Can't read BASIC tapes in Disk BASIC

[TomL_12953]

I have a 16K Model I with 32K EI (total of 48K), Radio Shack lowercase mod, RS, double density mod and RS cassette mod. The EI is the latest version with no buffered cable or pigtail cable. I have BASIC tapes that I made myself. I can read them just fine in Level II BASIC at almost any volume setting whether the EI is on or off. When I load TRSDOS 2.3 or 2.8D, though, I can't read the same tapes at any volume setting. I have the RTC turned off with CMD "T" and have verified that it is indeed off. I have tried connecting the recorder both through the EI and directly to the keyboard. There's no difference. I still can't read the tapes in Disk BASIC. These programs don't even come close to filling memory so I know they're not too big for Disk BASIC to load. Does anyone have any suggestions?

TIA

Tom L

 

[Dustym]

Have you remembered to do CMD "T" and CMD"R" commands before and after trying to read a cassette?

 

[Petrofsky]

That's seems pretty odd.

How did you verify that CMD "T" turned off interrupts?

And can you elaborate on "can't read the tapes"? What happens when you try? Do you get asterisks? Do they blink normally? Do they stop blinking when the tape gets to the end of the recording? Does the tape motor stop? (Did it ever start?)

Where did you get the TRSDOS disks (i.e., are they clean distribution copies, or are they some vintage user's working copies)? Do they perhaps load some keyboard driver or other background clock-driven routine that's causing the problem?

 

[TomL_12953]

To verify that CMD"T" actually turned off the clock, I printed TIME$ a few times and noted it didn't change. After CMD"R", it started changing again.
When I try to read a tape in Disk BASIC, the motor starts and the asterisks either appear solid or not at all depending on the volume control of the recorder. There is no volume setting that works. The tape isn't read at all and never stops until the end of the tape. I'm using BASIC tapes I made myself on the same recorder I'm using to try to read them. I tried a copy of my actual 2.3 and 2.7D distribution disks. Neither one allows tapes to be read.

 

[TomL_12953]

Quote from my original post:
"I have the RTC turned off with CMD "T" and have verified that it is indeed off."

 

[Petrofsky]

In Disk BASIC, try doing a "POKE 16402,201" and then a CLOAD. What happens? If the program loads okay, do a "POKE 16402,205" and then try to save the program to disk.

The first POKE cuts interrupt processing short with a return instruction. The second one restores the CALL opcode that is normally there, and is needed for disk operations.

Edit: actually, I'm not sure whether Disk BASIC puts a 205 (CALL) or 195 (JP) at 16402. Better check it first with PEEK, and after the CLOAD restore it to whatever it was before.