Now for the maintenance tips With age, wear and tear, other problems begin to creep into all video gear. This is especially true with input audio switches, and controls which can develop intermittent connections and even dead spots. This condition results in noise or loss of level that is usually intermittent. If you suspect these are problems, remind your maintenance tech when in for service. While we do look for such problems, because of their intermittent nature, some problems are not always detected in the shop.
Headphone jacks are a high wear item on some camcorders.
While they do not effect what goes down on tape, they can make it difficult to judge audio quality. Camcorders and BVV-5s have a mono head phone output connector. Many problems trace back to using a stereo headset, which are designed for 2 channel connectors. Using the stereo headphones can not only result in having only one ear monitor, but also can result in intermittent connections as well. Microphone pick up of deck mechanical noise is a normal wear and tear problem.