Want to resurrect your D/D2 MAC kit?

[s-band]

A couple of test sources so that you can run up the old D/D2 MAC gear.
Schlumberger SI 7765 D / D2 MAC Video GENERATOR Rack mounted - Untested
Rohde & Schwarz SGDF D / D2 MAC Video GENERATOR Rack mounted - Untested

Only a few hours to go and there is no bidding war. I wonder why?

You'll need a modulator though. If you need a receiver I'm sure I have some in the loft.

 

[Channel Hopper]

The forum could start a TV channel if MAC can run over IP

 

[Captain Jack]

I've seen these before but it seems like it can only generate in-built patterns rather than get a video input into it to encode into D/D2MAC?

 

[Captain Jack]

Some manuals here - Rohde&Schwarz R&S RS Rohde & Schwarz SGDF

 

[Vipersan]

Well ..fwiw I still have my Churchill d2mac decoder ..
Just waiting for a signal ?

 

[Captain Jack]

I put a bid on - we'll see what it does.

 

[s-band]

Unless there's someone else in Scotland with a similar collection this looks like the vendor
Various test equipment for sale - BATC - Forum

 

[scopus]

I put a bid on - we'll see what it does.

You could start an uplink CJ, and play all your VHS recordings of Filmnet...lol

 

[Captain Jack]

Oh I have many... and TV1000 of the "tusen och en natt" variety...

 

[Captain Jack]

Having a very interesting chat with the seller:

If you remeber Mini-Mac, MACxx/MAC4xx D2/D2mac decoders on the market I designed all those ;-) pretty much became a industry standard much to the annoyance of competitors. The IRDS based on the same decoder but DMI based controllers and better codecs were sold under the MTG group initiatives and those of Canal Digital (previously multichoice) in Nordic, the MAC4500 was branded for B&O

Patterns slightly different on both, you can get a better range of validation measurements for encoders/decoders by using both. On the SFSK I used a SGPF (PAL) the SGDF (D2/MAC) and the 7765 on the 3 channels of the SFSK test transmitter (just sold that)

If your only wanting to play, one will do, on the SGDF, you can actually pull out the EPROMS, see where the brand name being used is in ACII, read, change the file, flash another EPROM and put it back in, test pattern now has your name in middle :-D

Have fun, I really loved working on D/D2MAC for all those years, except the part of having to work with FT on Eurocrypt, those guys were alpha holes.

Annoyingly, he said he had an actual encoder but scrapped it last year due to space shortages in the garage. Just how big was it?!

 

[scopus]

Oh I have many... and TV1000 of the "tusen och en natt" variety...

Yes, I remember that too. Wasn't it presented with that dolly bird in sussies ? Paid £200 for my D2 MAC card years ago, lasted 2 years without any problems. Used to watch TV3 as well with Robert Auchberg and the roaring fire...happy days!

 

[Captain Jack]

Ylva Maria Thompson is the name you're looking for! It also had slightly different looking encryption. Looked more like Videocrypt than Eurocrypt with its tell tale green lines mixed in (M vs S variety?)

TV3 was a great channel (3 of them). Watched all my Married With Children and Home Improvement on it.

 

[scopus]

Ylva Maria Thompson is the name you're looking for! It also had slightly different looking encryption. Looked more like Videocrypt than Eurocrypt with its tell tale green lines mixed in (M vs S variety?)

TV3 was a great channel (3 of them). Watched all my Married With Children and Home Improvement on it.

Yes, that's her. Well remembered...

 

[davemurgtroyd]

Oh I have many... and TV1000 of the "tusen och en natt" variety...

I have many too. Goy my card as a "swap" for a paid Sky subscription card. TV3 was great for the live 3pm Saturday Division 1 kickoffs (the days before EPL) for my football mad late father, IIRC usually 3 different matches on the 3 different versions (Norway, Sweden and Denmark).

I used an Amstrad SRD600 (their best ever product) - single tuner but two lnb inputs and inbuilt Videocrypt and Eurocrypt decoders so used for both Sky analogue and TV1000 etc.

 

[scopus]

I have many too. Goy my card as a "swap" for a paid Sky subscription card. TV3 was great for the live 3pm Saturday Division 1 kickoffs (the days before EPL) for my football mad late father, IIRC usually 3 different matches on the 3 different versions (Norway, Sweden and Denmark).

I used an Amstrad SRD600 (their best ever product) - single tuner but two lnb inputs and inbuilt Videocrypt and Eurocrypt decoders so used for both Sky analogue and TV1000 etc.

I agree Dave, the Amstrad SRD600 was a fine product, I had two of them. Indeed, I also did a swap of cards before the PIC1684 chip cards came out. I used an outfit called 'Euroswap' ran by Paul Novak.

 

[Captain Jack]

I had an Amstrad 650 with just the D/D2MAC decoder in it and an external Videocrypt decoder (Thomson? - that was terrible). While the receiver itself was OK, the MAC board only worked when it was very, very cool. Fine on power-up but as it warmed up, it lost 'lock' on MAC transmissions. I had to run it with the lid open....

 

[davemurgtroyd]

I agree Dave, the Amstrad SRD600 was a fine product, I had two of them. Indeed, I also did a swap of cards before the PIC1684 chip cards came out. I used an outfit called 'Euroswap' ran by Paul Novak.

I think that was the outfit I used. Ah yes the PIC 1684 chips - I remember programming them with a Sinclair ZX81. I still have ZX81s and the programmer.

 

[Captain Jack]

I also did a swap of cards before the PIC1684 chip cards came out. I used an outfit called 'Euroswap' ran by Paul Novak.

Never heard of this scheme before! Sounds like a good idea even now with so many different providers out there.

 

[Channel Hopper]

I had the job of updrading Uniden equipment for use in the UK as their main importer in 1990/92 so for me it was the UST92.

 

[fsphil]

Evening all. I just happen to bump into this forum while searching for data on those test pattern generators. Curiosity got the better of me and I ended up getting one.

I think it could be a fun project bringing an old standard like this back on the air, even if it's just from one room to another