Help with Matsui 1420T CTR TV

[EddieHitler]

Hi all, 

I’ll start by saying this may be a dumb question so if the answer is obvious don’t laugh ?

I recently picked up a portable CRT TV (Matsui 1420T) for retro gaming. I’ve been playing my Sega Saturn on there via a Scart adaptor no problems - just switch to AV and away I go. I decided to hook up a few other consoles such as my orignal Super Nintendo via RF just to remember what the games are like on a CRT - no matter what I try I can’t get the TV to pick up any console (I’ve tried 3 different consoles and several RF cables) I scroll though all the channels, nothing. I feel like when I get to channel 7 (which was the traditional one for game consoles in the U.K. back in the day) a signal is trying to get through, in that I get some lines of interference rather than just a snowy screen. 
 

I’m just plugging the console’s RF cable directly into the RF port at the back of the TV - obviously back in the day the TV arial would be plugged in there too and you would switch between the two with a breaker, but with the absence of an areal it should be fine to just plug the console RF directly in, am I right? 
 

Any help appreciated even though I’ll probably look a numb nuts, this is driving me mad! 

[carlsson]

I don't recognize VHF channel 7 for this purpose. Often consoles output at VHF 3-4 or UHF 36 like many home computers. That is assuming you're doing a channel search per frequency, not that you're browsing through the already preset programmes of course. Do you have the original remote or some kind of universal one? Often the universal ones don't have the setup functions the original had, so it can be difficult to get into configuring channels sometimes.

[EddieHitler]

3 hours ago, carlsson said:

I don't recognize VHF channel 7 for this purpose. Often consoles output at VHF 3-4 or UHF 36 like many home computers. That is assuming you're doing a channel search per frequency, not that you're browsing through the already preset programmes of course. Do you have the original remote or some kind of universal one? Often the universal ones don't have the setup functions the original had, so it can be difficult to get into configuring channels sometimes.

Yeah the TV came with its original remote but It was totally rusted where the batteries go and I got a 3rd party replacement on eBay - it does the job for basic setup such as picture but I must say some of the menu buttons don’t work. Do consoles need to be tuned to the TV... ? that could be the problem, but I don’t remember having to do that back in the day - I’ve literally just plugged it in, turned it on and channel hopped hoping to pick it up. 
 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2020 by EddieHitler

[carlsson]

I'd say you were extremely lucky if the right frequency on the right programme was already put in place, could have saved the designers of the tuner some work as they didn't need an user interface to make changes to the settings. Sometimes there are buttons on the TV itself but I kind of know the type of TV you've got (not the exact same model but in principle).

 

Your alternative is of course to skip RF and go for video signals on each system you want to use. Even SNES video cables (and yes, this is the wrong part of the forum for that) should be cheap. I picked up a few 3rd party clone cables a couple of years ago for next to nothing.

[EddieHitler]

Yeah I’m playing Saturn and of course Jag on there using a Scart adaptor and it’s working great. I’ll just skip it entirely, the consoles I’m trying to use via RF I’ve got FPGA solutions for, it was just for the nostalgic value really, thanks for the tips though ?

[EddieHitler]

Got this working in the end, who would have guessed the controls for the auto tune on this remote were not actually the arrow buttons but the volume control? Tuned her right in, nothing like playing a bit of Super Nintendo doom in 14” composite glory! 

[carlsson]

Aha. Yes, that is quite common with replacement and universal remotes that they map cursor functions to the volume or channel select buttons instead of the arrow keys actually on the remote, depending on which signals the remote is able to send.