Yep, almost all PAL home computers and video games operate on UHF channel 36 or thereabouts. I'm not sure about the Atari 2600 though, but I've noticed the Intellivision operates on channel 2-3 even in PAL which in my eyes would make it an oddity.
Most RF based equipment here used the range 36-38. Which is why when Channel 5 launched ten years ago (on channel 36) they had to send people round to retune VCRs and the such to avoid interference. Of course most modern VCRs allow you to choose the RF out channel...
And in my part of Sweden channel 36 is apparently used for digital TV broadcasts so it's impossible to get a good picture from the RF out on any old computers. Doesn't really matter to me since I use composite or C/L out, but it may be a problem for some people.
Bacon
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Das rubbernecken Sichtseeren keepen das cotton-pickenen Hands in die Pockets muss; relaxen und watschen die Blinkenlichten.
I don't understand. Does your antenna cable from the computer pick up digital aerial signals which scrambles the picture, or is it the TV that has a built-in digital receiver you can't disable? In the first case, have you tried to get/build a shielded antenna cable?
carlsson wrote:I don't understand. Does your antenna cable from the computer pick up digital aerial signals which scrambles the picture, or is it the TV that has a built-in digital receiver you can't disable? In the first case, have you tried to get/build a shielded antenna cable?
It's the first case, so I suppose you're right about the solution. I'm not even sure that the description of the problem is correct; it's the answer I got from someone on the net several years ago when I sked why I couldn't get decent reception on my TV from my C64. I solved the problem by building composite, RGB, or L/C cables for all my vintage computers, which give a better picture than RF anyway. After I got a 1084S monitor the problem is moot.
Bacon
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Das rubbernecken Sichtseeren keepen das cotton-pickenen Hands in die Pockets muss; relaxen und watschen die Blinkenlichten.
In Germany, I seem to recall that you could assign the channel #s on some TVs to any frequency you chose. So "Channel 16" might just be the one assigned the same frequency as (say) Channel 2 elsewhere.
Don't all TV tuners work that way?!? Over here we distinguish the frequency from the program place. In the old days the frequency was denoted as VHF 2-4, VHF 5-12 UHF 21-69 or Super channels 80+ but nowadays measured in 40-1000 MHz. You use the remote to flip between program places (channels) which are preset to different frequencies. Do your TVs work in another way? I always thought Channel 3-4 equals VHF 3-4 but perhaps not.