A magnetic recording tape based on iron particles

Tapes based on acicular iron particles give an outstanding recording performance compared to γ-Fe
2
O
3
and CrO
2
tapes. Especially in the short wavelength region the signal to noise ratio is, respectively, 12 and 7 dB better, whereas the bias noise level is somewhat lower. The iron tapes have a high coercivity, between 80 and
90 \times 10^{3}
A/m, and hence the required bias is about 9 dB higher than for γ-Fe
2
O
3
. The print through properties are excellent.