Tape crisis solved-so far

• mangled mini cassette tape - irritated
  • mangled tape - JennyB
  • if you need to cut it, you can tape it back together. - will only miss a little dictation
    • just a suggestion sm - starving artist
      • mangled tape - irritated
        • Tape crisis solved-so far - irritated
          • tape broke - irritated
            • Heard you in New England!! - starving artist

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I used to work for an insurance agency and for the most part liked it and liked who I thought my employer was - it should be noted that this is a man I had known for 30 years and used to baby sit his kids when they were little.  Kids also worked in the agency.  Anyhoo, the business had been struggling - amazing how that works if you don't actually sell any insurance.  One day at the end of August 2007 he sat us all down and said he was merging/selling out to another agency.  He was assured of a place as a producer, but the rest of us would have to interview with the new agency and we may or may not have a job.  In his exact words "I'm throwing you all under the bus, and I"m sorry for that, but it's time to take care of Larry."    Well, all righty then.   Over the next weeks it was made very clear to me that I was NOT going to be offered a job at the new agency.

I went back to my desk right after the meeting and immediately started trying to figure out what to do.  I knew how to transcribe, having done that for years for an insurance adjuster.  I'm a wicked fast typist, too.  I really wanted to work from home and I REALLY wanted to never be in a position where I was at the mercy of a 57 year old man having a mid life crisis again.  I found an online MT course that day, and for the next month instead of working I studied the course at work and within a month after that got a job. 

It's amazing how things work out, though.  If dirtbag Larry hadn't done what he had done, I would not have had the flexibility to take care of my mom as she was dying.  So, really, it was a blessing.  I actually told Mom at one point that I should send him a note:  Dear Larry.  Thanks for being a pr!ck.  Love, Robin.

Mom didn't think that was as funny as I did.

I actually found a previous reply on this board telling me to unplug both cords from back of printer, reboot computer, then plug both cords back and try to print.

I turned off the printer first, then followed the above. It worked.This board is awesome!

We live by the ocean, and my husband had bought one of those "canned air horns" you can bring on a boat.  They're like $5 in boat stores or sporting good stores. The poor dog next door is tied out 24/7, and verbalizes his unhappiness, but enough is enough.  We tried everything, including talking nicely like adults with the owners, nada.  We finally called the police, who live nearby and hear it, too! That put the fear of God in the owners for 48 hours, and then yap, yap, yap. About a month ago, by accident my husband blasted the horn in the back yard, and...silence...dead silence...the dog hates it.  Now, I have dogs, too, and they didn't even notice this blast, so it didn't hurt their ears or anything like that! But this yapping beast seems totally astonished by the air horn. We've done it 2 or 3 times since, and now the dog NEVER barks.  He's fine, but apparently knows there is "something" louder than him out there!  We also called the police BEFORE we did it intentionally the next time, and they said it was fine, no laws against canned air horns, and we only blast it for a second.  The dog is at least 1/4 acre away, so not like we're on top of him. It only took a few blasts, but it worked! Give it a try!!

Well I'll be darned.  Thank you, TT2007!!

Although I must admit, it's not the most user-friendly application....

What blows my tiny mind is that the tech guy at Dictaphone wasn't even able to tell me this!  Typical!!  LOL  Well, thanks again!

- with most clients I started subtracting a certain amount (or free of charge) for each report that I turned around late (far and few between) even for circumstances out of my control, while at the same time charging them late payment fees.  I also started accepting credit cards.

Had a problem deleting a huge outgoing email. Posted here and many good suggestions came in. However, when I Googled I found www.ITtoolbox, a place to go for technical help.

I was able to finally delete that pesky outgoing email of mine with their help. You may want to keep this site in mind for help if ever you need to.

Thank you all.

a Lanier transcriber?  Bought it on ebay and do not see an erase function.

TIA,

Dawn!

A lot of people also have disabled the erasing mechanism so that tapes cannot accidentally be erased and have to manually erase them.   I have always done that to prevent it after my first accidental erasure.  Other than allowing the tape to play forward without background noise, to tape over what is there,  no answers here and have been using tapes for 15+ years.   A manual eraser cost is cheap.  

Patti

I found great, low-cost software that allows you to convert tapes to digital files (MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.).  Check out www.dak.com !  Your PC needs a sound card and a line-in connection (usually next to your line out to plug in your headset or speakers), as well as a tape player and an actual line that plugs from your PC line-in to your tape player.  Think they call that line a male-to-male or male-to-female or something like that (got my line from www.martelelectronics.com).  Use Dak to convert your music cassettes, too.  Hope this helps!

P.S., I'm an MT, not from DAK

HELP!  I have had a microcassette tape break.  Any ideas on how to fix it (if possible!)? 

Thanks!

I love it!  It is so cut and dry.  I throw the tape in and start typing.  You may save time so people think by going digital, but it takes time to upload and download voice files.  I just find that throwing the tape and typing is just simple!  Of course, I'm a simple person.

In answer to your question, yes I think you may have something there as the tape doctors do not want to go digital because they like doing things simply.  They don't want a lot of hassle, and yes, I do believe there are physicians that still like the old method.  Some do not think that digital is very user friendly. 

The other problem with digital is there needs to be someone in the office doing the uploading, which mean the physician is paying them to do that.  With the tape, the doctor puts it in a folder with his patient list at the end of the day, and then leaves it for me.  The only thing required by the office staff is the copying and mailing when I bring the work back usually anywhere from 3-4 days later.  They do not require 24-hour turnaround, which is great.  But, if they do need a note, which happens very rarely, I can simply fax it over to the office.

I am quite content with my tape accounts and the other thing I like is the networking.  I can network with the office staff and feel like a movie star since they don't see me every day.  They usually stop what they are doing for a friendly quick chat, which is very nice.  I have business cards that I carry just in case someone mentions to me that so and so is looking for a transcriptionist. 

See below, don't want to rewrite the entire thing but it did all work out.   Basically I had put the envelope and tape from one day in a different spot due to being in a hurry and the other one the doc did not hand in as he was going on vacation.  So when both were gone, I thought I had erased them and handed them back in.  When I told the doc that I thought I had erased one and he grinned at me and gave me the tape, he told me to include some extra charge for the time I spent looking for the tape -- so it did all work out.  God just threw me a curve to tell me to slow down.   I averaged 2500 to 3000 lines per day last week and that was with one doctor on vacation.  So just hurried, hurried, hurried.   Thank you to all of you for your support, it really helped me in a tme of need.   Patti

Patti

Sure does bring back memories.  I remember sitting at my Selectric in my basement when I was a newbie back in 1975 crying my eyes out because I had just finished a 3 page report and the doc wanted me to insert a paragraph at the beginning of the report!  There was no "memory" back then and the whole thing had to be retyped just to add one paragraph!  I remember them fondly, but am much happier with my computer!  Thanks for the walk down memory lane, though!

I have Desperate Housewives and Grey's preset to tape every week.  Wasn't thinking with the Super Bowl that Grey's would start late.  The tape cut off right after Dr. Burke sent everyone out of OR except for 2 other people.  He had just told the EMT that her hand was keeping the man from bleeding out and the bomb squad was coming.  Then <poof> that was it!  What happened next?  Anyone, please?  Thanks.