SATIII/RCT comparison. was Re: question

[Wimblees@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 98-10-30 09:08:38 EST, you write:

<< Hey, I haven't heard any comments on using SAT III.  I know Wim sent his
 back for repair but have not heard how the new ones are working.  Are they
 living up to expectations?
      I have found that once the SAT and RCT are here there is not a whole
 lot that can make them better although they can be made more convenient to
 use.  I am waiting now for RCT 3.0 for my Mac, the 4th update to the program
 since last Oct, 25,98.  I am just as excited as you guys getting the SAT
 III.
 James Grebe >>


Jim & List:

I got a replacement to use while mine is being "repaired". To say it needed
repairs is not fair. It wasn't broken. It needed the automatic note switch
installed. 

The one that I am using has that feature, and it works great. I have been
thinking about writing a comparison between the RCT and the SATIII,  so this
is a good excuse. I don't own a RCT, but have heard enough about them, and
used one a couple of times, to be able to give fairly accurate evaluation. For
those who have both, feel free to disagree with me. 

First I want to point out that both machine are excellent. But I think that
for the "basic user", technically there is very little difference between the
SATIII and the RCT. If you are a more experienced user, you will find
advantages of one over the other, but it is going to be the user, more than
the machine, that will find the advantages of one over the other. I don't want
to get into the more detailed differences, because I am not an experienced
user, and I do not have the qualifications to do that. But there are some
other differences that I want to mention. 

The main difference between the 2 units are this: 
1. Weight. The SAT III weighs about 3 pounds, if that much, and measures 6" by
4" by 3.5" This allows the unit to fit easy in a breif case, or tool bag, with
still plenty of room for other tools. The RCT has to be used with a lap top
computer. The lightest weight lap top I could find in a catologue was 6.5
lbs., with most in the 7 - 10 lb range. Lap tops are 12" by 12", although I
understand that some smaller ones are coming out. I also heard that those
smaller ones are not as effective. When you flip up the top, it's 12" high. On
most upright pianos, that might become a balancing act. In most grands, it
might be easier to put the lap top on the struts, but you can't get it to
close to the bass end. 
2. Batery life. Before I sent my original SATIII back, I had tuned about 50
pianos. When I tune, the machine is turned on for about 15 - 20 minutes for
each tuning. SO I had about 12 or 13 hours of use. Just before I sent it back,
I checked the battery use feature, and it showed I had 100% battery life left.
In other words, even after 12 hours of use, it hadn't even drained the batery
enough to show I had 75% life left. That, to me, is amazing. When I was
looking at the lap tops in a catologue, the longest use was about 5 hours,
most had only 3 - 4 hours of battery life. I would say that that feature alone
should make a big difference in using one machine over the other. 
3. Automatic up note feature. Mitch and Jim Sr. went round and round on that
feature before. One comment Mitch made was that he was able to have the RCT
follow him "like a puppy dog" when he went down the scale to another note. I
found that the same with the SAT III. The only place I am having difficulty is
the very first couple of notes in the bass, and the last three of four notes
in the treble. But then I was tuning a couple of cheap spinets and old grands,
with very little quality of sound coming from those notes. 
4. Eye wear. Someone mentioned this to me at the TSA. When you are looking at
the screen of a RCT, you are looking at a computer screen. If you do this 4 or
5 hours a day, For most of us, that is going to be a strain on the eye. The
SAT II has little lights going around in a circle. Not much eye strain there. 
5. Durability. How many times have you dropped your SAT, and have it survive?
One of our chapter members left hers sitting on top of her car when she drove
off. It still worked after she picked it from the street. Can you do that with
a lap top computer? 

Overall, I am happy with my SATIII. As I might have mentioned before, I needed
a second unit, and for the extra couple of hundred dollars, I am satisfied.
The only way I would have considered the RCT is if I had a lap top in which to
install the program. I might consider doing that, if and when I get a lap top,
but from what I described, the RCT is going to have to come up with a
considerable more attractive reason for me to purchase it.

All of this, of course, is my own opinion, and it should not be contrued as an
endorsement for the SAT III or a condemnation of the RCT.  As I said,
technically, they are both equal. It all depends on who is using it to say
which is better. And the bottom line for both machines, is that the user has
to know what he/she is doing. In other words, neither machine will be of any
use to someone who doesn't have the basic skills to tune a piano. 

Wim Blees