VCR/TV tuner question

[Toy4x4]

A few channels are not coming through properly and I was wondering if the VCR tuner would be "selective" in channels going bad or would all the channels go? Its getting annoying watching TV and suddenly it goes to static.
Cable is through Cox.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

In your setup, is it possible to bypass the VCR and connect the cable directly to the TV? Then see if it still happens or not...

 

[The_Jeff]

Yes, the higher channels sometimes don't pass through older VCRs very well.

If you're watching a macrovisioned pay per view or something that might mess with the copy protection part of the VCR too.

 

[Papa Bear]

The channels are broken into bands VHF-Low is 2-6, Vhf-High is 7-13 and uhf is 14-69.
Cable is the same vhf-low 2-6 and vhf-hi and mid-band is 7-125 (or wharever your unit will tune). Yes, a tuner will drop out a band and you will loose a chunk of channels.

P.B. (fixed thousands of tuners)

 

[Papa Bear]

Toy4x4 .... if you don't get your tuner working good, I could come down to AZ at the end of November and work on it. I would probably have it up and running about the end of April.

P.B.

 

[The_Jeff]

to make it more fun cable UHF is different than broadcast uhf and they've added digital services above the analog channels.

old RF gear in old VCRs wasn't mean to deal with stuff that high frequency, so it leaks out and messes stuff up.

For all we know, your neighbor's cable modem, when it sends data (backhaul) to the local phone pole mounted fiber optic box box, could be screwing this up.

 

[Toy4x4]

Well, I forgot I had my dad's old VCR. I hooked it up and still had the same problem. Now I know I don't have to buy a DVD recorder as a replacement.

Not all the higher channels don't work. Eg.: 47 (Fox News) is the main culprit, but 62 (History) & 67 Animal Planet) work fine

.

Cox is coming out on Sunday to hopefully find the bug.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Had this problem for 2 years off and on with local cablevision, finally switched to dish network. Last year I signed up for roadrunner, the installer couldn't get it to work. after a lot ot testing found the port adaptor on the telco pole out by the road was defective. I already knew this, but CV refused to replace it. finally, 6 weeks ago it died for good. Now it works just fine, but CV lost a customer.

 

[Toy4x4]

The cable tech just left and found out that its the TV thats the problem

, not the service. He jiggled the connector that the cable plugs into on the back of the TV and was able to create the problem. At least he was stumped for a while as he had never encountered this before. He also updated the connections aout back, too, while he was here.

I guess I'll live with it until a lot more channels go out.

Why couldn't it have been LIFE channel, or the latino ones?!?

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

That isn't an RCA TV is it? I have an RCA that does the same thing. Took it apart and resoldered several joints in the cable connector area. Worked for a year or so and started failing again. I just used the VCR as a tuner and fed the TV with video cables, bypassing the tuner. Still works.

 

[Papa Bear]

Oldmop ... I repaired thousands of those RCA's, the tuner in RCA since about 1993 was a new style that was built right on the mother board and they had a LOT of problems with them. They kept building millions of them just like GM and their intake manifold gaskets.

P.B.

 

[Papa Bear]

Like so many big corp. decisions ... a questionable design, poorly executed.

P.B.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Amazing isn't it? A junk phillips VCR that no longer recorded had a better tuner then that TV.

 

[Toy4x4]

I guess you could say its an RCA. Its a Proscan by Thomson Electronics which was bought by RCA. Its been a good TV and still has a great picture overall, though small by nowadays standards (20"). I've had it since 92 or 93.

 

[Papa Bear]

If you look on the back, it will have a chassis number. I bet it's a CTC175 or CTC176.

P.B.