nice +T to all for the help. I had already loaded the tape a week ago because i had planned on taping phish but never got my equiptment in.
I'm guessing you already know this, but for any newbies following this thread...
There are really 2 different types of "loading" with the Sony portable DAT decks:
[1] physically loading the tape into the machine and closing the door
[2] the portable deck's process of loading the tape into a position so it can do it's job: record, play, FF, RW, etc.
You can do [1] anytime. The deck will perform [2]:
[a] immediately after you do [1], or
when you press a function1 button after the deck has gone to "sleep"2
1 STOP, RW, FF, PLAY, REC
2 When running internal batteries: you can manually put the deck in sleep mode by switching the HOLD button. Alternatively, the deck will go into sleep mode automatically after some period of time.