Tape Trail

Hiss problem (bias?)

81.146.51.19

I've got an old Radionette cassette deck (horizontal top-loading) which I've been using a lot recently (with the same cassette) for recording and playback. I have no manual. When I started using it, there was nearly no hiss at all. But the hiss seems to have been getting progressively worse, and it's now deteriorated to the point of unpleasantness. What could be the cause of this? Is the bias signal too weak? I've opened up the case and found three mini pots on one of the circuit boards. These pots are unmarked, and I have not been able to trace them back and determine their purpose. Adjusting them seems to have no audible effect (on tape speed or hiss or anything). What could be the purpose of these pots? Could one of them be a way to adjust the bias level?
Or is there any way to diagnose the hissing problem to determine whether the cause is a weak bias current? Thanks

Follow Ups:

RE: Hiss problem (bias?) - shoeihell@yahoo.com 21:47:46 06/21/07 (1)
Since it seems like it's slowly progressed in hiss level, like X-2000R said, try demagnetizing and a thorough head cleaning session. Save yourself some heartache and don't screw around with pot settings unless you have a service manual. Flying blind makes no sense unless you have a moderate tech background or you can afford to sacrifice the machine. There are plenty of online sources for service manuals.
- RE: Hiss problem (bias?) - Radionette 09:47:06 06/22/07 (0)
  Thanks shoeihell and X2000-R. I have a demagnetizing cassette and will try it out.
RE: Hiss problem (bias?) - X-2000R 20:55:04 06/21/07 (0)
HAve you tried demagnetizing?

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