Retro SSTV anyone?

Where it all started as far as most are concerned and saw heavy use from the 60s through to the 80s. Colour and Hi-res modes have unfortunately pushed this system into the backwaters of SSTV. Time to resurrect interest in this simple analogue system.

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Klaas Robers » Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:08 am

Hi Chris,

I think I should accept that offer and travel into Brexit-land as long as it is an European country. Are you interested in SSTV that I should take my Heathkit-like SSTV monitor (see this thread number 21)? And I have a 7BP7 picture tube including a 70 degrees deflection yoke. Do you want to have that for free? It looks as if there is now transportation going from my home to yours.....

Have you observed any revival activity in SSTV on the bands? Where? Which frequencies? It should be welcome for me, especially now I rebuilt the monitor. It is now not yet in operation in my short wave station, but that would be a reason for me to include it.
User avatar
Klaas Robers
"Gomez!", "Oh Morticia."
 
Posts: 1656
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:42 pm
Location: Valkenswaard, the Netherlands

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Steve Anderson » Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:39 pm

acl wrote:Hi there Steve and Klaas, There seems to be some revival of the original SSTV 8 Second black and white technology.

Very interesting. I wonder in what form this revival might be happening as I sure would be interested in contacting others with this interest.

Steve A.
User avatar
Steve Anderson
"Fester! Don't do that to 'Thing'"
 
Posts: 5360
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Andrew Davie » Tue Feb 21, 2017 12:04 am

Steve Anderson wrote:
acl wrote:Hi there Steve and Klaas, There seems to be some revival of the original SSTV 8 Second black and white technology.

Very interesting. I wonder in what form this revival might be happening as I sure would be interested in contacting others with this interest.

Steve A.


Such endeavours would be very welcome on this forum - we could set up a new forum just for SSTV if you wish.
User avatar
Andrew Davie
"Gomez!", "Oh Morticia."
 
Posts: 1590
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:42 pm
Location: Queensland, Australia

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Steve Anderson » Tue Feb 21, 2017 3:49 pm

Thanks Andrew, that would be most welcome as there is no SSTV forum catering to the original Copthorne McDonald format that I'm aware of. Either exclusively or the 8-second version as a sub-forum/topic.

I would say that it's even more niche than NBTV is. There is no organisation devoted to it like the NBTVA or a forum like this one. But given a reasonable uptake this may just be the start.

Before a commitment is made some dipstick measure of interest needs to obtained - somehow.

I could contact the editor of the BATC's CQTV magazine and ask if he wouldn't mind running a short announcement of some sort. If anyone has contact with ATV Quarterly in the US that may be worthwhile too. I would imagine there are others in Europe or Australia too. Suggestions welcome.

Steve A.

I recall an e-mail exchange between Jeremy Jago and I some time back where he said, "If has less than 405-lines it's suitable for the newsletter." He didn't expand on the matter of frame-rate though.
User avatar
Steve Anderson
"Fester! Don't do that to 'Thing'"
 
Posts: 5360
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Harry Dalek » Tue Feb 21, 2017 7:01 pm

I would of cause be interested in the original b/w system as a forum or a new topic here just for SSTV .
I do feel its hard to make it to narrow a subject as here with nbtv there are those that like the electronic side others the mechanical or like me i like both .
The cut off for me would be colour ..
I love the original system but i am tempted to experiment on 12 24 32 B/W is this blasphemy !
The trouble for me is the reason i like the original sstv is its analog and all this can be done digital now the thing that killed the system i liked .
Also experimenting i understand some will be interested in scan converters others not so do you have also sub topics even one mechanical one for me :wink:
Any case beggars can't be choosers i would take what is given , :mrgreen:
The electromagnetic spectrum has no theoretical limit at either end. If all the mass/energy in the Universe is considered a 'limit', then that would be the only real theoretical limit to the maximum frequency attainable.
User avatar
Harry Dalek
"Fester! Don't do that to 'Thing'"
 
Posts: 5364
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:58 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Steve Anderson » Tue Feb 21, 2017 7:44 pm

I think sometime in the past I may have mentioned mechanical SSTV, similar to what you have done Harry. But mine would scan a picture or scene over period of minutes then speed it up to the 8-second format. Given that SSTV is a sequence of stills this is a valid idea. It's just the limits of my mechanical ideas at the moment. And that's as far as it has gone, ideas. Though given an outlet I may be motivated to get off my a** and do something about it!

A large number of the components required I already have, the optics shouldn't present any major hurdles (he says). The main issue is the fabrication of the light-proof enclosure and mechanically moving it to perform the required scanning. As before, ideas only at this stage.

Of course the easy way out is to do what I have done so far. Take a jpg from your camera or phone, crop it, greyscale it and reduce it to either 128x128 pixels or 256x256. This is then used to modulate a SSTV sub-carrier modulator. It works, the SSTV-625 converter thread used this all the time.

Many years ago I thought of using an old daisy-wheel printer. Remove all the electronics and build new to drive the platen feed and the head position. In place of the daisy-wheel would have been a well-focused sensor which would scan the inserted photo. But it requires a printed photo of the correct size. So no 'live' scenes. Not really a camera, more a scanner, so we come back full-circle to our conversion of a jpg thing, or at least some stored representation of light and shade.

Anyway, another day, it's not going to happen this week!

Steve A.
User avatar
Steve Anderson
"Fester! Don't do that to 'Thing'"
 
Posts: 5360
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Andrew Davie » Tue Feb 21, 2017 9:16 pm

Have unilaterally moved this topic to our new 'SSTV' forum. You will see a 'shadow' topic in our NBTV forum, but please post any new SSTV-related items in the SSTV forum :)
Replying to this topic is OK, as it actually now lives in the correct place. Not a big believer in getting lots of people to agree to do something - just do it and let's see if anyone uses it. Have at it.
User avatar
Andrew Davie
"Gomez!", "Oh Morticia."
 
Posts: 1590
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:42 pm
Location: Queensland, Australia

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Steve Anderson » Wed Feb 22, 2017 12:09 pm

Thanks Andrew. It might take a while to get this sub-forum going - the word needs to be spread about it first.

I may break it down in time into three sections, 1) The original FM-based Copthorne McDonald 8-second monochrome standard. 2) Colour analogue modes. 3) Digital SSTV. Without the last two the first may not get the exposure it could do with.

Steve A.
User avatar
Steve Anderson
"Fester! Don't do that to 'Thing'"
 
Posts: 5360
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Re: Retro SSTV anyone?

Postby Steve Anderson » Wed Feb 22, 2017 6:34 pm

Having got this SSTV section basically set up I'm going to lock this thread and start a continuation of it. It has become long and meandering. The new thread which should pick up where this one leave off is called, "Retro SSTV Anyone? II".

Steve A.
User avatar
Steve Anderson
"Fester! Don't do that to 'Thing'"
 
Posts: 5360
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Previous

Return to Cop McDonald's FM SSTV System

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest