Televisions

General Chit Chat
Message
Author
User avatar
CharlieOneSix
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5005
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:58 pm
Location: NE Scotland
Gender:
Age: 79

Re: Televisions

#61 Post by CharlieOneSix » Mon Dec 09, 2019 11:23 pm

I think my first colour set arrived in 1971. It was rented from Radio Rentals in Bristol and broke down so often the engineer used to call in if he was passing to see if it was still up and running. About £7 a month rental if I recall correctly.
The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org

G-CPTN
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 7595
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2018 11:22 pm
Location: Tynedale
Gender:
Age: 79

Re: Televisions

#62 Post by G-CPTN » Mon Dec 09, 2019 11:59 pm

The originator of Robinson Rentals (a similar operation to Radio Rentals) funded a new swimming pool at Bedford:- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... s-50260186 as well as a new college at Cambridge:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_ ... ge#History and a maternity hospital:- Rosie Hospital

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Televisions

#63 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Dec 10, 2019 12:04 am

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Mon Dec 09, 2019 11:23 pm
I think my first colour set arrived in 1971. It was rented from Radio Rentals in Bristol and broke down so often the engineer used to call in if he was passing to see if it was still up and running. About £7 a month rental if I recall correctly.
C16! =))
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Sisemen

Re: Televisions

#64 Post by Sisemen » Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:19 am

The success of companies like Radio Rentals was down to the fact that TVs broke down so often (blown valves mainly) that it was silly to buy one. I well remember getting the heebie-jeebies when I shelled out my hard earned to actually buy one!

User avatar
Rwy in Sight
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 6740
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 8:04 pm
Location: Lost in an FIR somewhere
Gender:

Re: Televisions

#65 Post by Rwy in Sight » Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:57 am

No you mentioned the TV rentals, I remember contributing to the rent of a TV set in mid 90's while at the University. A very convenient solution particularly as we didn't have to pack the TV at the end of the year.

User avatar
ian16th
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10029
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:35 am
Location: KZN South Coast with the bananas
Gender:
Age: 87

Re: Televisions

#66 Post by ian16th » Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:30 am

Sisemen wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:19 am
The success of companies like Radio Rentals was down to the fact that TVs broke down so often (blown valves mainly) that it was silly to buy one. I well remember getting the heebie-jeebies when I shelled out my hard earned to actually buy one!
That's why I bought the workshop manual.
Being able to understand it also helped.

Just found this.

The 22" screen is smaller that the 23" ones that I have on my PC! and I have 2 of them.

Times are a changing.
Cynicism improves with age

Pontius Navigator
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 14669
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:17 am
Location: Gravity be the clue
Gender:
Age: 80

Re: Televisions

#67 Post by Pontius Navigator » Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:38 am

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Mon Dec 09, 2019 11:23 pm
I think my first colour set arrived in 1971. It was rented from Radio Rentals in Bristol and broke down so often the engineer used to call in if he was passing to see if it was still up and running. About £7 a month rental if I recall correctly.
We got ours in 1974. It had a magnificent real wood case and easily the match for radiograms of the day. I think it might have been a Baird. I can't remember its replacement but our repair man in Nairn would give me a bundle of valves and I would swap out valves until I got it working reliably. I think the weakness was the valve heaters.

I can't remember bringing it back to England but I know we had to get a bigger set as our new lounge was larger.

User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10245
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Televisions

#68 Post by Woody » Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:08 pm

Back in the day when I worked for Sony, there was a 40 inch tv available, but it could only be moved using a forklift truck =))
When all else fails, read the instructions.

User avatar
llondel
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5913
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:17 am
Location: San Jose

Re: Televisions

#69 Post by llondel » Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:29 pm

When the transistor took over from the valve, it was cheaper to upgrade because the old valve TVs could take a couple of kW and the saving in running costs would quickly pay for the new, lower power TV. If you had electric heating it probably made no overall difference to your energy bill, but I suspect everyone else started spending more on heating when they upgraded.

Slasher

Re: Televisions

#70 Post by Slasher » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:11 pm

Before we were rich enough to afford a TV at our dump, grandpa Slasher used to listen to our short wave radiogram after dinna which also played 78s. He liked listening to VOA and the BBC Int’l.

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Televisions

#71 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:51 pm

Interesting use of an old CRT to make an oscilloscope

Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

User avatar
Fox3WheresMyBanana
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 12987
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 9:51 pm
Location: Great White North
Gender:
Age: 61

Re: Televisions

#72 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Wed Dec 11, 2019 1:37 am

Standard A level physics experiment using a CRT as an oscilloscope. I used to have one for the purpose, but after local state schools lost all their physics teachers who were actually qualified in physics, their replacements stopped using them - "Oh, 5,000 Volts! Scary!" - and they started giving them away. At one school I ended up with 9 of them! This meant one between two and my students could do their own experiments rather than just helping with the demo.

User avatar
Rwy in Sight
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 6740
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 8:04 pm
Location: Lost in an FIR somewhere
Gender:

Re: Televisions

#73 Post by Rwy in Sight » Wed Dec 11, 2019 5:57 am

We need to make a reference on how 24'' (a normal TV in the 70-80's) become good only for computer monitors or for very small spaces like a kitchen and mainstream TV sets start at 32''

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Televisions

#74 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Wed Dec 11, 2019 6:07 am

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote:
Wed Dec 11, 2019 1:37 am
Standard A level physics experiment using a CRT as an oscilloscope. I used to have one for the purpose, but after local state schools lost all their physics teachers who were actually qualified in physics, their replacements stopped using them - "Oh, 5,000 Volts! Scary!" - and they started giving them away. At one school I ended up with 9 of them! This meant one between two and my students could do their own experiments rather than just helping with the demo.
Back in my old school lab there was a plethora of tubes, from CRT's to the more basic Crookes tubes , the latter, which if misused by supplying a voltage over 5000 would also produce x-rays. Much fun was had by all. Nobody in my class died or has subsequently died due to their tube "adventures" to my knowledge.

Tube adventure.JPG
Tube adventure.JPG (48.69 KiB) Viewed 231 times

With the advent of the BBC Micro, the oscilloscope experiment could be driven by programming the oscillator and passing the outputs to the TV. Safer and more of a programming exercise than anything else.
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Sisemen

Re: Televisions

#75 Post by Sisemen » Wed Dec 11, 2019 7:32 am

Interesting use of an old CRT to make an oscilloscope
5904d0de299132b44aedbf8e57706aff.jpg
5904d0de299132b44aedbf8e57706aff.jpg (23.09 KiB) Viewed 227 times

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Televisions

#76 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Wed Dec 11, 2019 7:52 am

Sisemen wrote:
Wed Dec 11, 2019 7:32 am
Interesting use of an old CRT to make an oscilloscope
=))

Just wait til we get onto the fun that can be had with thermionic diodes... :))
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

AtomKraft
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 2549
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 8:05 am
Location: Planet Claire
Gender:
Age: 63

Re: Televisions

#77 Post by AtomKraft » Wed Dec 11, 2019 6:18 pm

Beautiful town, Stronsay.

Sorry, never saw the next three pages. Intended for Ricardian.

User avatar
llondel
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5913
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:17 am
Location: San Jose

Re: Televisions

#78 Post by llondel » Thu Dec 12, 2019 4:37 am

I built an oscilloscope back in about 1982. I made the case for it in my school metalwork class, useful exercise in bending sheet metal. I still have it, and one day I'll get around to switching it on again, but I want to reform the big electrolytic capacitors first. Used a 3BP1 CRT.

Post Reply