Wire Recorder
Maker and role
Webster-Chicago, Manufacturer
Production date
Post 1947
See full details
Object detail
Accession number
1981.127.3
Maker
Description
Webster wire recorder. Heavy brown box with flip-up lid and side carry handle. Inside lid, 3 reels of fine wire, instructions and small compartment. Recording equipment on bottom half at top and on sloped front dial controls and speakers.
Brief History
Wire recorders magnetically encoded data onto a thin steel wire and were the precursor technology to magnetic tape recording. The American company Webster-Chicago was a major producer of wire recorders after the Second World War. However the technology behind these devices is much older dating back to 1898 when Danish engineer Valdemar Poulsen invented the first wire recording device known as the Telegraphone.
The Webster-Chicago model 80-1 wire recorder was released around 1947. Webster-Chicago commonly marketed their devices as an electronic memory for the home. The microphone allowed users to record their own voices, music, and other sounds that the user would like to recall later. The device can record and playback audio that is magnetically encoded onto a thin steel wire. The 80-1 came mounted in its own carry case with removable lid. The lid contains storage for the microphone, power cable, and three wire spools. This device requires an AC 105-120V power supply to operate and is therefore incompatible with New Zealand’s mains power without an appropriate converter.
The Webster-Chicago model 80-1 wire recorder was released around 1947. Webster-Chicago commonly marketed their devices as an electronic memory for the home. The microphone allowed users to record their own voices, music, and other sounds that the user would like to recall later. The device can record and playback audio that is magnetically encoded onto a thin steel wire. The 80-1 came mounted in its own carry case with removable lid. The lid contains storage for the microphone, power cable, and three wire spools. This device requires an AC 105-120V power supply to operate and is therefore incompatible with New Zealand’s mains power without an appropriate converter.
Credit Line
Webster-Chicago. Post 1947. Wire Recorder, 1981.127.3. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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