Classic Hifi Care

Well, I may not get much done this wknd.
Decades broadcast channel has started a whole
2 days of this hip series.

The first episode of Hawaiian Eye just started with
a cameo from 77 Sunset Strip phone call.

I remember the music, but I was too small to
remember anything else when it first aired.

Having lots of fun watching a young Connie Stevens
as Cricket the hotel tourist photographer, and
everyone else in the show !

I remember that show, but I'm old so I should. I have never heard of "Decades broadcast channel". Is that something that you stream, or, on cable? It sounds interesting.

Bill

William wrote: ↑Sat Apr 09, 2022 6:17 pm I remember that show, but I'm old so I should. I have never heard of "Decades broadcast channel". Is that something that you stream, or, on cable? It sounds interesting.
Bill

This channel is on regular rabbit-ear antenna broadcast
using a DTV converter.
I don't have cable or stream anything for payment.
But, I get plenty of TV with regular broadcast shows.

One of these days I'm going to splurge and try an over the air antenna. I'm live in a small town with the closest TV stations 90 miles in any direction. I have cable/internet for that reason, but, there are few stations on cable that are worth watching. With my basic cable service for TV I can get 200 stations. 1/3 are repeats on the channel number system, over 1/2 are not worth even producing let alone watching, and the rest are tolerable sometimes. I will still need the internet, but TV might go away soon. Family members that live in the big city to the south do not have cable TV. They watch what comes over the air and as I have visited I do not remember Decades broadcast station, but I should ask to make sure. If I may ask, do you have internet service of some kind?

Bill

This is the kind of antenna I got. I keep it in my attic. The coaxial antenna line also carries the dc for the amplifier and rotor. Even with an amplifier I needed to have it at attic level to get a relatively line of sight path from the transmitter. It's hilly between the transmitters and here. You may do better in Michigan, as it is relatively flat.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313828227843?h ... SwGxpiMUeO

Thanks, Rex, I will check it out.

Bill

I made my own out of coathangers... but I'm cheap

Decades is on a few digital OTA channels, one from Binghamton has it, but only up at camp 1600 foot elevation.
I have to see which of the OTA it is on that we get in the flat lands. There are so many from PHL, it has to be on one.

That antenna 19&41 has is best used in an attic, near a window if you have one. Straight-line reception over moderate terrain is best with this type yagi. If you have BIG hills and lots of trees in the direction of signal, use a flat 4 or 8 bay bowtie for better UHF.

I learned alot about antennas and rough terrain just before cable was run to rural areas. There are so many styles for a reason. The best UHF is still this CM7451 http://www.rocketroberts.com/cm4251/cm4251.htm and the best VHF is this JFD design https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-E ... 963-01.pdf that was copied by others.

Don't forget the first truly DX VHF - Finco 400

Dave what Bingo station is that? MeTV is on 12, and WSKG (PBS) is 46.1 to 46.4. For the past 50 years we've only ever had OTA and there's enough on there that we wouldn't pay for TV, but an alternative to PBS and MeTV would be nice to have.

That Finco array was hot stuff on Michigan's west shore to get Chicago and Milwuakee stations. I remember seeing a few up in the early nineties, traveling around south to mid- west Michigan on jobs.

About 50 years ago when I was in Ann Arbor I had an early 1950s Crosley table model TV, VHF only, and a converter for UHF. I bought a UHF antenna, a three-bow-tie device with reflector. (Yeah, if you're wondering, still have the TV). The antenna is now in the attic of my little summer cottage. Some tenants wanted to get the local public TV station for news so I bought a small flat screen TV (Polaroid brand) and parked the antenna in the attic. Bingo, about 8 or 10 channels with it pointed in one direction. That was the direction the neighbor had his antenna on a tower pointed. I bought a powered, amplified antenna at a sale and it seems to be equal to the bow-ties located 10' higher. Haven't tried it in the attic yet.

The Crosley TV is the one I watched the moon landing on. It's continuously-tuned, like our radios, no clickety channel selector.

Chris Campbell

Chris, does the Crosley still work?

Bill

It has been in storage a long time so I'm sure a recap is in order.

Chris Campbell