Nah.

Its just an illuminated channel indicator.

I'm not sure if it's a magic eye tuning valve, or just a channel number indicator for the VHF tuner. I know a lot of American sets used them (though mostly for the UHF tuner I believe).

Chris

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I've never, ever seen a magic-eye on any Astor product made from the '30's right through to the '60's. Could this be the case?

Whoops, I somehow missed your post Monochrome! That's what I was thinking - a channel indicator. It'd be neat if it were a magic eye though, but that's wishful thinking.

Chris

It is the illuminated number for the channel selection. It is back lit with a globe.

JT

Jeff's correct, the little window on the front of the case is to display the channel number. It's an unusual feature as the window is frosted with the number projected, via a green drum with the numbers, onto the frosted "screen". You end up with a soft green channel number displayed on the front of the TV.

Hopefully Sue can send a picture of her set with the dial number displayed as I haven't seen it myself.

I can't think of any Australian TV's that used magic eye valves only perhaps a couple of the obscure European import models.

As for Astor, I couldn't think of any models that used them but I may have found the exception with the model HF radiogram.

I can't think of any Australian TV's that used magic eye valves only perhaps a couple of the obscure European import models.

I can't imagine it'd be necessary on a VHF tuner as the stations are preset anyway. If the UHF band, with their variable tuners, was around at the time we'd have probably seen magic eyes in action.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

I can't imagine it'd be necessary on a VHF tuner as the stations are preset anyway.

True, but the B&W VHF sets our family had over the years all had fine-tune controls on them to tweak the reception. That plus the picture tube was the equivalent of the 'magic eye' for my purposes.

That plus the picture tube was the equivalent of the 'magic eye' for my purposes.

I'd reckon so, as the sound usually came into tune before the picture did. Fine tuning was seldom touched in my household though I would imagine it being more necessary on the fringes and in rural areas where the transmitters weren't as strong and no translator services existed for blackspots.

When I was a kid I remember all the large antenna towers a lot of people had in their backyards and some of these still exist where people simply didn't have the ability to knock them down safely.

With antennas small enough to fit in your hand and televisions that can tune themselves to any number of channels, are there any technological improvements that can be made in this area? Probably not, unless they can work out a way of building an antenna into the bezel of the television, in the same way a WiFi antenna surrounds a laptop screen.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

"large antenna towers"

In the Illawarra usually topped with a phased array to pick up Sydney's 7, 9 & 10 and, 2 with an extra reflector. These are very rugged and many are still there unconnected.

A large yagi with channel 2 elements could be demolished by a flock of cockatoos just perching on it, let alone getting busy with their beaks. Also in really gusty wind they tended to twist on the mast.

Found the best fine tuning point was where sound-on-vision just started.

Hi Chris,

The round window is the illuminated channel number.

(edit - sorry I missed all of those recent posts before posting this one, sorry..... )

Jeff

I want this but don't have the cash nor the room? :/

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"I'd rather have a CRT than nothing" - me
"people just throw working CRTs out, it is NOT FUNNY!" -me

Hi, just caught up with this thread. I'm using the Astor Plymouth as my main set now. I'll post a shot of the channel indicator.

The set's working well, although the "caption buzz" is sometimes annoying. Setting the DVD picture quality to "low" (soft) helps. The buzz wasn't much of a problem on my Pye Pedigree, but perhaps that was because the sound on that set is basic low-fi with a tiny speaker at the side.

Thanks Sue.

"Caption Buzz" was the word I was looking for to describe the problem that plagues my Astor Royal 23". TV Collector suggested to adjust the AGC control which I haven't tried yet. I will see if I can adjust my DVD picture quality settings and see what affect that has.


"ITS AN ASTOR - Thats the difference!!"

"ITS AN ASTOR - Thats the difference!!"

Guy I know who worked as a tech for a competing brand always says "It's an Astor -- that's the problem!"