Continental Balanced TV Aerial Plugs - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Kat Manton · 3rd Sep 2006, 2:54 pm

Hi,

To tidily connect signal to the Sondyna, I could do with a plug or two.

Pins are 4mm (test leads fit nicely in the holes) and the spacing is 12mm. I can use a pair of 4mm plugs for now but it'd be nice to have the correct plugs, preferably early sixties vintage if possible.

VHF and UHF aerial sockets are visible in this photo.

I'm assuming the aerial input to the set is 300-ohm; I have a 75-300 balun of the type used for VHF/FM tuners. I'm not sure if this is going to be ok at UHF though.

Regards, Kat

Nickthedentist · 3rd Sep 2006, 4:50 pm

Kat,

You often find UHF-rated baluns on the back of recent portable TVs, connecting the tuner's 75R Belling-Lee socket to some twin feeder which leads to the loop aerial

.

An Alba loop aerial I ordered from CPC last year came complete with one.

Nick.

jay_oldstuff · 3rd Sep 2006, 11:21 pm

Just had a look at the one on the back of my Saba and it looks just like the type of connector used for speaker outputs on amps in the 60s; perhaps a possible source.
If nothing else turns up you can have the one off the back of my Saba, it's used for the internal aerial.
Jay

arjoll · 7th Sep 2006, 1:32 am

I'm a bit late making it to this thread, but if the attached looks close and isn't standard in the UK I'm sure I can get my hands on some oldies from when I upgraded my parents place from ribbon to coax about 15 years ago; probably 1970's. If not they're $3.28 (just over a pound) new.

They were common as muck here until about 20 years ago, pins are 3mm and I'm sure the spacing sounds about right.

They're here:
http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.sto...uct/View/P2084
If this link doesn't work just go to www.dse.co.nz and search on P2084.

Come to think of it I'll track one down this weekend and measure it!

Kat Manton · 7th Sep 2006, 2:16 am

Hi,

That looks close... but 4mm plugs (as found on test leads) fit perfectly without straining the contacts and go in all the way. So I suspect the European plugs look pretty much like a pair of regular 4mm test lead plug pins in a common housing, diameter and length seem right.

Pin length on the plugs I'm using now is 17mm, they only make contact after 9mm of the pin is inserted so the pins need to be pretty long too.

3mm pins would be loose; so I guess your NZ plugs aren't a match for the European ones. The pins also look a little short, too.

It's all 75-ohm coax here and seems to have been for decades; I've seen only one British TV set which didn't have a Belling-Lee socket, and that was a pre-war one. Hence the request, I've never seen a TV set with 300-ohm aerial connections until I got the Sondyna so I've no idea what the correct plug looks like.

Summary, 4mm diameter by approx. 17mm long pins, 12mm spacing.

Thanks for looking,

Regards, Kat

3rd Sep 2006, 2:54 pm	#1
Kat Manton Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 1,700	Continental Balanced TV Aerial Plugs Hi, To tidily connect signal to the Sondyna, I could do with a plug or two. Pins are 4mm (test leads fit nicely in the holes) and the spacing is 12mm. I can use a pair of 4mm plugs for now but it'd be nice to have the correct plugs, preferably early sixties vintage if possible. VHF and UHF aerial sockets are visible in this photo. I'm assuming the aerial input to the set is 300-ohm; I have a 75-300 balun of the type used for VHF/FM tuners. I'm not sure if this is going to be ok at UHF though. Regards, Kat

3rd Sep 2006, 4:50 pm	#2
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,843	Re: Continental Balanced TV Aerial Plugs Kat, You often find UHF-rated baluns on the back of recent portable TVs, connecting the tuner's 75R Belling-Lee socket to some twin feeder which leads to the loop aerial. An Alba loop aerial I ordered from CPC last year came complete with one. Nick.

3rd Sep 2006, 11:21 pm	#3
jay_oldstuff Octode Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Hyde, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 1,074	Re: Continental Balanced TV Aerial Plugs Just had a look at the one on the back of my Saba and it looks just like the type of connector used for speaker outputs on amps in the 60s; perhaps a possible source. If nothing else turns up you can have the one off the back of my Saba, it's used for the internal aerial. Jay __________________ The light at the end of the tunnel is probably the headlight of an oncoming train

7th Sep 2006, 1:32 am	#4
arjoll Dekatron Join Date: May 2006 Location: Invercargill, New Zealand Posts: 3,456	Re: Continental Balanced TV Aerial Plugs I'm a bit late making it to this thread, but if the attached looks close and isn't standard in the UK I'm sure I can get my hands on some oldies from when I upgraded my parents place from ribbon to coax about 15 years ago; probably 1970's. If not they're $3.28 (just over a pound) new. They were common as muck here until about 20 years ago, pins are 3mm and I'm sure the spacing sounds about right. They're here: http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.sto...uct/View/P2084 If this link doesn't work just go to www.dse.co.nz and search on P2084. Come to think of it I'll track one down this weekend and measure it! Attached Thumbnails

7th Sep 2006, 2:16 am	#5
Kat Manton Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 1,700	Re: Continental Balanced TV Aerial Plugs Hi, That looks close... but 4mm plugs (as found on test leads) fit perfectly without straining the contacts and go in all the way. So I suspect the European plugs look pretty much like a pair of regular 4mm test lead plug pins in a common housing, diameter and length seem right. Pin length on the plugs I'm using now is 17mm, they only make contact after 9mm of the pin is inserted so the pins need to be pretty long too. 3mm pins would be loose; so I guess your NZ plugs aren't a match for the European ones. The pins also look a little short, too. It's all 75-ohm coax here and seems to have been for decades; I've seen only one British TV set which didn't have a Belling-Lee socket, and that was a pre-war one. Hence the request, I've never seen a TV set with 300-ohm aerial connections until I got the Sondyna so I've no idea what the correct plug looks like. Summary, 4mm diameter by approx. 17mm long pins, 12mm spacing. Thanks for looking, Regards, Kat