Design philosophy and feasibility of a 750 mega-bit per second magnetic recorder

Extant high bit rate digital recorders operate at data rates around 100-200 10⁶bits per second. Forthcoming bit rate requirement in satellite imagery, telemetry and digital processing are in the range 500-750 Mbs. After reviewing the fundamental physics of magnetic recording, it appears that the best way to meet these requirements is with a multitrack helical scan machine. This paper describes the sequence of decisions which led to that conclusion. Several critical technologies must be mastered if such an advanced recorder is to be realized. Progress towards demonstrating feasibility in the areas of multi-track head fabrication, control of head-tape separation, control of cross-talk and bit error rates is described. There appear to be no fundamental reasons why a 750 Mbs magnetic recorder cannot be built and operated using current production helical video tape.