Chromasette

Chromasette was the first cassette-based TRS-80 Color Computer magazine produced by David Lagerquist and was an offshoot of CLOAD magazine.[1][2] The first issue was published July 1981 and the last issue may have been April 1984 (needs verification). Issues were published monthly. While some references cite the price as having been $3.50 USD an issue, it was advertised in Creative Computing magazine in May 1983 as $45 USD a year for 12 issues, $25 USD for 6 issues, or $5 USD each.[1][3] The first issue contained 5 Basic programs and the "cover" of the electronic magazine (which had to be loaded onto a TRS-80 Color Computer and then run) was dynamic. Included with each cassette was a 5-6 page newsletter explaining the programs included on the cassette, including their PMODE and PCLEAR values (if needed), their locations on tape, and several paragraphs of documentation about each (sometimes suggesting program alterations that change or improve the results). The newsletter contained tips, rumors (for example whether the TRS-80 Color Computer would soon support 514" floppy diskette drives in addition to cassettes for loading and recording software programs), along with other insights. They contained a variety of information about the Color Computer and some of the hardware and software available for it. In addition, they included advertisements. Dave signed only his first name to the CLOAD and Chromasette letters.[1][3]

How cassettes were produced

(from comment from David Lagerquist in the April 1983 issue)

"How do we duplicate the 6000 or so cassettes we send out each month? Rose just doesn't sleep! Really, the programs are read off a disk and sent through a line amplifier to 30 cassette recorders hooked up in parallel. The recorders are controlled by a Color Computer through the microphone jack. The 'random' clicking of 30 buttons lets us know that the tapes are done and that it's time to put in some more blank ones. A heck of a way to make a living..." [4]

Issues

The following is an incomplete listing of files included in Chromasette issues.[2]

July 1981

August 1981

September 1981

October 1981

November 1981

December 1981

January 1982

February 1982

March 1982

April 1982

May 1982

June 1982

July 1982

August 1982

September 1982

October 1982

November 1982

December 1982

January 1983

(missing listing)

February 1983

(missing listing)

March 1983

April 1983

May 1983

June 1983

July 1983

August 1983

September 1983

October 1983

November 1983

December 1983

January 1984

February 1984

March 1984

April 1984

References

External links

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