Repeated VHS Dropouts

[NitroPress]

Wouldn't ya just figure... I got rid of most of my older video equipment this week, saving only my JVC SR-V10U pro-grade SVHS deck. It's only been used about 20 hours, has a real TBC and other features... just the unit to keep in my stack to capture a declining number of VHS tapes.

And NOW I find out it has a weird problem. Tapes play back fine - audio and timing are normal and unaffected - but video drops out in a repeated pattern. Crystal-clear for maybe 3 seconds, then degrades to total static for a couple of seconds, then snaps back to normal, repeat. I thought at first it was one tape that had been sector-erased, but now I find that all tapes do it.

I really don't want to pay for pro service on an obsolete device. I'm capable of making most repairs and adjustments myself. Can anyone point me to the likely source of this odd repeating video dropout?

Thanks!

[orsetto]

If its repeatable at every three seconds with all tapes you play in it, its likely a mechanical issue like a belt or gear rubbing against something it shouldn't on a three second cycle, disrupting proper tape speed from the reels. Has the vcr been moved recently? Sometimes a slight jolt can do it, or a funky older tape with a heavier cassette shell that predates the loading system in the VCR, throwing it out of whack (you'd be surprised how stupid sensitive these things can be). Take the cover off the VCR (so you can see the tape reels), then load a problem tape and hit PLAY. Watch the reels thru the clear cassette windows: do they slow up and then move quickly every couple seconds? Then its a mechanical issue. If the tape reels rotate smoothly, it might be an electronic issue in the tracking system. It might also be dirty heads, although this usually presents as constant static instead of a three second cycle. Still, cleaning the heads with a swab might help. Of course it helps to double check the tapes on another VCR: someone you know must have one sitting around. If they play OK outside your JVC then you know to concentrate your attention there.

The peculiar JVC tape-funking problem usually manifests as embedded wavyness or a washboard texture to the video image, not static or snow. Your model was made some time after JVC fixed that issue anyway. Odds are you have a simple mechanical problem.

[ironwood321]

Do you see these problems only when video capturing? Are they noticeable on a T.V monitor?