# Can you  Millennials  work this?



## fuzzybuddy (Mar 17, 2020)

Hah. You youngsters with your phones, and social media. We knew how to work one of these. VHF, UHF, vertical hold-yeah, we did it all.


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## Lee (Mar 17, 2020)

Oh yeah, and if it wasn't working properly we slapped it on the side a few times and then it would work


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## CatGuy (Mar 17, 2020)

A fellow called a repairman because his TV was acting up. Repairman came in, thumped it once in the back, worked fine. Homeowner said, "No charge for just whacking it, right?" "No charge for whacking it," the repairman said. "Fifty bucks for knowing _where_ to whack it."


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## Devi (Mar 17, 2020)

One term: rabbit ears. LOL!

What fuzzybuddy said. That poor TV up there ... no remote!

The thing that is not often made clear is that we seniors grew up and along with new and updated technology -- sometimes constantly updating technology. (Remember Windows 95?!!) I think we got our first computer in 1984. It's not as if we never heard of anything and then -presto!- at our age, here's new technology we don't know how to work with. That is, many or most of us are not starting from scratch.

Of course, I should speak for myself ... I always had a great affinity for computers. Not everyone has that.


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## C'est Moi (Mar 17, 2020)

Where's the aluminum foil????


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## Ken N Tx (Mar 17, 2020)




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## Gaer (Mar 17, 2020)

C'est Moi said:


> Where's the aluminum foil????


Yes!  Doesn't anyone remember how we used to wrap tin foil in a coil and wave it around the room until someone yelled, "Stand still!  We almost have a picture!"  Ha Ha Ha!


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## JaniceM (Apr 3, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Yes!  Doesn't anyone remember how we used to wrap tin foil in a coil and wave it around the room until someone yelled, "Stand still!  We almost have a picture!"  Ha Ha Ha!


Or stuck the antenna onto the wall with Scotch tape


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 3, 2020)

Not much has changed for me.

I don't understand why standing next to the television improves the picture but only until you go back to your chair.

Why the commercials come in clear and the television program is fuzzy.

Why the television only acts up at key moments in the program.

Why I bother to sit and watch it so much.


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## Judycat (Apr 3, 2020)

My dad put two antennas on poles out in the yard. One was for Johnstown's station and the other for picking up Pittsburgh's stations. He had a switch inside we could flip back and forth. When the wind blew hard during the night he'd send us out the next day to turn them by hand until the picture was back to normal.


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## Pecos (Apr 3, 2020)

Judycat said:


> My dad put two antennas on poles out in the yard. One was for Johnstown's station and the other for picking up Pittsburgh's stations. He had a switch inside we could flip back and forth. When the wind blew hard during the night he'd send us out the next day to turn them by hand until the picture was back to normal.


Your Dad knew what he was doing. I was an electronics technician in the Navy during that time period and had a number of part time jobs as a TV repairman.


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## Pecos (Apr 3, 2020)

Aunt Bea said:


> Not much has changed for me.
> 
> I don't understand why standing next to the television improves the picture but only until you go back to your chair.


When you stand near the TV, your body actually becomes a reflective component of the antenna.


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## Judycat (Apr 3, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Your Dad knew what he was doing. I was an electronics technician in the Navy during that time period and had a number of part time jobs as a TV repairman.


My dad was a coal miner for 45 years, but he was pretty handy with tools and had a knack for figuring out how things work. My oldest son has the same talent.


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## Camper6 (Apr 3, 2020)

Judycat said:


> My dad put two antennas on poles out in the yard. One was for Johnstown's station and the other for picking up Pittsburgh's stations. He had a switch inside we could flip back and forth. When the wind blew hard during the night he'd send us out the next day to turn them by hand until the picture was back to normal.


That same technology would work now if you don't want cable.


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## Keesha (Apr 3, 2020)

There’s always satellite


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## Camper6 (Apr 3, 2020)

Satellite requires a dish and a receiver and a subscription.

An outside antenna only requires a line going directly to the set. Whatever stations are within the reception area are free to view.


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## squatting dog (Apr 4, 2020)

fuzzybuddy said:


> View attachment 95781
> 
> Hah. You youngsters with your phones, and social media. We knew how to work one of these. VHF, UHF, vertical hold-yeah, we did it all.



LOL, just imagine them trying to figure how this baby works.   I so want to find one of these for my place.


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## Gary O' (Apr 4, 2020)

Aunt Bea said:


> I don't understand why standing next to the television improves the picture but only until you go back to your chair.


It's what children were for


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## fmdog44 (Apr 4, 2020)

In Houston in order to get a satellite signal your dish must face south. Wouldn't you think by now Directtv would come up with a more universal signal that could be picked up regardless of where the dish faces?


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## jerry old (Apr 4, 2020)

In the 1980's people could purchase huge satellite dishes
10 feet or so in diameter.

I was told, don't actually know, that they could bring in any
satellite program, or any information broadcast by a satellite. 

Anyone have factual information on these giant dishes, I noted a lot of residents in rural retirement areas (high dollar folk) has these giant dishes.


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## Pecos (Apr 4, 2020)

jerry old said:


> In the 1980's people could purchase huge satellite dishes
> 10 feet or so in diameter.
> 
> I was told, don't actually know, that they could bring in any
> ...


Those big antennas had a very narrow beam and a very high gain. In those days the signal modulation mode was significantly different than it is today and fairly simple receiver systems were able to demodulate (process) the signal and pull out the original program. These days, the modulation mode is significantly different and requires more sophisticated receiver/demodulation equipment to extract the original programs. These new modulation modes have a higher signal demodulation processing gain and hence the requirement for super high gain antennas has been reduced. 

The new dishes still have to be pointed at the satellite.


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## Pecos (Apr 4, 2020)

fmdog44 said:


> In Houston in order to get a satellite signal your dish must face south. Wouldn't you think by now Directtv would come up with a more universal signal that could be picked up regardless of where the dish faces?



These dish antennas have to be pointed at the antenna in order to capitalize on their gain and pick up a fairly weak signal. Any transmitted signal strong enough to be picked up regardless of where the dish faces would require lots of power; far more power than those satellites have. That power level would also create a lot of electromagnetic interference with other systems.


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## Camper6 (Apr 6, 2020)

jerry old said:


> In the 1980's people could purchase huge satellite dishes
> 10 feet or so in diameter.
> 
> I was told, don't actually know, that they could bring in any
> ...


They could only bring in the satellite they were aimed at. They were huge because the signal was weak compared to now. The newer satellites have a stronger signal and that's why you can use a smaller dish. You also need a receiver to decode the signal and send it to the T.V. set.  Aiming the dish is not an easy task. It has to be spot on. And the satellite people keep changing the code and cards in the receiver to prevent piracy. You rarely see the large dishes anymore because even the satellite itself has a limited life. A new satellite gets introduced and you have to aim at the new position.
The giant dishes are also used for communal purposes in areas like retirement communities . The signal is sent to individuals by cable.


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## jerry old (Apr 6, 2020)

ghost post


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