Forgotten Format: The Sabamobil
Ғылым және технология
The Sabamobil is one of the rarer tape formats from the 60s. The cartridges may look strange but they hide a simple secret inside.
Click 'Show All' to read the FAQs
Potential FAQs
Q) What speed does the tape run at
A) 3.75 ips
Q) How much audio can a tape hold.
A) My tape contained a total of approx 90 mins of mono audio when tracks A,B,C & D were added together.
Real FAQs
Q: What's the name of the track at 07:50
A) Kurt Henkels: Junger Mann aus gutem Hause
• Video
Q) What's the name of the song at 08:03?
A) Peppermint twist. • Video
The version on the Sabamobil is a soundalike group.
Q) Does it have an auto-stop mechanism?
A) Well if it does, it isn't working on mine - the motor continues to spin at the end of a side and slips on the rubber wheel until the mechanism is manually switched off.
Q) Why didn't I pan the audio to the left and right on the reel to reel so I could play the separate tracks.
A) I needed to record the tape on a PCM recorder to include those recordings in this video - so dubbing two tracks at once was great because it takes half the time.
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I'm now convinced there is an unlimited number of ways to put two reels and a length of tape in a plastic housing
@adammedbery4454
7 жыл бұрын
custardo it's essentially how credit cards work. The strip on the back is like a length of tape.
@ShinigamiScope
7 жыл бұрын
I agree my good man
@aaronries9307
7 жыл бұрын
It doesn't even have to be two reels according to the inventor of the 8 Track!
@thetman0068
7 жыл бұрын
custardo Scotch adhesive tape is just that but adhesive
@RCAvhstape
7 жыл бұрын
And with some iron filings you can turn Scotch adhesive tape into magnetic recording tape. It's on an episode of Secret Life of Machines.
In all honesty, this has to be one of the best KZread channels I have seen. The presentation is spot-on, there's no real sneering and the facts are well researched. I have learned about loads of things I never knew existed thanks to this. And now, the intro and end 'credits' have book-ended the videos nicely. I don't know whether you (Mat, I'll use your name although I don't know you) work outside of producing KZread content, but if you do then kudos for the skills and effort and time invested. Obviously the puppets are a great bonus. For myself, thanks very much so far and looking forward to the next ones. Cheers.
@Techmoan
7 жыл бұрын
Many thanks for the positive words...it's encouraging to receive feedback like this.
@teekay_1
4 жыл бұрын
@@Techmoan I agree with the sentiment. You love technology, you understand the context of the technology, and you do clever presentations. Well done.
@Vaihox
2 жыл бұрын
What do you mean no sneering? Are there a lot of sneerers out there ln youtube?
When I was about 5 years old my Grandma remarried and moved to Australia. Every couple of months she'd send my brother and me a cassette with her and our step Grandpa reading stories to us. They were so much better than a written letter or a phone call and we listened to them over and over! They were a much later format than the one you talk about here (just the standard 80s/90s type), but thanks for reminding me anyway! =)
I'm genuinely thrilled everytime I see you've posted a new video!
@julosx
7 жыл бұрын
"Autoreverse : the Hard way" is proably my favourite.
@robelicit
7 жыл бұрын
julosx yes 👍 Auto-reverse-the Hard Way, w/Kubrick montage was pure genius.
You might think it's unlikely someone would use this in their car, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone did install this or any other old piece of car tech in their vehicle, especially if it's a vintage vehicle of the same period.
@MrAntennaBall
7 жыл бұрын
François Caron and the fact that it's an early "pull out" anti-theft audio system makes it quite the novelty too, yes.
@pedrochevez2090
7 жыл бұрын
François Caron Yes, that's actually much more likely. People like to be more genuine and unique and pretty surprising (show offs) with stuff like that. Not that techmoan is a show off lol
@mrpw1402
7 жыл бұрын
Jon Donnelly I think Saba makes a Bluetooth adapter for these
@Patrick_AUBRY
7 жыл бұрын
Ça serait logique uniquement dans une ancienne auto allemande.
@raymondkitchen6137
7 жыл бұрын
I have a 1990 Ford Festiva with an 8-track in it. I buy old crappy tapes and figure out the lengths, then redub them with other music and make my own sticker labels. I'm probably the only person with every Nirvana album on 8-track. If I want to listen to mp3s, I plug my phone into a cassette adaptor, place that in the 8-track cassette adaptor and put that in the machine. Lol
That's the cutest bulb I've ever seen, how could they do it so small that many years ago?! 😮
@300DBenz
7 жыл бұрын
They're made the exact same way as regular sized bulbs, but with a much smaller machine.
@freibier
7 жыл бұрын
Tiny gnomes with tiny, tiny hands.
@hirnfaser7245
7 жыл бұрын
300DBenz modern technology in a nutshell
@creepyloner1979
7 жыл бұрын
it was the 1960s, not the 1600s.
@xboys_archive
7 жыл бұрын
freibier gnomes I heard somewhere it was the elfs?
The amount of research you put into these episodes is staggering.
Always the most excited when I see a new techmoan upload :)
I see tape, I click like.
Drop everything! New techmoan video!
@SketchTurnerZero
7 жыл бұрын
Judas1911 Bubsy on Sega/Snes was very underrated games. But Bubsy 3D was really bad
@afloyd4976
7 жыл бұрын
Bubsy also made an appearance on the 64-bit Atari Jaguar.
@gaiusbaltar7122
7 жыл бұрын
I have subscribed to almost 30 channels but this one is the only one I asked for notification of new video.
@PowertoInfinity
7 жыл бұрын
V E R TX watch it at work lol
@bosmanragga51
7 жыл бұрын
Gaïus Baltar same to me
When I first read the title I thought it said "Forgotten Format: The Salami"
@Jonas_Keunecke
4 жыл бұрын
Didn't have a very long run either, equipment would start to grease up and playback was pretty wobbly :P
@ZILtoid1991
4 жыл бұрын
Cats can have a little of it as a treat.
@IngwiePhoenix
3 жыл бұрын
We had a PC vendor airing an ad here in the early 00s where someone put a salami into a PC's disc drive... So........ there's that.
@U014B
24 күн бұрын
And of course singles came out on Pepperonis.
The second is a sound-a-like group doing the exact same arrangement of Peppermint Twist that was a hit for Caterina Valenta and her brother Silvio Francesco, which was released on DECCA. The sound-a-like version was on the budget label Fono-Ring.
i just really love seeing these forgotten technologies man! thank you for sharing your knowledge with us :)
There really is a "type" of music you get in West Germany in the era of formats like this and the Tefifon isn't there! But those little One Fifty Special tape boxes are fabulous, absolutely adore that artwork. I would be so tempted to copy some 21st century post-rock or something onto one!
I have been into audio for 50 years, 25+ on air in radio, and you still amaze me with the stuff you find. Thank you. I love these videos.
I have watching a lot of your videos here lately. I really like them because they are so informative.
I really like your content. Especially on bizarre and vintage audio and video hardware. Especially the tefifon if that’s how you spell it. It’s cool that your showing this equipment because I wouldn’t know about it otherwise. I value this content very much
Another fantastic video. I love this sort of video, it makes me really appreciate the relative ease I've had in my life finding music to listen to at home. From tape cassettes, to CDs, mp3 downloads and streaming - it hasn't always been so easy or cheap to play the music you want, when you want. Lovely bit of forgotten tech.
What an absolute fantastic channel! presentation spot on and down to earth! Great to see both old and new tech and stuff you never knew existed. My son (9) watches and loves it, especially if he gets to see the puppets at the end which keeps him in fits of laughter! Great job, keep'em coming!
I have never heard of this. Fascinating as always, friend. Thank you so much for these videos!
Your channel is sooo interesting! I watch ur videos for some time now. Thank you for sharing all your experience and for showing how technology evolved!
Another German Invention you show i never seen in my 38 Year long Life in Germany. :)
@Thermalions
7 жыл бұрын
See there's your problem, you're too young. ;)
Thank you for your efforts put into this. I always wondered why would someone somewhere give this a thump down? This is a clever review that deserves nothing but appreciation!
if I had a car from that era, i would totally listen to stuff on a player like this.
@heirofaniu
6 жыл бұрын
Bigbacon Until you get sticker shocked. This system would cost over one thousand USD today, adjusted for inflation.
I love this channel, I could melt my brain watching this
I thought i had seen it all, but this format is completely new to me ;) Thanks, Techmoan, for always posting interesting videos :D
Once again my friend, once again... thanks to you and this particular video , I remember now the brand of my mum old radio, she had a SABA. It was a tube, wooden frame and I remember the deep and rich sound it had. oh the memories... Thanks again my friend !!!
Love your videos! keep em coming!
Hmm. You bring the aural conceptions of the past to us today, as crisp and clean as intened. Thank you so much for preserving these media forms, big fan.
Your videos are so great, Thanks a ton!
I love these videos, Mat. Keep up the good work!
7:55 Imagine cruising the streets, blasting this choone out at full volume!
I do like these "forgotten tape format" videos. This was quite an elegant machine really but it's amazing how quickly tapes developed from the 60's onwards. This was apparently from the mid-60's, which is after both the 8-track and compact cassette launched. Was this thing capable of anything near hi-fi sound?
@paul1153
7 жыл бұрын
It only played in mono.
@somitomi
7 жыл бұрын
It could still be capable of high audio quality, just on one channel. I think stereo sound wasn't that widespread at the time, a lot of cheaper reel-to-reel machines were either strictly mono, or capable of playing and recording mono tapes. I think later, more advanced Sabamobil machines would have been stereo, if the format had lived to see it.
@Gannett2011
7 жыл бұрын
The cheapest machines had one mono track per side. Most machines had 4 tracks, ie two mono tracks per side. Fancier machines would have separate outputs for each track, so you could play them as stereo (like the revox). I used to collect these machines, and the sound quality on even normal domestic units was pretty damn good.
@ryjelsum
3 жыл бұрын
Well - theoretically, since the tape used is conventional reel-to-reel tape, it could sound just as good as a reel to reel player - I don't know the slightest thing about reel-to-reel, but I remember Techmoan saying in the past that for a while after the compact cassette came out, reel-to-reel was still the hi-fi standard.
You always surprise me with new old tech. Great work my friend.
Thanks for the videos Techmoan. They're so relaxing.
Sorry about that. I had no idea there were so many other attempts at cornering the market with all these other types of weird and wonderful systems that had disappeared into obscurity. It’s great the way you, not only able give a history of all these largely forgotten items from the past, but also manage to find working, (mostly), examples of the machines in question, and give a proper demonstration. Although I love music and can certainly appreciate a good sound system, I am certainly no technophile, but I’ve found myself more and more fascinated with the subject with each viewing of your videos. Thanks.
That reel to reel you have is enchanting .... taskes me back to when I used to work with 35mm film as a projectionist
I really enjoy watching these videos about rare recording formats.
Always love it when you do the retro stuff!
really liking your reel to reel, looks very good!
I just spent longer than the run time of this video trying to get rid of the ads. Worth it.
To have this installed in a classic car seems like a fun idea, would be a great conversation starter at car shows.
You are so passionate and your videos are so informative ! This is the good neighborhood of KZread
wow you put alot of work into this video, thanks good stuff as always
Love it! Keep digging out these amazing devices Mr Moan.....
My God... You have a RT-909!? With large-hub adapters?!? I am SO envious...! That German adaptation of "The Peppermint Twist" sounds so removed from the original, it's almost like they're two different songs! And to end this commentary, I would like to note how I have one of those Scotch audio letter tapes... but it came in a plastic, snap-lid case. Have yet to hear whatever is on it--if anything--but will be doing so on my Ampex 2176 w/auto-reverse.
Never saw this before, the audio-world keeps me amazed :). Nice find! Also, great vid!
Very interesting video 👍🏻 keep up the great work ✌🏻
Nothing beats getting home from work to see a new video from both Techmoan and 8-bit Guy!
Veey interesting format there! The player looks so cute and the music on your particular tape was awesome.
Wow the picture you showed at 6:12 is just like my old Phillips tape recorder I have somewhere in the garage. You've inspired me to see if it still works! Thank you for a great video, "as always..."
That Dutch advert is awesome haha Great vid again .. You always find something "new"
great video as always fella!! love it!!
New Techmoan video involving old formats, especially tape... all of my YES
$136 in 1965 = $1067 in 2017. $14 = $110. Holy shit.
@home-space
7 жыл бұрын
Today you also pay huge amounts for teh latest cutting edge technology. eg 10k for a big OLED 4k tv. BUt in a few years time , it will have reduced to a fraction of that. A CD writer used to be 1k. Now you can hardly give them away.
@Membrane556
7 жыл бұрын
I guess that is why it wasn't a big commercial success like the 8 track and cassette.
@cristiandone2837
4 жыл бұрын
People were not that poor in 1965. Also the price was not much above the production costs.
"ONE FIVE" could also be related to the tape thickness - 1.5 mil :)
Across the Atlantic and I still always enjoy your videos
I sit and I wait for these, sometimes months at a time..Forgotten Format is my favorite format of Techmoan video.
I never even heard of this before. Thank you for sharing this wonderful find!
Always excellent explanations. Thank you.
Another great video, seems to be a very practical system
Your 20th century toys are the best! ... another great find, I love all the analogue tape tech! thank you again!
Great video on the Sabamobil. thanks pierre from New Mexico
Great review, also nice artistic use of stills for the end credits. Sure if youtube gave awards that would get some votes. kudos.
That's awesome. I've never heard of that thing. Thanks for the video.
I just know this is going to be good - I want to thumbs up before I've even started the video!
thank you! love your videos :)
Saba! wow it brings back memories, we had a Saba TV in my early years! Ultracolor T5668 , the wood panel is gorgeous!
You are such a wonderful resource for unusual av formats. Much like LGR's Oddware series. I like it a lot.
Another incredible Techmoan video. This is great!
Techmoan; I'm delighted to see you post a video on something Saba did! You may want to check out some of their other things, they had fully mechanical radios with automatic station seeking and remote controls, way back in the early 1960's! Anyways, thanks for sharing all of this stuff with everyone, it's so cool to see fellow people enjoy this kind of stuff! Cheers~
@Techmoan
7 жыл бұрын
I've got another Saba device to show at some point.
@uo1147
7 жыл бұрын
Very much looking forward to it, they certainly had some eccentric stuff!
Thanks for another interesting video!
I could design a 3D printable cartridge to be used with those reels if I had access to one.
@TKFRvision
4 жыл бұрын
Cost around 150-200€ in germany
@dancan7195
4 жыл бұрын
If my auntie had a moustache she'd be my uncle.
@gilberttheregular8553
4 жыл бұрын
Do it
@AWLor0
3 жыл бұрын
But could you design a 3D printable Sabamobile player, which you would obviously need ?
@happyguyvibezbtw
3 жыл бұрын
O.O
I have 3 ¾ ips reels that size of my Dad reading the newspaper from 1951 and talking to the farm - on a Revere recorder. Hundreds of dollars back then for such a machine.
I can see myself with one of these rolling down Königstraße in my 190 bumpin the Oompa musik.
@prepperjonpnw6482
6 жыл бұрын
Cheezy Dee I think you might have been driving a Laada lol
Love your videos. From across the pond
Direct Drive magnetic tape machine in 1964.... eat your heart out Revox :-P
@robelicit
7 жыл бұрын
Wak Job a Techmoan retro tape video & Revox mentioned= made my day🚀🎧🎯
its a rather ingenious design when you get right down to it. i like it.
Good to see you USING you other Equipment. NICE! Collection Tour Soon? ~ Thanks.
As always, thanks for great review!
Love the forgotten format videos
you're the AV guru of the interwebs, thankyou
Being an American, I had never heard of this format. Very intriguing indeed. Thank you for another outstanding video.
Brilliant :-) I use to own one of those Philips reel to reel recorders shown in your video. I recorded short Sci Fi plays I wrote in my early teens, using those beeps, squawks and whistles that you could find on SW radio as sound effects. Ah the good old days :-D
This is so fascinating! Why hasn't you tube recommended you earlier?
fascinating as always
That is a really cool device! It is really ingenious, portable, incar, lots of play time, etc.
I never realized there were so many weird tape formats until you made vids about them..I thought it was open reel to reel,cassette and 8 track and nothing else..
Great find again Mat
I actually do like your B-Roll that plays behind the list of supporters at the end.
Superb video.......like allways...keep going....please!
so cool ! And the tiny radio on right - no FM ! Thats was the times :) Love it
09:57 - If I had a German car from the period (preferably Porsche 356) I'd definitely use The Sabamobil. There's a reason why period correct car audio fetches really high prices in the collector market.
@hurricane567
4 жыл бұрын
Shelby's 356 in Ford vs Ferrari totally needs one
Underrated channel
The simple design of the device (not the cartidges) looks really amazing today.
This was fascinating! Thanks! :-)
Up until discovering your channel the only early cartridge type music systems I was really aware of were 8 track and audio cassettes, but I had no idea all
Man, thats some groovy tunes. Feel the warmth.
This stuff really shows the decade was really looking forwards to, how they looked to the future. It's really amazing seeing how our present could have been something completely different.
Excellent video!