Our sincere thanks
to Craig Pumfrey
of Nice Systems
for this nostalgic
picture of the
Rapidax Ranger –
the first digital call
recorder released
by Racal Recorders
in the early 90’s
(91 or 92 as a
best guess).
While the Monitor’s editorial team
has high regard for Racal Recorders
there is no denying the fact that the
company (up to its ears in VHS tape
and Wordsafes at the time) was just
a tad too traditional and the release
of the Ranger was definitely on the
risqué side.
There is not much to see in the
photo because the processing box is
out of sight but you really have to
admire the switch and lamp array, it
could almost a be a set piece from
the 60’s tv show – Lost in Space.
So what happened to the Ranger?
Well, operationally it was a great
success proving beyond doubt that
digital technology was the way
forward, but tradition triumphed
over technology and an updated
version of the old analogue
Wordsafe called Maxima won the
day at Racal.
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