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Old 20th Jan 2021, 12:27 pm   #1
OldFerguson1979
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Post Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

Hello all, super site!

I have a Ferguson Videostar 3V22 which was dad's and I've had it in the loft for some years. Brought out of storage at the weekend and still in good order and fully working aside of some clock pixels being dead + the playback head is shot (well used in the early days). But I simply cannot believe it still works after 40 years!

The Record head is A1 as a recording made on it plays back perfectly on my old Mitsubishi, but poorly on the Ferguson itself. I have properly cleaned the heads and drum but no improvement. I'd like to replace the heads, but finding them is all but impossible nowadays.

I also have the 3V22's sister 'portable' machine of the time, the 3V01 with good heads, hardly used at all.

So the question of the day is, are the heads interchangeable or, are any other heads? I know these are JVC units, so some possibility there maybe but I'm happy to sacrifice the 3V01 to get the 3V22 working.

Thanks all very much.

Andy (OldFerguson1979)
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Old 20th Jan 2021, 1:11 pm   #2
mark pirate
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

From memory, the heads on the 3V01 are the same as fitted to the 3V22.
If you have both machines side by side, you will see that they should be identical. Be very careful of the head tips, they are very fragile!

I am amazed that the belts on your 3V22 are still good, I have had mine since 1981, and still works fine, very good picture for such an early machine.


Mark
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Old 20th Jan 2021, 1:16 pm   #3
toshiba tony
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

From memory yes, you should be ok. I think the 3v16 had slight differences due to the still pause and slow motion features but yours does not have either. It's so long ago now, but as has been said, just watch your belts. Take good care when you take the heads off, a hair dryer may help.
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Old 20th Jan 2021, 1:24 pm   #4
1100 man
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the forum!!

The 3v22 is not a bad old machine: I've always been rather fond of them as it was the first VHS machine I owned as a teenager in the mid '80's.

Loft storage doesn't usually do machines any good at all- they get boiled to death in the summer and damp in the winter. I'm surprised your machine works at all - I can't believe it doesn't need belts at the very least!

There is no specific record or playback head in a video recorder. There is a video head drum with two heads mounted on it and an audio / control head. Both these items are used for both record & playback.

However, the video heads need to be in better condition to play back a tape than to record one. So worn heads may well record OK but playback poorly.

There are also many other reasons for poor or no playback, but it's perfectly possible that the heads are well worn. What exactly do you get on the screen when you play a known good tape? That will lead to a better diagnosis!

Heads do turn up from time to time and there are several other models of Ferguson/ JVC in that early range that will work even though the heads have different numbers. That widens the choice a bit.

I have heard that the clock displays are now failing on these machines and I did read somewhere that someone had rebuild a display with LED's which was very successful. I'll have to think where I saw that!

Hope that helps,
All the best
Nick
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Old 20th Jan 2021, 5:27 pm   #5
John123
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1100 man View Post
I have heard that the clock displays are now failing on these machines and I did read somewhere that someone had rebuild a display with LED's which was very successful. I'll have to think where I saw that!
There's a very good thread over on the VRAT forum. The same fix applies for the Sony Betamax machines where the stereo record level meters are affected, instead.
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Old 20th Jan 2021, 7:12 pm   #6
Mooly
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

Am I dreaming or did the tracking control have a 'click' or 'fix' position at one end for normal playback of own recordings. Must be around 1990 when I last touched one of these.

Heads were pretty interchangeable between all the 'Metal Mickeys' and as long as you didn't mind a worse freeze frame then the standard head drums were fine to use across the board. I think those freeze frame heads had a 60/40 micron gap for the pair... its a long time ago now.

Can't remember if the 3V22 was a model with freeze frame or not. I recall the Thorn 8904 (was it?) as the freeze frame version and I remember the 'G10' heads that we seemed to fit in everything.
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Old 21st Jan 2021, 10:02 am   #7
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

Quote:
Can't remember if the 3V22 was a model with freeze frame or not.
There is no freeze frame on the 3V22, there was a deluxe machine that was similar that did have freeze frame in pause, not sure of the model number.


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Old 21st Jan 2021, 10:40 am   #8
Mooly
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

Thanks Mark, it was mainly the TTR (Thorn) model numbers I remember as we had zillions on rental. The Fergies and JVC's were more for outright purchases than rentals as I recall.
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Old 21st Jan 2021, 11:23 am   #9
toshiba tony
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

Mark, it was the 3V16, still pause and slow motion. But in appearance, except for an extra knob for tracking, it was the same as a 3V22. It also had double speed play with sound, and the sound was at the correct pitch, due to a bucket brigade ic, clever for it's day.
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Old 21st Jan 2021, 11:36 am   #10
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

The 3V16 did have the wired remote with limited functions. But wasn't it the battleship 3V23 that had the bucket brigade audio delay?
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Old 21st Jan 2021, 2:39 pm   #11
mark pirate
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Default Re: Ferguson 3V22 / Ferguson 3V01

Quote:
Mark, it was the 3V16, still pause and slow motion. But in appearance, except for an extra knob for tracking, it was the same as a 3V22.
Thanks Tony, many years since I have seen one.

Quote:
The 3V16 did have the wired remote with limited functions.
I seem to remember the wired remote was very limited & plugged in via a DIN type socket on the front left of the machine.
The 3V23 was a beast of a machine, I still have one stashed away, but sadly not the equally chunky remote, which was infrared.


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