Tape Degausser recommendations?

OK, I'm using two different DLT drives to do backup. One uses the newer VS80 standard. If I put in a tape that was once formatted using the older standard into the VS80 drive, it won't recognize it - even if I reformat it. I've heard if I actually degauss the tape, that I could then format to the VS80 standard. Plus, for security reasons, if a tape goes bad, it'd be nice to truly wipe the thing before getting rid of it.


So, I'm wondering if anyone uses any tape degaussers, and where I might find a good one.

Thanks.

Maybe http://www.tpub.com/neets/book23/97b.htm will be of help.

You really don't need to buy something special for doing that, any AC electromagnet will do the job. You should be able to pick one up easily enough at an electronic parts store. Or a search of Google for "ac electromagnet" will reveal dozens of pages on how to make one yourself if you're feeling adventurous - all you need is a coil of wire wound onto a former and a low-voltage transformer.