied over many bulk mailings.

Is one possible issue that the recipients like to reuse the cassettes?
If so, then going to CD-RW's might be an option if they are not
cost-prohibitive.

One thought that occurs to me (because I have personal experience of it) is
that some disabled people may actually not be able to physically handle
CD's. I know this because my brother is one of them. He is severely
physically disabled, has cerebral palsy and simply cannot pick up a CD/DVD
from its case and put it into a player. He can just about, with a lot of
physical effort, put a cassette into a tape player and set it running, but
he has a lot of difficulty manipulating the controls and is always chewing
up tapes due to continually stopping/starting/winding them.

He is a big fan of classical organ music and we buy him CD's and copy them
onto cassettes for him, but as he is constantly (through no fault of his
own) destroying them, we have to re-record them every so often. The trouble
is, blank cassettes are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. Those
stores that do still stock them say that when their stocks are exhausted
they won't be having any more.

What my brother and people like him (surely he can't be the only one..?)
will do then is anybody's guess.

73 Ivor G6URP

Ivor Jones wrote:

He is a big fan of classical organ music and we buy him CD's and copy them
onto cassettes for him, but as he is constantly (through no fault of his
own) destroying them, we have to re-record them every so often. The trouble
is, blank cassettes are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. Those
stores that do still stock them say that when their stocks are exhausted
they won't be having any more.

What my brother and people like him (surely he can't be the only one..?)
will do then is anybody's guess.

Hi Ivor,

This might be a solution.

Radio stations now use "cart" software, instead of the cartridges of old.

I've seen some of this software, at least for the mac - I'm certain that
PC has them too. The sound or music is selected and played after being
digitized and placed on a hard drive. In this way, the CD's can be
digitized into MP3's, and he can select by pushing a key or use a mouse
if he is capable.

I don't know all the particulars of the situation, but maybe this could
help?

- 73 de Mike KB3EIA -

"Ivor Jones" schreef in bericht
...
"Paul W. Schleck" wrote in message
...

[snip]

I don't know a lot of detail about the economics of this, particularly
at the bulk/wholesale level, but I wonder if switching to CD-R's would
be a reasonable alternative at this point. At retail at least, I
observe that spindled CD-R's are about as cheap, if not slightly less
so, than cassette tapes. CD players with headphones are approaching
$10-$15 at box retailers, and CD-capable drives are ubiquitous in most
households that have either PC's or DVD players, so this shouldn't be a
hardship for the listeners, either. I recall a CBS "60 Minutes" piece
about NetFlix, where they determined that a DVD could be mailed in a
simple flat envelope inexpensively, and the odds of accidental breakage
was low enough, that it was cheaper over large quantities to send it
that way and just send a replacement for the occasional broken disc.
CD-R's mailed that way would at least be under the 1/4" limit, and would
save the extra postage.

There would be the need to set up CD burning equipment, but most
standard PC's seem to already come with CD burners, and are not that
expensive to buy separately. Whatever investment in new equipment by
both sender and receiver would appear to be quickly offset by the saved
postage multiplied over many bulk mailings.

Is one possible issue that the recipients like to reuse the cassettes?
If so, then going to CD-RW's might be an option if they are not
cost-prohibitive.

One thought that occurs to me (because I have personal experience of it) is
that some disabled people may actually not be able to physically handle
CD's. I know this because my brother is one of them. He is severely
physically disabled, has cerebral palsy and simply cannot pick up a CD/DVD
from its case and put it into a player. He can just about, with a lot of
physical effort, put a cassette into a tape player and set it running, but
he has a lot of difficulty manipulating the controls and is always chewing
up tapes due to continually stopping/starting/winding them.

He is a big fan of classical organ music and we buy him CD's and copy them
onto cassettes for him, but as he is constantly (through no fault of his
own) destroying them, we have to re-record them every so often. The trouble
is, blank cassettes are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. Those
stores that do still stock them say that when their stocks are exhausted
they won't be having any more.

What my brother and people like him (surely he can't be the only one..?)
will do then is anybody's guess.

!. there must be huge stockpiles of cassettes at institutions or private housholds
who used them. They are not blank, but can be used. The only problem is to find them
before they are thrown away.
In Holland you can find hundreds of them in recycling stores.

2. second solution is to find another way of packing the CD. No jewel box but paper
or plastic sleaves or something else?

MRE

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...

One thought that occurs to me (because I have personal experience of it)
is that some disabled people may actually not be able to physically handle
CD's. I know this because my brother is one of them. He is severely
physically disabled, has cerebral palsy and simply cannot pick up a CD/DVD
from its case and put it into a player. He can just about, with a lot of
physical effort, put a cassette into a tape player and set it running, but
he has a lot of difficulty manipulating the controls and is always chewing
up tapes due to continually stopping/starting/winding them.

He is a big fan of classical organ music and we buy him CD's and copy them
onto cassettes for him, but as he is constantly (through no fault of his
own) destroying them, we have to re-record them every so often. The
trouble is, blank cassettes are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.
Those stores that do still stock them say that when their stocks are
exhausted they won't be having any more.

What my brother and people like him (surely he can't be the only one..?)
will do then is anybody's guess.

73 Ivor G6URP


Ivor ,
Here is a possible solution.
I use a Sony DVD "Disk Explorer". My old model holds 200 disks. It will play
audio CD's, MP3's, WMA, DVD, Video CD,s etc. They make/made a newer model
that holds 300 disks. I know these units can be cascaded via jacks on the
back of the units. I bet there are similar audio CD only units out there.
Once loaded with disks, the disks never need to be touched again.
73, Ace - WH2T


..

As I understand it -- at least here in the USA -- the Radio Reading
Services (RRS) are locked into cassette tapes for the foreseeable
future. This is because the players (and player recorders) are
specifically designed to be "blind friendly" as defined by the Americans
in Disability Act.

While many sightless people can manipulate CD players, there is no
established "standard" as there are for cassettes and no real impetus to
create one. Don't hold your breath waiting.

B-T-W: Most RRS tapes run at 15/16 IPS -- half the speed of the normal
1 7/8 IPS of cassette machines -- tho some like those my friend Hap
Holly KC9RP (Of RAIN fame) are dual speed.

At low speed a C-120 (2 hr) cassette will store 4 hours of voice quality
sound. Another reason that the cassette is so popular with the RSS.

de
Bill P. / WA6ITF


Ivor Jones wrote:
"Paul W. Schleck" wrote in message
...

[snip]

I don't know a lot of detail about the economics of this, particularly
at the bulk/wholesale level, but I wonder if switching to CD-R's would
be a reasonable alternative at this point. At retail at least, I
observe that spindled CD-R's are about as cheap, if not slightly less
so, than cassette tapes. CD players with headphones are approaching
$10-$15 at box retailers, and CD-capable drives are ubiquitous in most
households that have either PC's or DVD players, so this shouldn't be a
hardship for the listeners, either. I recall a CBS "60 Minutes" piece
about NetFlix, where they determined that a DVD could be mailed in a
simple flat envelope inexpensively, and the odds of accidental breakage
was low enough, that it was cheaper over large quantities to send it
that way and just send a replacement for the occasional broken disc.
CD-R's mailed that way would at least be under the 1/4" limit, and would
save the extra postage.

There would be the need to set up CD burning equipment, but most
standard PC's seem to already come with CD burners, and are not that
expensive to buy separately. Whatever investment in new equipment by
both sender and receiver would appear to be quickly offset by the saved
postage multiplied over many bulk mailings.

Is one possible issue that the recipients like to reuse the cassettes?
If so, then going to CD-RW's might be an option if they are not
cost-prohibitive.

One thought that occurs to me (because I have personal experience of it) is
that some disabled people may actually not be able to physically handle
CD's. I know this because my brother is one of them. He is severely
physically disabled, has cerebral palsy and simply cannot pick up a CD/DVD
from its case and put it into a player. He can just about, with a lot of
physical effort, put a cassette into a tape player and set it running, but
he has a lot of difficulty manipulating the controls and is always chewing
up tapes due to continually stopping/starting/winding them.

He is a big fan of classical organ music and we buy him CD's and copy them
onto cassettes for him, but as he is constantly (through no fault of his
own) destroying them, we have to re-record them every so often. The trouble
is, blank cassettes are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. Those
stores that do still stock them say that when their stocks are exhausted
they won't be having any more.

What my brother and people like him (surely he can't be the only one..?)
will do then is anybody's guess.

73 Ivor G6URP

Bill Pasternak wrote:

At low speed a C-120 (2 hr) cassette will store 4 hours of voice quality
sound. Another reason that the cassette is so popular with the RSS.

But this capacity pales in comparison to digital devices. I was amazed
to discover that some of those little hand-held digital recorders store
144 hours of "extra high-quality" sound. That technology sure has
changed since I last looked at it.

73, Steve KB9X