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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 27th Jan 2010, 10:35 pm   #1
Tractorfan
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Default 1950's Sterling band III converter

Hi all,
As a kid I was always stripping these units down for the parts & using the case for projects.
The latest one I was given several years ago has survived and is here with its box & instruction book. Are these any use to the TV hobbyist or are they little more than curiosities and/or paperweights? I think it uses a PCF80. Is it worth me putting it in the "Items Offered" dept.?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers de Pete
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Old 27th Jan 2010, 10:51 pm   #2
Peter.N.
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

...and a PCC84 I would think.

Peter
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Old 28th Jan 2010, 10:31 pm   #3
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Hi Peter,
Nope, just a lonely little PCF80. It wasn't a turret type, it had two co-ax sockets on the rear and a simple wafer switch to select between band I, which was looped straight through to the telly, and band III that was frequency changed by the valve down to band I. The incoming band I co-ax socket was shorted by the switch. There was a gain control on the rear too so half of the valve must have been a RF amp. It was completely self contained with its own PSU. I'm sure they are remembered by other forum members.
Cheers de Pete
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Old 28th Jan 2010, 11:05 pm   #4
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Hi,

Quote:
Nope, just a lonely little PCF80.
Sure its not an ECF80?
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Old 28th Jan 2010, 11:14 pm   #5
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Hi,
Definately a PCF80. I was disappointed when I stripped another one years ago that the mains Tx had a 9 volt heater winding and not a 6.3 volt one .
I'll upload a pic once I learn how to .
Cheers de Pete
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Old 28th Jan 2010, 11:25 pm   #6
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Hi,
Sorry for doubting but I did remember it had a transformer - and it is fourty years since I last looked inside one.
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Old 28th Jan 2010, 11:58 pm   #7
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Is this the one in a black crackle finish case?
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Old 29th Jan 2010, 12:47 am   #8
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Hi,
I think it was either green or brown and crackle finish - but then again I am colour blind on reds,greens and brown - i.e. purple appears blue as I dont see much of the red content.
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Old 29th Jan 2010, 10:36 am   #9
Peter.N.
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Hi pete

Well, there's a first time for everything, I remember Band 3 converters well, I spent most of 1955 fitting them, and they all had P/ECF80 and P/ECC84's. I wouldn't thought they would have had enough gain without an RF section, never to old to learn.

I remember with some of those we fitted were not to well filtered/screened and gave the neighbours ITV as well - whether they wanted it or not

Peter
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Old 31st Jan 2010, 11:53 pm   #10
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

What does actualy a band III converter do?
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 12:19 am   #11
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Hi,
Originally BBC television transmissions were on approx 50 MHz (Band 1), then along came commercial television (ATV/ITV) with transmissions on approx 190 MHz (Band 3).
The early TVs were only capable of receiving just one only BBC channel so to enable reception of an ITV Channel an external converter was fitted and this is basically a frequency changer converting one frequency to another, some converters also had an rf amplifier as more signal gain was required on Band 3.
Hope this helps.
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Old 2nd Feb 2010, 1:16 am   #12
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Default Re: 1950's Sterling band III converter

Thanks.
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