UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Television and Video

Notices

Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 11th Oct 2016, 7:51 am   #1
TheBandit
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Brighton, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 7
Default Audio remote control

Ok, so I have vague recollections of having a TV with a remote control that worked by emitting a high frequency to change the options. It wasn't great. The TV would often randomly change channels when it would pick up extraneous noise from the outside world. Usually at the most exciting point of a movie.

I was telling my friend about this and he said I was talking rubbish, but I'm pretty sure we had one - I was quite young at the time. Can anyone back me up on this or am I wrong?

Thanks.
TheBandit is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 8:54 am   #2
MALC SCOTT
Octode
 
MALC SCOTT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Willington, County Durham, UK.
Posts: 1,498
Default Re: Audio remote control

Yes, you are correct. Early remote control sets used ultra-sonic signals before infra-red was developed, Malc.
__________________
Malc Scott
MALC SCOTT is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 9:26 am   #3
Tractorfan
Dekatron
 
Tractorfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.)
Posts: 3,168
Smile Re: Audio remote control

Hi,
The earliest one I saw had two small steel bars tuned to different pitches which were struck with little hammers when the buttons were pressed. One turned the set on or off. The other changed the channel, sometimes via a motorised turret tuner. You then had to cycle it through a whole rotation if you wanted to go back one channel. ( the tuner only travelled in one direction).
Needless to say that dogs hated them!
Cheers, Pete.
__________________
"Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."
Tractorfan is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 9:39 am   #4
paulsherwin
Moderator
 
paulsherwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,740
Default Re: Audio remote control

They were an early 70s phenomenon for main sized colour TVs before LED remote controls arrived. They were quite crude, giving sound up/down and channel up/down, but given the 3 channel world of the time they were adequate. Some young people with a particularly extended hearing range could hear them, and dogs and cats didn't like them at all.
paulsherwin is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 10:01 am   #5
raditechman
Heptode
 
raditechman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: West London, UK.
Posts: 864
Default Re: Audio remote control

One thing I remember with the Ultra-sonic remote control system was that if you jangled a bunch of keys in the same room it would sometimes cause the TV to change channel.

John
raditechman is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 12:23 pm   #6
Nickthedentist
Dekatron
 
Nickthedentist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,790
Default Re: Audio remote control

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
They were an early 70s phenomenon...
They were certainly still about in the very early 1980s, e.g. the Philips G11 chassis. A description of the remote control handset here:
http://www.philipstv.org.uk/blog/wp-...03/G11RC-1.jpg
http://www.philipstv.org.uk/blog/ear...emote-control/

My grandparents rented one until the mid-late 1980s, and the squeaky tones the handset emitted were very audible.
Nickthedentist is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 12:32 pm   #7
ms660
Dekatron
 
ms660's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
Default Re: Audio remote control

The pinger...

I think Murphy might have used a mechanical one?

Lawrence.
ms660 is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 12:57 pm   #8
Nickthedentist
Dekatron
 
Nickthedentist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,790
Default Re: Audio remote control

My school was still using a Philips G9 set with a 2-button, mechanical, tuning fork, "pinger" remote control well into the 1990s.
Nickthedentist is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 1:38 pm   #9
ms660
Dekatron
 
ms660's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
Default Re: Audio remote control

Here's a pic of a Murphy pinger:

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/519813981965788566/

Lawrence.
ms660 is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 6:09 pm   #10
1955APREN
Hexode
 
1955APREN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Market Drayton, Shropshire, UK.
Posts: 483
Default Re: Audio remote control

Dogs in the house were driven Mad with these.

Regards, Derrick.
1955APREN is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 7:06 pm   #11
Boater Sam
Banned
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Middlewich, Cheshire, UK. & Winter in the Philippines.
Posts: 3,897
Default Re: Audio remote control

We had terrible problems with these remotes switching electric hob units and ovens on and off. Yes, that's right, they used to vibrate the bimetals in Diamond H simmerstats. The American equivalents were not affected.
Boater Sam is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 7:35 pm   #12
60 oldjohn
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 3,951
Default Re: Audio remote control

Some pictures of a Pye? "pinger". To the right of the last picture shows the two "hammers" and the two "chimes", all different sizes to get the two frequencies. I see it says Pilot on it but I don't believe it was for a Pilot TV.

John.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	SN851406.jpg
Views:	167
Size:	55.3 KB
ID:	131139   Click image for larger version

Name:	SN851413.jpg
Views:	147
Size:	47.8 KB
ID:	131140   Click image for larger version

Name:	SN851408.jpg
Views:	146
Size:	74.8 KB
ID:	131141  
60 oldjohn is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 7:46 pm   #13
unitaudio
Heptode
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Manchester, UK.
Posts: 860
Default Re: Audio remote control

In the early 80's my parents rented a remote controlled colour telly from Granada. It wasn't brand new, I think it was probably 2 or 3 years old at the time. It had one of the later sonic remotes which had a full set of functions, anything on the control panel of the set was duplicated on the remote so we had volume, colour, brightness, contrast and 8 channels. My sister and I were the only ones who could hear the remote working. It used to drive us nuts!

Regards,
Paul
__________________
...No, it's not supposed to pick up the World Service, it's not a radio!
unitaudio is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 8:25 pm   #14
FERNSEH
Dekatron
 
FERNSEH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 7,444
Default Re: Audio remote control

Quote:
Originally Posted by pwdrive View Post
Here's a pic of a Murphy pinger
The 1961 Murphy remote control system was discussed here:

http://vintage-radio.net/forum/showt...trol+TV&page=2

About the same as the Murphy remote control TV was made Dynatron offered a three button ultrasonic control which allowed full adjustment of the sound.
Volume up and volume down. Single channel stepper button.

DFWB.
FERNSEH is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 8:33 pm   #15
ms660
Dekatron
 
ms660's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
Default Re: Audio remote control

Thanks for the link to the forum discussion, I remember working on one or two of those back in the day

Lawrence.
ms660 is offline  
Old 11th Oct 2016, 8:44 pm   #16
FERNSEH
Dekatron
 
FERNSEH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 7,444
Default Re: Audio remote control

Hi Lawrence,
The channel change function works as it should but I've never been able to sort out the sound mute function, evidently that was a known problem with this system.

in 1976 Rank-Radio-International produced a single button remote control system. A quick push of the button changed the channel. When the button was pressed down for more than three seconds the sound would be muted.
The system was also used in the later T20 and T22 models.

DFWB.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Z718RCU_2.jpg
Views:	116
Size:	53.8 KB
ID:	131149  
FERNSEH is offline  
Old 12th Oct 2016, 2:49 pm   #17
michamoo
Hexode
 
michamoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
Posts: 469
Default Re: Audio remote control

One quite late example of a colour set using this type of system was an ITT with the CVC30 Chassis. Remote control was actuslly the front customer control panel that could be removed and then used as a remote control. I was young at the time and could hear the comand tones from it quite clearly!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	IMGH_02769.jpg
Views:	125
Size:	124.1 KB
ID:	131189   Click image for larger version

Name:	IMGH_02770.jpg
Views:	136
Size:	141.6 KB
ID:	131190  
__________________
If smoking is so bad for you, how come it cures kippers?
michamoo is offline  
Old 12th Oct 2016, 6:19 pm   #18
Welsh Anorak
Dekatron
 
Welsh Anorak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Wales, UK.
Posts: 6,877
Default Re: Audio remote control

I have the ITT one on the shelf - only it has two rows of buttons not three. Anyone want it?
As usual the up-market continentals had the edge on us - remember the Saba F with full ultrasonic remote control? Not only did it adjust the brightness and so on the knobs would spookily turn round! Years later high-end audio amplifiers used this system so no electronic attenuators were used.
Dogs were a great asset as were cats - ping and if the ear flipped you were OK.
Glyn
PS the Rank sound muting needed very careful adjustment of a coil to work, which it did for a day or two. Usually the customer gave up.
Welsh Anorak is offline  
Old 12th Oct 2016, 11:43 pm   #19
hans
Heptode
 
hans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Oslo, Norway.
Posts: 632
Default Re: Audio remote control

I think the Saba F even had a motor operated on/off switch. It was a shame that the tubes died fast.

I once had a Rank which had remote with full functionality. The tuning also was automatic and it might have had OSD. This chassis usually came with the remote in post 16. (pre T20) I can't remember if it was ultrasonic but I think it was. When you selected presets you could choose any two digit number, but on my set you only could store on the first couple of presets. Anyone remember this set?
hans is online now  
Old 13th Oct 2016, 7:41 am   #20
TheBandit
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Brighton, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 7
Default Re: Audio remote control

Quote:
Originally Posted by raditechman View Post
One thing I remember with the Ultra-sonic remote control system was that if you jangled a bunch of keys in the same room it would sometimes cause the TV to change channel.
Yeah, there were a few things that caused the dreaded channel change. It was always at the most exciting point of a movie.
TheBandit is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 3:33 am.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.