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Old 1st Apr 2019, 11:04 pm   #1
Richard_FM
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Default Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

Did many other countries use band III adaptors similar to the ones introduced in the UK when the ITV regions started up?

Most 625 line systems only had space for a few channels on band I, so many countries to use band III early on.

The Soviet set Autozavod is restoring is Band I only, so I presume band III would have required a similar adaptor.

Also many countries started using set top boxes for existing sets when UHF transmissions started, but using the same line standards as the existing VHF.

Were UHF boxes used in Ireland for people who didn't want to upgrade their sets? though most sets sold there had provision for installing a UHF tuner from almost the start to transmissions.
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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 12:09 am   #2
Maarten
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

UHF boxes were very popular in The Netherlands around 1964 when the second channel was launched. In border regions they might have been used some years prior, for receiving foreign broadcasts.
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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 2:57 am   #3
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

No - UHF converters were not used in Ireland as by the time UHF was introduced for additional services sets were being fitted with all-band tuners as standard
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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 11:03 am   #4
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Smile Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

Hi,
I've got a 'Sterling' band III converter. Does that count?
Cheers, Pete.
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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 11:37 am   #5
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

Sterling band 111 sat here too!
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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 12:00 pm   #6
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

A Sterling band 3 converter was used on our television from around 1956 to 58 when my parents bought a new TV with 13 channel turret tuner.
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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 1:10 pm   #7
Brigham
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

I always dreamed of a 'BBC2' converter, back in the day.
It would have been the size of a tobacco tin, and would plug into the aerial socket of an ordinary Band I/III set, so that, when you selected Ch.2, you got the mysterious new BBC2!
It finally arrived about 40 years too late!
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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 1:31 pm   #8
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maarten View Post
UHF boxes were very popular in The Netherlands around 1964 when the second channel was launched. In border regions they might have been used some years prior, for receiving foreign broadcasts.
Thank for the feedback everyone.

Quite a few European countries introduced UHF for a second channel, the Wikipedia entry for Sweden's second channel has a picture of a UHF box.

Recently I've seen a couple of different band III boxes for sale, which I presume could be used with an Aurora outputting a band III signal.
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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 2:08 pm   #9
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

The old band III converters were once a common sight at boot sales and radio rallies. Provided a cheap project box with HT power supply. However the available LT was not always 6.3V obviously depending on the valves used.

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Old 2nd Apr 2019, 6:02 pm   #10
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

A school friend of mine who lived in a terraced house with a shared chimney stack and close aerials discovered that by plugging the band 1 aerial into the converter output he could cause the neighbours to ring the local TV shop and complain that their new television was stuck on ITV.
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Old 3rd Apr 2019, 11:06 am   #11
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

This must be one of the earliest "Converters" going. As a forerunner of the set top box It was a popular conversion of the RF26 unit to allow the first ITV channel to be viewed on the early BBC only TV's by converting the old Band 3 signal down to Band 1. It could hardly be classified as SET TOP as it needed additional HT and LT supplies. It was more of a GUZUNDER box! (And remote controls were unheard of).
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Old 3rd Apr 2019, 11:54 am   #12
Dave Moll
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

Here's the converter my grandfather bought to watch ITV on his single channel Regentone TR20 - both of which are now in my possession.
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Old 3rd Apr 2019, 3:53 pm   #13
barrymagrec
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Moll View Post
Here's the converter my grandfather bought to watch ITV on his single channel Regentone TR20 - both of which are now in my possession.
That`s the convertor we had circa 1960 - 62 on a 9 inch Bush console (don`t know the model number) - had the habit of blowing the bleeder chain resistors I seem to remember.
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Old 8th Apr 2019, 6:45 pm   #14
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

Here's one I've not seen before - even uses a polythene mains cable.

Basic ECC84 circuit in this Band 3 converter.
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Old 17th Apr 2019, 9:01 pm   #15
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Default Re: Early Set Top Boxes (Band III, UHF etc)

This brings back many fond memories of my time in radio and tv workshops in the 50's and 60's.
When itv started in the midlands in the early 50's we had the set top aeriel converters which we calles pattern boxes due to the BBC1 breakthrough when watching ITV. We then had the Cyldon turret tuner, which we mounted in the cabinet side by drilling the appropriate holes in the woodwork.
The Cyldon was a 12 channel tuner, two valves, and when ordered, we had to specify which channels we required, and we were supplied with the appropriate "biscuits" as the rf and osc. coils were called. These coils clipped into the turret in the correct places to agree with the numbers on the channel knob. the two front end valves were removed from the tv and the two flying leads on the Cyldon then plugged into the two valve sockets. We were on channel 4 and 8 from Sutton Coldfield, and hints, near Tamworth.
We also converted some sets with the 13 channel fireball tuner, I can't remember who made these. they were bad as they suffered from dirty contacts. the coils were mounted on a ceramic disc at the rear.
By 1960 the new sets were coming in with the turrets already mounted in the chassis with the switch knob and fine tuning on the right hand side of the set front. Some manufactures like GEC and philips still mounted the tuners on the right hand side of the cabinet for a while. Everybody was right handed in those days!!
I hope that I have got it right as my memory is a bit faded after 65years. I stand to be corrected.
John.
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