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Post by MonkeyMan on Feb 13, 2017 9:06:24 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Feb 21, 2017 17:12:41 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Feb 26, 2017 22:55:40 GMT -5
My TEAC A-1250, acquired from the original owner, for zero dollars, who picked it up new while on tour in Vietnam. Including the original owners manual and cover. Hooked it up today with the Pioneer SX-1050. The Doors "The Soft Parade"...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Feb 27, 2017 8:46:23 GMT -5
Just last night whilst browsing the local Cash Converters store my attention was drawn to this, a Sony DAT cassette deck, model DTC-75ES. Physically it's in near mint condition and I powered it up in the store. Unfortunately no remote, but it can be operated 100% without it. So I'm standing there debating whether or not I should spend the $25 so I pulled out the phone, checked eBay and found one non-working "for parts or repair" that sold for $75 and nearly $30 shipping. A few others in good condition went for between $130 and $200. Meh, I'll take it! I never had a DAT deck, although I do currently have a Philips DCC cassette deck which is basically the same format, digital tape. Surfing the interweb, I found some interesting info on these from the late 80's. Seems the recording industry lobbied against the format and threatened to sue DAT manufacturers. Al Gore even got involved. Oh brother. At any rate, I purchased myself a NOS blank DAT cassette from eBay so I can run it through its paces. Also downloaded and printed a copy of the operation manual. This one retailed for $950 in 1990. Actual pic... So, I decided that I wasn't going to spend any time trying to sort out this deck. I offered it up on eBay for $90 and free shipping and it sold in approx. 6 hours. Not a bad investment.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 4, 2017 15:27:11 GMT -5
Just picked up another Sony DAT deck, model DTC-700, $10 plus tax. This one came with a tape, and I powered it up at the store. Play, pause, stop, eject and load functions all work. Not as clean as the last one, but a good investment nonetheless...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 12, 2017 9:43:29 GMT -5
Another $10 score! A JVC T-X55 from 1982/83. Not a lot of info on the web about this one, although I found a shoot-out comparison from back then comparing it to some high-end tuners... www.fmtunerinfo.com/L-02T-4150-ST7reviews.pdfThis thing is in excellent condition and works flawlessly. I've been running it for 2 weeks or so and I really like it, so it may be a "keeper". Pic from the web (Victor version)... Info translated from Japanese Victor version... FM / AM tuner that aimed at improving operability by microcomputer control control system while improving basic performance.
For the front end mixer circuit, it is the first time in the world to adopt gallium arsenide (GaAs) FET. Gallium · arsenic FET is wider band · high linearity element that the movement speed of electron is about 6 times faster than general silicon MOS · FET and the stray capacitance hardly exists. By using this as a RF intermodulation for a mixer circuit that is prone to interference signal generation, interference immunity capability is improved without sacrificing sensitivity. RF intermodulation can also be reduced by increasing the selectivity of the tuning circuit in front of the mixer circuit. In the synthesizer tuner, a varicap (variable capacitance element) is used as an element that decides the selectivity of this part, but in the T - X 55 it adopts a newly developed high withstanding voltage high Q varicap, and the conventional single type Compared to varicap, selectivity is greatly improved, linearity at large input which is easy to cause disturbance is improved. In addition, SN ratio and distortion factor of the local oscillator circuit are also improved by employing copper frame, low noise of oscillation transistor, insertion of buffer circuit, etc.
With FM · SENS function, it can switch RF gain three steps, effectively suppressing intermodulation disturbance.
Unique static drive lighting is adopted to eliminate adverse influence due to lighting noise of FL (fluorescent tube) display system. This eliminates noise from the display system and improves the SN ratio. Furthermore, in T - X 55, noise generation is reduced by making the key input part of the microcomputer, which is another noise source, static.
With the conventional synthesizer tuner, the microcomputer operates while checking the setting state of the input key such as the distinction between FM and AM and the station number every several μsec, and generates a pulse-like noise every time of confirmation . T - X55 adopts a method that a large - sized microcomputer memorizes in its own memory circuit, and suppresses noise by confirming the state of the key at one time.
We are improving operability by computer control system. In this circuit, the electric field intensity of the desired station, the presence and absence of the interference wave vertically adjacent and the electric field intensity are detected within about 200 msec. And, FM · SENS (RF attenuator), IF bandwidth, QSC (quatting slope · control) are automatically set so that the tuner operates under the most appropriate condition according to the state of radio waves. For example, at the time of over input, the attenuators of -10 dB and -15 dB are inserted in the mixer circuit and the high frequency amplification circuit, respectively, and the signal is passed under the best condition while lowering the level to -10 dB or -25 dB based on the detection of the precise electric field strength at 1 dB step We will control it to be done. Also, when there is strong adjacent disturbance, narrow the IF bandwidth to increase the selectivity. These operations can also be done manually. QSC is a circuit that reduces the noise level by about 6 dB when weak electric field stereo is received, but the switching operation is automated along with the anti-birdie filter that cuts beat noise of 9.5 kHz.
Linear phase ceramic filter with excellent phase characteristic is carried in IF circuit. In addition, the new quadrature detection circuit improves the detection output level and linearity, and aims at low distortion and high S / N in total.
DC configuration is adopted as an audio stage.
FM / AM Each preset memory of 8 stations is carried. In addition to normal manual preset memory set, automatic memory by automatic scan is also possible. Especially at FM, the computer control system works and memory, sensitivity, IF bandwidth, QSC are all set to optimum mode.
By using the timer and tape deck together, it is possible to program up to 6 stations at FM / AM randomly. In this case, it is also possible to monitor the order of programmed stations in advance.
The AM tuner section adopts a double balanced AM mixer, and in conjunction with a high sensitivity, low impedance loop antenna and sound quality changeover switch, high quality AM reception is enabled.
In the frequency display, the electric field intensity can be displayed by switching the switch.
The 333 Hz recording calibrator is carried.
AM loop antenna adopts detachable type.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 14, 2017 14:36:13 GMT -5
In the tuner comparison I posted above, the reviewer noted that the JVC had auto mute which couldn't be defeated and was infuriating when trying to find weak signals, and he was spot on with that observation. Any signal under approx. 18db is automatically muted so I'd have to constantly tune, then turn off the mute over and over again. Not fun for dxing. So, I downloaded the service manual and busted out the golden screwdriver set. The the auto mute has a VR set at about 50% from the factory and the manual quite clearly states clockwise for more sensitivity, counter clockwise for less. Piece of cake. A half turn to the left and the auto mute is almost completely defeated. It now only activates on frequencies between two strong signals. I feel accomplished.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Mar 14, 2017 17:15:41 GMT -5
In the tuner comparison I posted above, the reviewer noted that the JVC had auto mute which couldn't be defeated and was infuriating when trying to find weak signals, and he was spot on with that observation. Any signal under approx. 18db is automatically muted so I'd have to constantly tune, then turn off the mute over and over again. Not fun for dxing. So, I downloaded the service manual and busted out the golden screwdriver set. The the auto mute has a VR set at about 50% from the factory and the manual quite clearly states clockwise for more sensitivity, counter clockwise for less. Piece of cake. A half turn to the left and the auto mute is almost completely defeated. It now only activates on frequencies between two strong signals. I feel accomplished. My JVC surround sound tuner has audio mute as well, but if you turn off stereo, and tune for mono stations, the muting is defeated. That's how I search for weak signal LPFM stations
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 14, 2017 18:52:55 GMT -5
In the tuner comparison I posted above, the reviewer noted that the JVC had auto mute which couldn't be defeated and was infuriating when trying to find weak signals, and he was spot on with that observation. Any signal under approx. 18db is automatically muted so I'd have to constantly tune, then turn off the mute over and over again. Not fun for dxing. So, I downloaded the service manual and busted out the golden screwdriver set. The the auto mute has a VR set at about 50% from the factory and the manual quite clearly states clockwise for more sensitivity, counter clockwise for less. Piece of cake. A half turn to the left and the auto mute is almost completely defeated. It now only activates on frequencies between two strong signals. I feel accomplished. My JVC surround sound tuner has audio mute as well, but if you turn off stereo, and tune for mono stations, the muting is defeated. That's how I search for weak signal LPFM stations Yeah, this one is odd in that respect. It doesn't have a mono/stereo switch. Instead it's "FM mode/mute". You can manually switch it to mono, but as soon as you change frequency it automatically goes back into auto mute. It is (was) infuriating when searching for weak stations. All good now, though.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Mar 14, 2017 21:17:30 GMT -5
My JVC surround sound tuner has audio mute as well, but if you turn off stereo, and tune for mono stations, the muting is defeated. That's how I search for weak signal LPFM stations Yeah, this one is odd in that respect. It doesn't have a mono/stereo switch. Instead it's "FM mode/mute". You can manually switch it to mono, but as soon as you change frequency it automatically goes back into auto mute. It is (was) infuriating when searching for weak stations. All good now, though. I've also noticed that in the mono mode the bandwidth must be narrower, as weaker stations come in with less noise which makes them easier to copy.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 15, 2017 9:01:13 GMT -5
I've also noticed that in the mono mode the bandwidth must be narrower, as weaker stations come in with less noise which makes them easier to copy. I believe that is correct.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 15, 2017 9:07:28 GMT -5
I was fiddling around with my new Tecsun PL-390 on AM last night and came across 740 AM from Ontario. They were playing "80's at Eight" and I was receiving loud and clear. For the heck of it I fired up the JVC to see how it compared. Sure enough it was pulling it in beautifully, and in the AM hifi setting it sounded damn close to an FM signal. I'm really enjoying this $10 antique, flea market scrap.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Mar 15, 2017 12:50:04 GMT -5
I was fiddling around with my new Tecsun PL-390 on AM last night and came across 740 AM from Ontario. They were playing "80's at Eight" and I was receiving loud and clear. For the heck of it I fired up the JVC to see how it compared. Sure enough it was pulling it in beautifully, and in the AM hifi setting it sounded damn close to an FM signal. I'm really enjoying this $10 antique, flea market scrap. AM 740 is a favorite with the CRR crew. Big bands on Sunday night.
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Post by spitfire441 on Mar 16, 2017 0:59:29 GMT -5
I was fiddling around with my new Tecsun PL-390 on AM last night and came across 740 AM from Ontario. They were playing "80's at Eight" and I was receiving loud and clear. For the heck of it I fired up the JVC to see how it compared. Sure enough it was pulling it in beautifully, and in the AM hifi setting it sounded damn close to an FM signal. I'm really enjoying this $10 antique, flea market scrap. great station, I've been listening to them for years now. Comes in 90% of the time when its dark outside. 60's at six,70's at seven, 80's at eight and music mix at nine. At 10 oclock its theater of the mind, old time radio shows. Its my drive to work station as i'm on the road to work from 11 to 1130. At 11pm its Stardust with Ziggy, at mid night things get interesting with mid night blue with some risque blues music. They are then commercial free from 1 am to 5 am.
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Post by BBB on Mar 16, 2017 10:02:09 GMT -5
I run an old NAD 4125 AM/FM Stereo Tuner in the rack. Great sounding simplistic tuner for sure. Not mine, but the same thing:
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 16, 2017 10:19:16 GMT -5
I run an old NAD 4125 AM/FM Stereo Tuner in the rack. Great sounding simplistic tuner for sure. Not mine, but the same thing: Nice. That was in the tuner shootout comparison along with my JVC... www.fmtunerinfo.com/L-02T-4150-ST7reviews.pdf
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Post by MonkeyMan on Mar 22, 2017 20:12:51 GMT -5
My kitchen "system"...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Apr 4, 2017 13:48:10 GMT -5
My Philips 900 series stack. Okay, a bit more contemporary than vintage, but you get the idea. Sitting on the top of "the stack" is my DCC-900 Digital Compact Cassette deck I sourced from eBay 6 or so years ago. Seller stated that it functioned 100% and had posted pics showing it in action. Unfortunately for me, it must have had a rough ride to my house because after powering it up the display was way out of whack. Most of the characters light simultaneously with some flickering and changing ever so slightly as different functions are switched on/off. It does however play just fine and it sounds really good. The seller was very supportive and kind enough to offer a partial refund, which made me happy. After playing with it for a few days I noticed mine was a little bit different from all the others I saw in pictures. Mine didn't have a cooling fan on the rear and no vents on the top cover. Hmm? So I started reading up on the deck, which was the first ever DCC release from Philips. I came across a few mentions on the interwebs of Philips shipping demonstration units to some of their larger retailers early on so that sales associates had a chance to learn the functions and features before they were available to the general public. Then, upon further investigation, I noticed remnants of a small, round orange sticker on the rear with the barely legible word "DEMO" on it. Wow, super-rare?! At any rate, I'm just happy to have one. After I bought my FR-940 receiver and these were still available in stores, I simply couldn't justify spending over $700 on a "fancy" cassette deck, even thought it can play standard cassettes, unlike the Sony DAT units. Some good info and pretty pictures here... www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/philips_dcc900_dcc_recorder/The only picture I can find of another of these without vents on the top cover is used on the front of the manual...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Apr 5, 2017 11:10:57 GMT -5
My Philips 900 series stack. Okay, a bit more contemporary than vintage, but you get the idea. ...Mine didn't have a cooling fan on the rear and no vents on the top cover. Hmm? So I started reading up on the deck, which was the first ever DCC release from Philips. I came across a few mentions on the interwebs of Philips shipping demonstration units to some of their larger retailers early on so that sales associates had a chance to learn the functions and features before they were available to the general public. Then, upon further investigation, I noticed remnants of a small, round orange sticker on the rear with the barely legible word "DEMO" on it. Wow, super-rare?! Found another mention here... www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/review/Philips-DCC900-DCCrecorder/"True to their promise, the Philips I UK people have delivered to me a first sample recorder for their new DCC (Digital Compact Cassette) system. In the nature of these things, the recorder itself and the half-dozen pre-recorded cassettes delivered at the same time show signs of hasty preparation and I was warned that all the functions and display modes might not work according to plan.... cassettes became fairly warm if left in the machine too long. I am told that this latter problem will not occur, as later machines will have the necessary ventilation holes added."
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Post by BBB on Apr 13, 2017 13:14:03 GMT -5
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Post by BBB on Apr 13, 2017 13:16:12 GMT -5
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Post by 2600 on Apr 13, 2017 13:27:38 GMT -5
Quick note about the reduction in noise when you press the "Mono" button:
Selecting mono reduces the receiver's effective bandwidth. Decoding the stereo signal requires a stronger signal to keep down the noise level. Receiving in mono only "collects" noise from only a fraction of the receiver's bandwidth. The stereo decoder is listening to a much-wider hunk of the FM channel, and more noise gets amplified. So long as the signal is strong enough, you won't hear a big difference between mono and stereo.
The weaker the signal, the more noise reduction you'll hear in mono mode. Traditionally, this is the reason you find that button on the front of the receiver in the first place, to improve the sound of a weak signal. Where it's most useful is in a car radio, where signal strength can rise and fall drastically as you drive around.
73
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Post by MonkeyMan on Apr 13, 2017 13:28:39 GMT -5
A couple more photos. At night with the room lights out, it gives the lighting appearance of a fireplace View AttachmentView AttachmentView AttachmentIt has front illuminated forward facing main speakers and non-illuminated high frequency side firing speakers. Damn, a bar AND mood lighting! That would have been a "must have" in the bachelor pad. Love it.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Apr 13, 2017 19:20:16 GMT -5
Quick note about the reduction in noise when you press the "Mono" button: Selecting mono reduces the receiver's effective bandwidth. Decoding the stereo signal requires a stronger signal to keep down the noise level. Receiving in mono only "collects" noise from only a fraction of the receiver's bandwidth. The stereo decoder is listening to a much-wider hunk of the FM channel, and more noise gets amplified. So long as the signal is strong enough, you won't hear a big difference between mono and stereo. The weaker the signal, the more noise reduction you'll hear in mono mode. Traditionally, this is the reason you find that button on the front of the receiver in the first place, to improve the sound of a weak signal. Where it's most useful is in a car radio, where signal strength can rise and fall drastically as you drive around. 73 The stereo in my car seems to have an "adaptive" bandwidth mode. I can notice the high end treble pieces seem to roll off and are much less "bright" when the signal level starts to decrease, in order to keep the signal/noise ratio respectable. A trade off in max fidelity in order to keep a more usable signal. Since a mono signal requires about 1/4 of the bandwidth of a stereo signal, you gain 6db in signal/noise by switching to mono. That's usually enough to quiet a noisy FM signal.
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Post by BBB on Apr 14, 2017 9:34:43 GMT -5
It's noticeable when my JVC car radio does the HD to LD FM mode auto-switch depending on signal strength. Really noticeable when it auto switches from AM Stereo to AM mono mode of course. I can set those cut off points in the menu.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Apr 14, 2017 10:58:38 GMT -5
It's noticeable when my JVC car radio does the HD to LD FM mode auto-switch depending on signal strength. Really noticeable when it auto switches from AM Stereo to AM mono mode of course. I can set those cut off points in the menu. "HD" mode is a digital mode, a whole different animal than standard FM stereo. Was not aware that there were still AM stereo stations around. I had a car radio in a 1987 that had AM stereo in it, but none since have had it. It kind of fizzled the way Quad FM did in the mid 70's.
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Post by BBB on Apr 15, 2017 12:49:07 GMT -5
It's noticeable when my JVC car radio does the HD to LD FM mode auto-switch depending on signal strength. Really noticeable when it auto switches from AM Stereo to AM mono mode of course. I can set those cut off points in the menu. "HD" mode is a digital mode, a whole different animal than standard FM stereo. Was not aware that there were still AM stereo stations around. I had a car radio in a 1987 that had AM stereo in it, but none since have had it. It kind of fizzled the way Quad FM did in the mid 70's. KYW...News Radio...10-60 Brought to you "in AM Stereo" "In December 1986, KYW began AM Stereo broadcasting using the C-QUAM system, and added the phrase "in AM stereo" to their top of the hour ID. This phrase was discontinued in the late 1990s and the C-QUAM AM stereo was abandoned in 1998. In September 2007, the station began using the HD Radio system from iBiquity. KYW is also available on the HD-2 subchannel of 94.1 WIP-FM" So maybe in HD but no longer stereo? The transmitter: www.fybush.com/site-extra-20131127/
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Sandbagger
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Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Apr 15, 2017 15:47:55 GMT -5
"HD" mode is a digital mode, a whole different animal than standard FM stereo. Was not aware that there were still AM stereo stations around. I had a car radio in a 1987 that had AM stereo in it, but none since have had it. It kind of fizzled the way Quad FM did in the mid 70's. KYW...News Radio...10-60 Brought to you "in AM Stereo" "In December 1986, KYW began AM Stereo broadcasting using the C-QUAM system, and added the phrase "in AM stereo" to their top of the hour ID. This phrase was discontinued in the late 1990s and the C-QUAM AM stereo was abandoned in 1998. In September 2007, the station began using the HD Radio system from iBiquity. KYW is also available on the HD-2 subchannel of 94.1 WIP-FM" So maybe in HD but no longer stereo? The transmitter: www.fybush.com/site-extra-20131127/Yea, HD is a digital mode, and it may very well be in stereo, but not in an analog form. Analog AM stereo never really caught on because it still didn't have the rich fidelity that FM stereo had nor did it have the same noise immunity. Ironically, I always thought it was a waste for KYW, an all news station, to be broadcasting in stereo. What's the point?
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Post by BBB on Apr 16, 2017 9:17:31 GMT -5
So you could hear the Funny Car race track commercials better...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Apr 24, 2017 17:45:47 GMT -5
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