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Television Standards Converters, Modulators etc Standards converters, modulators anything else for providing signals to vintage televisions.

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Old 26th Aug 2011, 1:58 pm   #21
AidanLunn
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

We had one of the first Philips ONdigital boxes. Eventually it began to freeze regularly, and it literally started falling to pieces. Sick of the thing, I just slung it!

I'd just like to add to this that the Ferguson F01SDB has two snags on it which will forever mean that I shall never consider using one for its RF output.

My first gripe, albeit a temporary one until we go through DSO next month, is that it does not cope well with poor reception conditions. There are far better boxes out there that can cope. Some Vestel boxes do well under bad signals much better, I've found.

The other is that the loop-through is confusing. Say, if I were to fit it to an RF-only kitchen TV, which receives both Sky via RF from another room and analogue through an amplified booster/distribution system. If you put the RF cable, with Sky and aerial reception, into RF in, it will not RF modulate the Freeview box's output. RF in and RF out don't seem to be connected. Sky and analogue will appear fine. If however you put the Sky and aerial cable into TV in, and then connect RF out to the TV, it provides an RF output of the Freeview box, but completely blocks out the Sky and analogue channels!

I've come across this problem with this box before and it is not my choice of Freeview with RF!
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Old 27th Aug 2011, 11:05 am   #22
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

Most of the original OnDigital boxes will be unusable after DSO anyway because of changes in the way the channels are multiplexed or something. Also they can't cope with the higher number of channels we have now.
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Old 27th Aug 2011, 4:28 pm   #23
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

Hmmmm. Look like mine may be then!



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Old 27th Aug 2011, 7:18 pm   #24
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

I still have 3 or 4 philips boxes here, we dont go digital here until next year, i will have to dig one out to see if it still works.

I also have a couple of F2-fox-t humax boxes with built in modulators, & a great box they are, but all the sets in the house are partnered to PVR's now, even these are starting to appear at car boot sales now!

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Old 3rd Sep 2011, 7:28 pm   #25
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Exclamation Re: Old on digital boxes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tazman1966 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Moll View Post
As another example, I use a Ferguson F01SDB - £20 from Comet (about a year ago?)
And so have I which I bought a couple of months ago. Very good box.
I thought I'd better warn readers about new versions of this box. I had one as mentioned for the spare bedroom which gets used with one of my old colour sets and as I said above, it works very well and the modulator is particularly nice - good correctly contrasted picture and good sound too.

I bought another one just the other day also from Comet and tried it out today and what a disappointment through the RF output. Weak contrast and a pronounced buzz on sound. The output also clashed with an off air signal - we still have analogue here. I delved into the set-up menu to "move" the output to a different channel like I had to originally with the other box and couldn't find the option to do so. I consulted the leaflet and sure enough that option has vanished. I compared it with my original one and the menu's different. I checked the original leaflet which does mention that the modulator is adjustable but the new leaflet has a space where it was printed.

I can only assume that an inferior (and no doubt slightly cheaper!) modulator is now fitted as standard. I shall be taking it back for a refund.

Unless you can get an old stock one I would steer well clear of the updated one.
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Old 8th Sep 2011, 1:39 pm   #26
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

I have an old Pace Twin PVR, it has a modulator.

But after the first phase of the DSO, the 2K/8K bug has finally caught up with it.

The modulator is still useful.
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Old 8th Sep 2011, 4:45 pm   #27
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

We went DSO yesterday and my Pace ON box won't retune BBC channels, so it's fairly certain it won't retune the other channels when the final part of the DSO occurs on the 21st. It had been fine upto then, even had a 999 channel capability !
Went out earlier and picked up a Nikkai box from Maplin for £17.99. It's about a 6th the size of the Pace with loads more features. Will have a poke around inside the Pace later, when it's decommissioned.
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Old 8th Sep 2011, 8:29 pm   #28
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

For those of you living in the Mendip area there are still 2 multiplexes using the old 2k system despite DSO happening last year. So an old box will work on some stations but this all changes on 28th September when these last two multiplexes are switched over to the new 8k system. I might try and dig my old Pace box out unless I have already thrown it out.
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Old 8th Sep 2011, 9:27 pm   #29
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tazman1966
I thought I'd better warn readers about new versions of this box. I had one as mentioned for the spare bedroom which gets used with one of my old colour sets and as I said above, it works very well and the modulator is particularly nice - good correctly contrasted picture and good sound too.

I bought another one just the other day also from Comet and tried it out today and what a disappointment through the RF output. Weak contrast and a pronounced buzz on sound. The output also clashed with an off air signal - we still have analogue here. I delved into the set-up menu to "move" the output to a different channel like I had to originally with the other box and couldn't find the option to do so. I consulted the leaflet and sure enough that option has vanished. I compared it with my original one and the menu's different. I checked the original leaflet which does mention that the modulator is adjustable but the new leaflet has a space where it was printed.

I can only assume that an inferior (and no doubt slightly cheaper!) modulator is now fitted as standard. I shall be taking it back for a refund.

Unless you can get an old stock one I would steer well clear of the updated one.
I bought a Ferguson F01SDBE from Comet yesterday for the very same reason and was disappointed to be faced with exactly the same problem. I thought I was missing something. It's going back tomorrow.
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Old 9th Sep 2011, 6:17 pm   #30
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

The little Nikkai is now installed and performs very well. Even has an info function that displays signal strength AND quality ! Also on that function the frequency, channel and all other transmitter and channel info ! I noticed power consumption is rated as less than 5w whereas the outgoing Pace was 25w !
Had a look inside the Pace and the build is actually very good, out of service for good now though. Do I discard it or retain for posterity ?
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Old 10th Sep 2011, 12:26 pm   #31
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

Hi
I'm afraid there's little that can be done with the old receivers other than use the bits!
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Old 13th Sep 2011, 4:29 pm   #32
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Default Re: Old on digital boxes

Or use them as test pattern generators I suppose, as 60oldjohn suggested? An RF testcard source is better than landfill.


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