It’s still possible to purchase a modulator. I’ll concentrate on VHF TV modulators, although there are also FM modulators.
It’s still possible to purchase a modulator. I’ll concentrate on VHF TV modulators, although there are also FM modulators.
The cable companies use modulators to translate audio and video onto particular channels for cable transmission. Those exact modulators are available at a decent cost. Consumer modulators are quite inexpensive and convert audio/video to channel 3 or 4 for inputting to the antenna terminals of a TV receiver, but they will also drive a longer antenna line or cable.
A fellow I know ran his channel 7 modulator into an outdoor antenna and sent movies to his neighbors back in the early days of VHS videotapes. Modulators are little transmitters with as much as 10 watts of power.
For the moment the Part 15 rules expressly forbid unlicensed operation on TV channels, but changes in the rules could happen because of the end of analog TV.
I have a C.Crane TV Radio, which tunes every VHF channel. All these components could be put to work as a handy STL (studio-transmitter-link), so it’s worthwhile to keep track of rule changes in the future.
In the meantime, outdoor 75 ohm cable which can be buried in the ground, is relatively inexpensive, which means a legal cable link would be reasonably possible.
Most VCRs have built in modulators for sending AV to the TV on channels 3/4, and could easily be repurposed as part of a home cable system.
Good Idea
You Know Whats funny,
Ive actually thought about making a home cable system with a VCR.
That’s a really good Idea.
while the Video portion of the Signal may be lost due to cable loss the Audio may hang on a little longer.
Or you could get a cheapo amp.
Only issue is you would need another VCR. as I dont think the signal is strong enough to be pick up by a radio.
p.s I really hate those captcha’s they make me do sometimes LOL!
Radio With Inputs
If you’re lucky you might find a TV radio with an antenna input, like this C.Crane Radio Plus (Version 1 – the newer version has VHF ham band instead of TV). The cable would connect right to your radio with the proper cable adapter.
As for video on cable from a VCR, we did it here in the house at one time. It was amazing, but channel 3 from the VCR came in everywhere on our home cable along with the two professional modulators we also had.
The video channel today may be good for security cameras.
At one time cable companies
carried am and fm audio over the cable tv lines into your home.
I had crappy reception in my basement apartment when I was living in Milford Ohio and the tv antennas on the complex had broken twin leads so i ordered cable tv. Along with the video portion there was the option of adding a splitter provided by radio shack or the cable company and a 75/300 ohm adaptor screwed into the back of my home stereo.
Reception was great and depending on what the cable box was tuned into you could sometimes hear the audio portion of movie channels or cincy television stations.
I wonder if cable companies still do this, or has this been abandoned in favor of the CD Like music channels?
Come to think of it, does anyone still operate a cable fm radio station?
Just wondering.