Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cwjcc!gatech!dcatla!eqmdg
From: eqmdg@dcatla.UUCP (Mark Gardner)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Stereo TV Converters?
Keywords: want one
Message-ID: <19469@dcatla.UUCP>
Date: 31 May 89 20:50:56 GMT
References: <77@anasaz.UUCP>
Reply-To: eqmdg@sund.UUCP (Mark Gardner)
Organization: DCA Inc., Alpharetta, GA
Lines: 35

In article <77@anasaz.UUCP> john@anasaz.UUCP (John Moore) writes:
>I would like to get a converter so that I can hear stereo programs
>on a mono TV. I have heard that there is one that "listens" to the
>TV IF, thus avoiding the need for an expensive tuner. Anyone know
>of one of these widgets that is not too expensive?
>
I had one of these, a Recoton FRED 620, I think was the model #.  I'm not
sure that it doesn't have a tuner--it might have one that tunes itself by
sensing the IF in the set, I can't remember the details--but the point is 
that you didn't have to tune both your TV and the FRED seperately.

That's the theory anyway.  I never got it to work.  

Your could use it 3 ways:

1) with multiplex adaptor on the TV (not many have one)
2) pipe your cable through the thing on the way to the TV
3) use a small sensor on the TV cabinet to sense the IF

I could not get #3 to work and did not care to take the TV apart.

As for #2, the FRED has to come after the cable tuning box and before the TV.
If you have a cable-ready TV tuner, you can forget this.  I tried using my
VCR, which is cable-ready, but never got that to work either.

Other than that it's a great unit!  [Actually I'm not totally flaming it here; 
method 3 should work but you might have to tear the cabinet off or have someong
do it.  

Epilogue:  I sold it to a guy for $25 who had the correct cable hookup.  He
loves it.  I bought a new reciever/monitor with MTS, and it's great.
-- 
  If you push something hard enough,  |   UUCP:  ...gatech!dcatla!eqmdg 
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    - Fudd's 1st Law of Opposition    |   Who:  Mark Gardner