Each telescope at KPNO is equipped with both Exabyte (8mm) and DAT (4mm) tape drives. If you bring tapes to the mountain, bring only computer grade (i.e., certified for Digital Data Storage) tapes. Audio grade tapes are not to be used as they now have significantly lower quality and do not produce reliable results.
KPNO orders and stocks the following types of tapes for use on the mountain:
| Type | Capacity | Cost |
| Exabyte 112M | 5GB uncompressed | $5 |
| DAT 90 DDS-1 | 2GB uncompressed | $4 |
| DAT 150 DDS-4 | 20GB uncompressed | $25 |
| DLT | 40GB uncompressed | $70 |
| CD-R (WIYN only) | 700MB uncompressed | $1 |
| DVD | DVD-R 4x | $2 |
If you want to import data on tape to use during your run, please use lowest-common-denominator recording techniques. For Exabytes, record in 8200 mode (as opposed to 8500 mode) with no compression. For DAT tapes, record 90m DDS tapes with no compression.
One final word: as you may have deduced from articles in the NOAO Newsletter, the era of 9-track tapes at KPNO is over. There are no active 9-track drives on the mountain.
Similarly, as of Feb. 1, 2006, we will not support Exabyte drives in any of the domes, but DAT tapes will still be available.