Thread: I dream of TVs
View Single Post
  #48  
Old 12-04-2005, 08:39 PM
dr.ido's Avatar
dr.ido dr.ido is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: SE Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 550
Judging from some of the articles in various issues of Radio, Television & Hobbies (later Electronics Australia) on the difficulties in servicing and modifying foreign TV sets people did bring sets into Australia with their personal effects when they immigrated. From memory all that was usually required with mono sets was the installation of a locally made tuner and a step down transformer for American sets. Usually there was enough adjustment available to get a set intended for 60Hz Vsync to lock onto our 50Hz signal. The problems came later when someone needed to replace a valve that wasn't available.

While it is not impossible that there is a CT-100 out here somewhere I've got my doubts. As far as I know we never considered the NTSC system here. All the early color sets that I saw in magazine articles from before the introduction of color were sets imported from the UK.

Some of the earliest color sets sold here were UK Decca sets fitted with a locally supplied tuner. These were hybrid sets with valves in the horizontal output stage. They were the only color sets I know of that were sold here with valves in them.

I have seen one imported Rank Arena set from the UK that was originally all solid state, but gained a couple of valves after someone fitted a VHF tuner salvaged from a much older mono set.

I see imported UK sets here from time to time, usually more recent ones that were used as-is with a VCR connected to the AV input serving as the tuner.

I've seen a few Japanese sets here that were probably brought over by someone who wasn't aware of the differences. To most people they are totally useless here (100V, NTSC vs. 240V, PAL, and the TV bands are different). I bought one purely so I could run a Japanese Nintendo Famicon that only has an RF output. I've got several modified Famicons with AV outputs, but I wanted to keep one original and run it on a matching TV. So I bought a little 14" Hitachi in a red case that almost perfectly matches the Famicon case color.

Strangely though in all my years spent at junk auctions, markets, and picking stuff up of the street I have only ever seen 1 American set. It was at a junk auction about 15 years ago. It's been a long time, but I'm pretty sure it was a Portacolor. Unfortunately I didn't buy it. Back then any dead color set brought at least $50. One of the regulars at the time probably bought it, and I dare saw he got a quite a suprise when he took the back off.
Reply With Quote