Magic eye tuning aid.

[robert1]

Years Ago, i had a Philco-Ford 19 inch metel cabinet tabletop that had that tuning eye. i believe that it was a 1968 model.

[consoleguy67]

Didn't Westinghouse have a setup like that, with the blue bars?

[sampson159]

we had a philco ford roundie that had tuning bars.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by etype2

I can't remember ever seeing an American color set with a magic eye. Thinking AFT pretty much eliminated the need, but possibly the very early color sets?

Philco had a line of color sets in the late '60s with a tuning eye. I don't recall the model number, but the set was a console that had a horizontal eye tube. When the two segments just met each other without overlapping, the fine tuning was set for the best possible picture.

You are probably right as far as AFT (automatic fine tuning) is concerned. This system took the guesswork out of tuning a color set for the best picture; with AFT, of course, there was no further need for tuning eyes or meters (the latter used on some late-'60s models of GE color TVs). The advent of quartz-locked electronic tuning meant that all the viewer had to do was select the channel and forget it. Today's flat-screen TVs probably use this type of tuner; in fact, it wouldn't surprise me if they did, since there is no AFC switch on these sets.

[dtvmcdonald]

What no modern (ATSC) set has ... and all need! ... is an on-screen
spectrum analysis. Its easy to tell people how to adjust their antenna.
Just say "try to get the whole thing above the bar (the bar is at say 17 dB S/N)
but its far more important to get rid of dips than get it really big." I've tried this
with newbies using my spectrum analyzer and they have no problems.

The cost of this is zero. Its about 300 lines of computer code. One Fourier
transform and the display code.

[holmesuser01]

Motorola, before Quasar, had a color tuning eye. You adjusted the fine tune, and when the light came on, you were there.

I dont know, but I think it was just a neon bulb in the color killer circuit.

The bulb was irritating. When the TV station changed video sources, the light would go off, and come back on. It would often blink on and off during a B/W program. My dad put a piece of black electric tape over it.

Bruce

[ChrisW6ATV]

Eye tubes definitely have a "cool factor", but it seems odd in my mind that a person might do better looking at a one-inch diameter device as they adjust the fine tuning, rather than looking at the 21" display right next to it.

[etype2]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

Eye tubes definitely have a "cool factor", but it seems odd in my mind that a person might do better looking at a one-inch diameter device as they adjust the fine tuning, rather than looking at the 21" display right next to it.

My fascination for the magic eye comes from playing with them as a little kid and the nostalgia.

[RetroHacker]

I've got a Philco roundie that uses a horizontal tuning eye. I agree, that it's kind of a silly thing to have, given that you could just be looking at the picture on the CRT when tuning, but, still, it's neat. Also, I'm sure it was a good gimmick as well - it's a fairly late round set, so by that point I'm sure they were doing what they could to get them to sell.

Sadly, that particular set has a picture tube with a dead green gun, so until I can find another one it'll be just an interesting conversation piece.

-Ian

[old_tv_nut]

It's very difficult to get non-technical people to understand even relatively simple directions on how to tune something. Did you ever have any non-technical person correctly and completely describe the symptoms of set with a visible failure? Probably not often. The symptoms of incorrect tuning are more subtle. If people can't find the words to describe what they see, it's only slightly less difficult for them to understand a description of what to look for. The tuning eye was a great idea for the masses who could not learn to discern the correct tuning point.

[etype2]

So it was about 1952 and my parents had this old floor standing console radio with a 15 inch speaker well before we owned a black and white television. I was 6 and the radio had this green pulsating thing on it. I loved playing with it. I was so fascinated by it, twisting the tuning knob back and forth, watching this green thing enlarge and shrink. Kept me entertained.

It looked kinda like this, except no hood on the top.




Would like to find a color set with a magic eye.

[avalon1308]

Originally Posted by etype2

Have to check it out.

I have that set in my collection, mine is a pal set made for the european market in 1964 although color programs only started in 67
perhaps the canadian one did not have it.

[avalon1308]

Originally Posted by etype2

Do you know what year that was?

my set is a console from 63 or 64

[holmesuser01]

Didn't some of the early 1960's Curtis Mathes sets have a TV with a tuning eye?