Clothes Pin type antenna connector

[Ray Sieracki]

Hi, I wonder if anyone knows of a source for those old clothes Pin connectors that were often used in by tv repair shops for quickly connecting an antenna to old tv antenna screws. What you would do is simply connect the 300 ohm leads to it , then squeeze the connector and let go of it on the antenna input of old sets. So in today's world of connecting a video source this could be used very easy. Especially if your using a cable tv source. I remember them from say the 70's.

[Electronic M]

Chester Electronics had some a year ago in their shop.

I grabbed 2-3 of them.

[Kevin Kuehn]

They also show up on ebay. Someone recently bought the big pile pictured below.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300-Ohm-TV-A...YAAOSwv2JXwdY4

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by Ray Sieracki

... I remember them from say the 70's.

I remember them from the '50s! We had one on the antenna lead-in to the old Zenith, one reason was so it was easier for Mom to unclip the antenna connection and move the TV out to clean behind it.

[Kamakiri]

I wish to God I still had the one I had many years ago. No idea what happened to it.

[Celt]

I used to have several in different colours, stamped as being made by GC. No idea where they all went to.

[consoleguy67]

That E-bay listing is still good. Check it out if you still want the clips.

[Ed in Tx]

Two "new in box" genuine Channel Master clips for $10 shipped ....


http://www.ebay.com/itm/channel-mast...QAAOSwoBtW3ilP


If I had a need they'd be gone. (no affiliation)

[Ray Sieracki]

So, Thanks from all the help. I have some coming. I always like using it. Of course years and years ago, I used a splitter off the large antenna we had on the house. My shop was in the basement and this clip for easy on-easy off came in really handy when I wanted to put the antenna on different sets I was always getting in from friends and neighbors. Thanks Again

[lnx64]

You know, I have a massive roll of aluminum, and can probably get a bunch of real cloths pins.

I might be able to make some if there's enough interest?

[ohohyodafarted]

I have a whole bunch of these cloths pin clips for sale on ebay. I got them from a tv shop that I cleaned out 10 years ago. I never use them myself.

First off, in order to clip them onto the antenna screws of thee TV, the screws have to be loose. The loose connection can introduce issues with the signal when the clip wiggles around. I can understand using the clothes pins if you are attaching rabbit ears or are using 300 ohm twinlead, but there are still work-arounds for the twinlead issue, and today most everyone is using 75 ohm coax.

My best practice is to attach a 75 to 300 ohm balun coil to the antenna terminals of the set I am working on. I leave the balun coil on the set permanently. Baluns are cheep. I bought 50 of them on the internet a few years back at a cost of only 50 cents each.

Once you have a balun installed on the set, it's a simple matter to attach a "F" quick connector ( like these http://www.ebay.com/itm/Axis-F822-F-...gAAOSwAuZX5fEu )onto the end of your 75 ohm coax, and then you simply push it on to connect and pull it off to disconnect.

Anyhow, if you need some go find my ebay auction. Price is 2 for 10 bucks Free shipping.

[benman94]

Bob hits right on the head here. The only solution I like better is agile modulators broadcasting pirate OTA within the house, but that requires quite a few sets of rabbit ears. Even then, if your house has electrical noise issues, a run of RG-6Q or RG-11 to each set from a distribution amplifier is probably the better option.

Another thing to keep in mind, cheap baluns can be had for next to nothing, and most of them have pretty massive insertion losses in the VHF range. This can be an advantage when using a modulator without any sort of gain control that's just too darn hot.

Originally Posted by ohohyodafarted

I have a whole bunch of these cloths pin clips for sale on ebay. I got them from a tv shop that I cleaned out 10 years ago. I never use them myself.

First off, in order to clip them onto the antenna screws of thee TV, the screws have to be loose. The loose connection can introduce issues with the signal when the clip wiggles around. I can understand using the clothes pins if you are attaching rabbit ears or are using 300 ohm twinlead, but there are still work-arounds for the twinlead issue, and today most everyone is using 75 ohm coax.

My best practice is to attach a 75 to 300 ohm balun coil to the antenna terminals of the set I am working on. I leave the balun coil on the set permanently. Baluns are cheep. I bought 50 of them on the internet a few years back at a cost of only 50 cents each.

Once you have a balun installed on the set, it's a simple matter to attach a "F" quick connector ( like these http://www.ebay.com/itm/Axis-F822-F-...gAAOSwAuZX5fEu )onto the end of your 75 ohm coax, and then you simply push it on to connect and pull it off to disconnect.

Anyhow, if you need some go find my ebay auction. Price is 2 for 10 bucks Free shipping.

[drdave3]

I have about 2 dozen myself, if anyone is interested. I'll make you a deal. Pm me.

[StellarTV]

Man, I have a big bag of those somewhere... Helpful, yes?