Uher's range of portable audio recorders were for perhaps over 30 years, the reliable 'work horses'
of the professional radio interviewer. German made and of 'sensible' and real world construction,
these robust machines cost a fraction of an equivalent Nagra or Stellavox recorder.

While the film maker might need Pilot Tone synchronization, 48 Volt 'phantom' condenser
microphone powering, or even time code, the hack radio reporter just needed a good quality,
strong, simple and reliable tape machine with a basic dynamic microphone input. And while there
were a few alternatives to these machines from the likes of Tanberg, Ficord or even Grundig, the
Uher Report series became the de facto portable tape recorder standard for radio reporting.

Actually these machines were not all that cheap, and cost perhaps the equivalent of a serious
domestic 'Hi-Fi' tape-deck of the time. (The Nagras and Stallavoxes were many times this though.)

Actually this half track stereo recorder is a later version of the 'genre', and has improved metering
and internal electrical switchery. It has four speeds, though for serious work only the highest (7.5
inches per second) speed should be used. The lower speeds become less and less useful, but
speech recording at 3.75 I.P.S. would be perfectly OK for most broadcaster's use. While of
comparatively elementary mechanical design, these machines can make surprisingly good
recordings at 7.5, seemingly just as good as a Nagra or a Stellavox at this speed. They also record
rather well at 3 and 3/4 inches per second, but speed stability and 'wow and flutter' (how arcane in
theses digital days) is nowhere near as good as with the Swiss exotics. Remarkably, one can set the
bias up on these machines 'by ear' for indistinguishable record / replay results (yes I know this is
cheating), which you cannot do as easily on the Swiss machines, for probably good reasons. As a
reel to reel audio recorder the only, though fairly significant drawback, is a limited recording time
of 20 minutes on the highest speed. Though for radio interviews that would be edited into sound
bites anyway, this was not a problem.

Over the years Uher made a whole range of semi-professional tape equipment, audio and even Hi-
Fi equipment, much of which for domestic consumption only though. They even made a couple of
versions of a high quality (if there ever was such a thing in the context of serious audio) portable
Compact Cassette recorder. But while Uher are still involved with dictation equipment, they will
probably be remembered in the history books for these robust and reliable portable reel to reel
machines.

(Click on the above pictures for further images and information.)

(The previous owners of the above example of the stereo version have fitted a plastic collar
around the master level control so that it could only be adjusted by means of a screwdriver - seems
a sensible idea, so I kept it there.)

The Uher Portable Audio Tape Recorder

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