Famicom World

Misc. => Other Gaming => Topic started by: MarioMania on January 18, 2010, 10:19:38 pm

Title: RF only
Post by: MarioMania on January 18, 2010, 10:19:38 pm
Remember back in the day's of the VCS..you could only play game on TV using RF switch or a Box, Now it's HDMI or Component..

I remember playing my NES on my TV..witch was RF only, on Channel 3 in California, our local station was on Ch. 4

I know in the UK playing the NES, SNES, MD & SMS2 on Channel 34..

How about in NZ or even Australia, I'm just a geek at these....
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: NintendoKing on January 18, 2010, 10:31:59 pm
I wish I could help but honestly do not know.
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: MarioMania on January 18, 2010, 11:06:59 pm
I know in the US the Famicom is on Cable Ch. 95 or 96...How about on Air TV??
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: 133MHz on January 18, 2010, 11:28:00 pm
The Famicom's RF signal can't be received on US Air TV frequencies. It's a mere coincidence that it can be received on US Cable channels 95 and 96, since the American and Japanese frequency spectrum assignments are completely different.

FM Radio in the US goes from 88 to 108 MHz
FM Radio in Japan goes from 76 to 90 MHz

The direct consequence of this is the complete skew of the TV spectrum (and other stuff). Also Japan's got TV Channel 1 which we don't have (our TV starts at channel 2 because CH1 is reserved in the US for police radio communications). Nowadays with the US DTV switch this is all meaningless.

I think Australia used Channel 36 as the video channel but I'm not sure, some other places did too.

I remember having a Sega Genesis 2 shaped Famiclone which transmitted its picture in Channel 12 only. It had a big sticker on the box which read THIS UNIT ONLY BROADCASTS ON CHANNEL 12, possibly to avoid hordes of people from returning it to the store because they didn't get it to work.

Atari 8-bit computers can broadcast their video signal in channels 2 or 3, unlike the common 3 or 4 arrangement seen everywhere else.

One of my childhood pastimes was hooking up my SNES console directly to a rooftop TV antenna and broadcast my gaming live for everyone to see on Channel 3. Cable TV wasn't as common back then so my friends (and everyone else around me for that matter) could see me playing if their tuned their TVs to Ch. 3. This is technically illegal (broadcasting TV without a license) but I was a mischievous kid and I didn't care. ::)
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: nintendodork on January 19, 2010, 06:30:48 am
Quote from: MarioMania on January 18, 2010, 10:19:38 pm
I remember playing my NES on my TV..witch was RF only
Not if you had a toaster...composite wasn't very common on TVs then, so it may have been that your TV was RF only. :D
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: Jollie on January 19, 2010, 01:43:26 pm
Quote from: 133MHz on January 18, 2010, 11:28:00 pm

One of my childhood pastimes was hooking up my SNES console directly to a rooftop TV antenna and broadcast my gaming live for everyone to see on Channel 3. Cable TV wasn't as common back then so my friends (and everyone else around me for that matter) could see me playing if their tuned their TVs to Ch. 3. This is technically illegal (broadcasting TV without a license) but I was a mischievous kid and I didn't care. ::)


can you tell me how to do that?
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: MarioMania on January 19, 2010, 01:44:49 pm
Well I had my Mom's old TV that was RF Only.So the only way I could get AV out from the NES is the VCR & that was running though RF also..it wasn't true AV

QuoteOne of my childhood pastimes was hooking up my SNES console directly to a rooftop TV antenna and broadcast my gaming live for everyone to see on Channel 3. Cable TV wasn't as common back then so my friends (and everyone else around me for that matter) could see me playing if their tuned their TVs to Ch. 3. This is technically illegal (broadcasting TV without a license) but I was a mischievous kid and I didn't care


How long did it reach??
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: MS-DOS4 on January 19, 2010, 02:11:58 pm
I can't imagine very far...
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: MarioMania on January 20, 2010, 04:58:43 pm
I'm justing waiting for 133Mhz to tell us how are it went from his house
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: 133MHz on January 20, 2010, 07:46:08 pm
Well guys keep in mind that this was over 10 years ago so the details are kinda fuzzy... but I remember a friend being able to watch my SNES a few houses away. We never did any extended distance testing because we didn't have portable TVs.

I used an old rooftop TV antenna because it gave the best results. A standard "rabbit ears" indoor TV antenna also worked but not as good. The higher you can mount the antenna, the better. Putting a common TV antenna on a stick and rising it up as high as you can would give good performance. Another good way to make an antenna is using a really long piece of wire and stretching it out horizontally or vertically.

The output power of the RF modulator also played an important role on transmission coverage. The SNES has a particularly strong RF modulator (or at least mine does - the picture is very clear). The stronger the modulator, the better. A great way to crank up the broadcasting power is by using a $10 TV signal amplifier/booster. I remember borrowing one from my uncle, hooking it up between the SNES and the antenna and the difference in signal power was like night and day.

In conclusion, the larger and higher your antenna is mounted and the stronger the modulator, the farther your signal will get. A common TV signal booster available at your favorite hardware store might significantly improve your results, but they can be satisfactory even without one.

I have included a MSPaint diagram for the curious ones. It's as simple as that. ::)

(http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/8333/piratetvstation.png)

DISCLAIMER: The information provided above is for educational purposes only. I assume no responsibility if the FCC comes knocking at your door because you're running an illegal TV station, no matter how good you play Super Mario World.
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: MarioMania on January 20, 2010, 07:55:30 pm
I tried that with my Indoor Antanna with my NES (Side Loader) Well it didn't go to far
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: 133MHz on January 20, 2010, 08:03:12 pm
Did you get it working inside your house?
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: MarioMania on January 20, 2010, 08:19:31 pm
Only in my room with those $20 Radio Shack Antanna's
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: namakubi on January 22, 2010, 03:50:37 am
Quote from: 133MHz on January 18, 2010, 11:28:00 pm
One of my childhood pastimes was hooking up my SNES console directly to a rooftop TV antenna and broadcast my gaming live for everyone to see on Channel 3. Cable TV wasn't as common back then so my friends (and everyone else around me for that matter) could see me playing if their tuned their TVs to Ch. 3. This is technically illegal (broadcasting TV without a license) but I was a mischievous kid and I didn't care. ::)


Wow, that's actually really cool! That would've been a hoot to see, flipping to channel 3 and seeing an Atari, NES, or SNES game just playing itself. The bygone years of analog RF signals...
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: petik1 on January 23, 2010, 08:22:56 am
Wait, so what you need is an antenna, and an amp? I really want to try this! I want to just try it out, i don't want the FCC at my door though... Can rabbit ears be used? and how far will it go? And will I need another pair of rabbit ears to recieve the signal?
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: Cam3ron@FW on January 23, 2010, 08:01:08 pm
Depending on Tvs or VCRs, it was always Ch 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and I think 99...
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: petik1 on January 24, 2010, 06:48:04 am
Quote from: MarioMania on January 20, 2010, 08:19:31 pm
I tried that with my Indoor Antanna with my NES (Side Loader) Well it didn't go to far. Only in my room with those $20 Radio Shack Antanna's


Did you just hook up two small antennas, one on your system, one on your TV? Like 133MHz said:
Quote from: 133MHz on January 20, 2010, 07:46:08 pm

I used an old rooftop TV antenna because it gave the best results. A standard "rabbit ears" indoor TV antenna also worked but not as good.


A booster/amplifier will help, and raise the broadcasting antenna up... Posibbly duct tape it to your roof! ;D

Anyway, I can't wait to try this out myself. I'll get an RCA composite to coaxial converter so I can use my video camera to broadcast live!!! Also, my stereo system, Wii, or anything else I have.
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: MarioMania on January 25, 2010, 05:40:29 pm
Quote from: petik1 on January 24, 2010, 06:48:04 am
Quote from: MarioMania on January 20, 2010, 08:19:31 pm
I tried that with my Indoor Antanna with my NES (Side Loader) Well it didn't go to far. Only in my room with those $20 Radio Shack Antanna's


Did you just hook up two small antennas, one on your system, one on your TV? Like 133MHz said:
Quote from: 133MHz on January 20, 2010, 07:46:08 pm

I used an old rooftop TV antenna because it gave the best results. A standard "rabbit ears" indoor TV antenna also worked but not as good.


A booster/amplifier will help, and raise the broadcasting antenna up... Posibbly duct tape it to your roof! ;D

Anyway, I can't wait to try this out myself. I'll get an RCA composite to coaxial converter so I can use my video camera to broadcast live!!! Also, my stereo system, Wii, or anything else I have.


I only had 1 Good Indoor Antanna that I used..it didn't go far only like 10 ft at most

I hear on AVS forum the Booster/Amplifiers won't work on a Indoor Antanna
Title: Re: RF only
Post by: MarioMania on February 13, 2010, 09:17:42 pm
anyone 133mhz