STe RF issues

[Nebulon]

I have an STe that's hooked up to a TV using the built-in RF box.

 

For some reason it starts out with a clean signal. Then over about a minute or two, the screen gradually turns to white or snow and then back to a clean signal again. This pattern slowly repeats.

 

If I try switching the RF from channel 3 to 4 and back again, it sometimes helps. However, just barely touching the channel switch will sometimes knock the signal out completely. Something seems loose there.

 

Has anyone seen similar problems on these machines?

 

 

[ParanoidLittleMan]

That's most likely because age of machine. Seems that RF signal freq. is not stable.

There is solution: use not RF antenna signal, but composite video, or even better, RGB signal. Picture quality will be much better.

[Nebulon]

That's most likely because age of machine. Seems that RF signal freq. is not stable.

There is solution: use not RF antenna signal, but composite video, or even better, RGB signal. Picture quality will be much better.

I'm definitely going back to using RGB in the future (especially so that I can run PAL and NTSC software).

 

Time to replace the 1224 that I sold way back when. Alternatively, I suppose I could try to hook it up to the RGB input of a Magnavox 1084 monitor (if there's some kind of cable that could actually do that).

[GadgetUK]

I've had RF problems on all old computers and consoles lol! Probably a capacitor not helping but there's so much stuff that can interfere with RF these days. Since digital cut over here in the UK many systems that used to display ok, barely show a picture now. Spectrums are the worst for me, with Atari ST close behind. Use RGB or Composite!

Edited January 6, 2015 by GadgetUK

[Nebulon]

I've had RF problems on all old computers and consoles lol! Probably a capacitor not helping but there's so much stuff that can interfere with RF these days. Since digital cut over here in the UK many systems that used to display ok, barely show a picture now. Spectrums are the worst for me, with Atari ST close behind. Use RGB or Composite!

I was wondering about that.

 

I've been getting horrible RF signal quality on multiple TVs with various machines. Even my old Color Computer II is showing a snowy signal and I'm using the same machine and RF box I used back in the day, so I remember a time when it was pretty good. I can only imaging how 'noisy' and cluttered the air must be with radio frequencies nowadays.

 

The strange thing about the STe is that it goes from crystal clear to white-out and back again. I'll have to look into the capacitor issue that you mentioned.