recommendation for TV aerial amplifier please

[Arthur Pye]

My TV aerial amplifier, Labgear CM 6020, seems to be on the blink after
about 30 years service. (TV shows "No signal" every now and again and
the amplifier casing doesn't get as warm as I remember it doing).

So, I'd welcome any recommendations for a replacement unit, only needs
to feed one TV and, if it's relevant, I'm on Mendip but about 30 miles
from the transmitter.

Thanks.
--
Arthur

[Woody]

"Arthur Pye" <ap...@f2s.com> wrote in message
news:aW6winDD...@f2s.com...

You don't say if it is a set-back or masthead amp? It does not
mean that the unit you can touch is the amp - it may just be the
power supply.

If you have a Toolstation nearby they sell Proception are some of
the best at very reasonable prices but most of them are masthead.
www.toolstation.com

If not, Screwfix do Labgear which are also quite good and
inexpensive and some of those are set back. www.screwfix.com

You could also look for the likes of Fringe who also make
set-back units. www.fringeelectronics.co.uk


I shouldn't worry though - Bill will be along in a minute and
he's older than me so will be able to remember everything ever
made 30 years ago and a suitable modern replacement!



--
Woody

harrogate three at ntlworld dot com

[Paul Ratcliffe]

Are you sure you need it at all? Where abouts are you?

[Arthur Pye]

It's a set-back amp - I'm not going up to the top of my chimney :-)

We have a Screwfix branch nearby, so I'll pay them a visit after I've
taken a look at their website.

In answer to Paul Ratcliffe's question. I'm in Chippenham, in a bit of a
dip. I've tried a direct connection but the Panny TV, TX-P46S20B, says
"No Signal". Been here for umpteen years and reception on analogue was
always a problem.
--
Arthur

In message <r85gq.699$H54...@newsfe04.ams2>, Woody
<harro...@ntlworld.spam.com> writes

[Graham.]

"Arthur Pye" <ap...@f2s.com> wrote in message news:aW6winDD...@f2s.com...

Just to reiterate what Woody said,
It could be a set-back amp, but if it has an input, output and mains connecton it is more
likley to be the PSU for a second unit upstream.

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

[Paul Ratcliffe]

On Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:20:42 +0100, Arthur Pye <ap...@f2s.com> wrote:

> It's a set-back amp - I'm not going up to the top of my chimney :-)

You don't need to necessarily. Does the cable come inside anywhere you
can get to it near the top? The nearer the amp is to the aerial the
better it will work.

> We have a Screwfix branch nearby, so I'll pay them a visit after I've
> taken a look at their website.

Probably something like this:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/labgear-screened-masthead-amp-1-way-9db/64186

> In answer to Paul Ratcliffe's question. I'm in Chippenham, in a bit of a
> dip. I've tried a direct connection but the Panny TV, TX-P46S20B, says
> "No Signal". Been here for umpteen years and reception on analogue was
> always a problem.

Ah, right, can be a bit of a problem seeing Mendip there.
I wonder why there was never a relay covering the town centre at least.
The best thing about Chippenham is the A350 heading North though :-)

[Bill Wright]

Arthur Pye wrote:
> It's a set-back amp - I'm not going up to the top of my chimney :-)
>
> We have a Screwfix branch nearby, so I'll pay them a visit after I've
> taken a look at their website.
>
> In answer to Paul Ratcliffe's question. I'm in Chippenham, in a bit of a
> dip. I've tried a direct connection but the Panny TV, TX-P46S20B, says
> "No Signal". Been here for umpteen years and reception on analogue was
> always a problem.

I can't remember the number CM6020, but a CM6019 was a non-standard-
voltage masthead amp, and I wouldn't be surprised if what you have is a
PSU for it. That would explain 'no reception' when you take it out of
circuit.

If that is correct and the PSU is not getting as hot as it used to it
could be that the amp on the roof has failed.

Labgear did make a set back amp in the same form factor as their (grey
plastic with crosshead screw terminals) PSUs, but I can't remember the
number.

Bill

[Graham.]

"Bill Wright" <bi...@invalid.com> wrote in message news:j5t2ot$7tb$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

I had a look through my junk and came up with

CM 7261 PSU
http://www.flickr.com/photos/g3zvt/6189296565/sizes/l/in/photostream/

CM 7271 masthead
http://www.flickr.com/photos/g3zvt/6189816274/in/photostream/


--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

[Arthur Pye]

In message <j5t6rq$ikm$1...@profound-observation.eternal-september.org>,
Graham. <m...@privacy.com> writes

>
>"Bill Wright" <bi...@invalid.com> wrote in message
>news:j5t2ot$7tb$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

>> I can't remember the number CM6020, but a CM6019 was a non-standard-
>>voltage masthead amp, and I wouldn't be surprised if what you
>> have is a PSU for it. That would explain 'no reception' when you take
>>it out of circuit.
>>
>> If that is correct and the PSU is not getting as hot as it used to it
>>could be that the amp on the roof has failed.
>>
>> Labgear did make a set back amp in the same form factor as their
>>(grey plastic with crosshead screw terminals) PSUs, but I can't
>> remember the number.
>>
>> Bill
>
>I had a look through my junk and came up with
>
>CM 7261 PSU
>http://www.flickr.com/photos/g3zvt/6189296565/sizes/l/in/photostream/
>
>CM 7271 masthead
>http://www.flickr.com/photos/g3zvt/6189816274/in/photostream/
>
>

Right, you guys know what you're talking about without being able to see
the item, unlike me, who can.

As you've deduced, It is of course, a power unit and indeed it says so:

Labgear Limited
Power Unit
For 16v at 3mA only
Type CM 6020

Except that it's black, it looks very similar to the CM 7621.

And I've spent years thinking it was an amplifier. Doh!

I'll take a look up the mast with binoculars tomorrow morning.
--
Arthur

[Woody]

"Arthur Pye" <ap...@f2s.com> wrote in message

news:FIKXlLCA...@f2s.com...

As Bill says the likelihood is that it is dying. However you
could try buying a new PSU only from Screwfix first before going
to the trouble of getting the masthead amp changed. Most modern
amp supplies are 12V - the Labgear should be quite happy with
that.

If you have access to a voltmeter you could of course first try
to find out if the PSU is actually outputting any voltage?

[Bill Wright]

Graham. wrote:

> I had a look through my junk and came up with
>
> CM 7261 PSU
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/g3zvt/6189296565/sizes/l/in/photostream/
>
> CM 7271 masthead
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/g3zvt/6189816274/in/photostream/

It says you took these pictures on Oct 28th 2011. Is that because things
can travel faster than light now?

Anyway, the 7271 and the psu you show are much later than the CM6019
etc. Yours were after Labgear adopted the standard voltage of 12V DC and
the white, smaller, psu. The CM6019 was 16VDC and the psu was grey and
quite large.

The 7271 was a good product; far better than its successor, which came
in a larger housing and suffered badly from internal corrosion.

Bill

[Bill Wright]

Arthur Pye wrote:

> Right, you guys know what you're talking about without being able to see
> the item, unlike me, who can.
>
> As you've deduced, It is of course, a power unit and indeed it says so:
>
> Labgear Limited
> Power Unit
> For 16v at 3mA only
> Type CM 6020

It is indeed the power supply unit that came in a box with the CM6019
amp. The amp was a wideband low gain type. It will work on 12V, so you
could try a modern PSU. But goodness gracious, those amps are so old I
was a young man when I was fitting them. The aerial must be ready to
collapse.

> And I've spent years thinking it was an amplifier. Doh!

People have spent years with misapprehensions about far more important
things. Our vicar, for instance, is only now beginning to realise that
there isn't a god.

>
> I'll take a look up the mast with binoculars tomorrow morning.

You're looking for a grey round thing. It could well be hanging upside
down on the cables, thus suffering moisture ingress and therefore fucked.

I wish I had a quid for every one of those little blighters I've
installed. Good amps.

Bill

[Graham.]

"Bill Wright" <bi...@invalid.com> wrote in message news:j5trk7$63d$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

Cheers for the heads-up on my camera date, I have to charge the batteries out of the camera and the clock
always needs resetting, although I understand it shouldn't really.
I did it in a hurry yesterday.

The PSU is in use and feeds an amp similar to the one in the picture at the foot of my mast
(why are they called mast-head amps when they rarely are).

I think it's a grouped C/D one outside, I also think the one in the picture is wideband, does that
sound right?

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

[Paul Ratcliffe]

On Wed, 28 Sep 2011 02:00:53 +0100, Bill Wright <bi...@invalid.com> wrote:

> and suffered badly from internal corrosion.

I know the feeling...

[David Bolton]

Post some pictures of the aerial and we'll have a sweepstake on when we
think it's going to fall off!

"Arthur Pye" wrote in message news:aW6winDD...@f2s.com...

[Bill Wright]

Do you think he's really called 'Pye', or has be read it on an old
Labgear box?

Bill

[Woody]

"Bill Wright" <bi...@invalid.com> wrote in message

news:j5vptk$922$3...@speranza.aioe.org...

The Ford dealer in Morecambe was called Pye, and a Pye communal
radio site just outside Lancaster was on a farm owned by Bill
Pye.

No, methinks he speak the truth.

[Arthur Pye]

Right, thanks for all the answers, I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Yes, it is my real name, and for a time I worked for Pye TMC. No family
connection but the name did occasionally get people to pay attention.
And I've nothing to do with those Morecambe/Lancaster Pyes, mine came
from London, though I doubt you want me to go any further into my family
history.

I've posted a couple of picks on photobucket and am now about to find
out whether or not I can link to them ....

http://s1110.photobucket.com/albums/h450/octiger/

OK, that seems to have worked - I can see them anyway.

She downstairs who remembers everything has worked out that the
installation was done in 1983.

And now for the good or bad news - depending on your view of whether or
not I've been wasting your time. I think the problem is solved, I found
that the signal came and went as I pulled the connections to the power
supply about. Thought it might have been my rather sloppy coax plug
terminations but eventually concluded that the braiding on the "IN"
terminal was making almost no contact with the clamp. Re-made that
connection and the "OUT" and co-ax plugs, and now I'm getting Signal
Quality and Strength reports of 10/10 for all channels. Not totally sure
that I've fixed it but we'll just see if the problem comes back.

Thanks again and apologies if I've wasted anybody's time.

--
Arthur

[John Rumm]

On 28/09/2011 02:10, Bill Wright wrote:

> I wish I had a quid for every one of those little blighters I've
> installed. Good amps.

How much did you used to charge for installing them then? ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

[Bill Wright]

John Rumm wrote:
> On 28/09/2011 02:10, Bill Wright wrote:
>
>> I wish I had a quid for every one of those little blighters I've
>> installed. Good amps.
>
> How much did you used to charge for installing them then? ;-)
>

Some time around 1973 Aerialite stopped selling mastheads. I got a phone
call from their northern rep, who said the company wanted to offload all
existing stocks. I could have 500 units (a psu and gruped low-gain amp)
for £1,500. At the time a masthead and psu would normally cost about £15
(about the same as now!). I contacted half a dozen installers and
pre-sold 300 units at £5. Someone gave back word leaving me with about
250 units, which I commenced to use. Later I sold about 100 units in
dribs and drabs to an installer from Sheffield. They were a good
product, the only oddity being that the power was neg inner, and 16V. I
used to supply/install them for £70.

I kept about twenty back in case I had any returns (because of the power
being non-standard) and I still have some! There were few returns, and
occasionally I still find them in use!

After that I went back to Labgear, and used the CM6019 for low gain and
their grouped ones for high gain. They went out at £70 just the same.

In those days Labgear was a smashing company. Their products were quality.

Bill

[Woody]

"Bill Wright" <bi...@invalid.com> wrote in message

news:j6095e$h6f$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

Do I dare to add.... part of the Pye group?

[tony sayer]

In article <noUgq.5$dq...@newsfe26.ams2>, Woody
<harro...@ntlworld.spam.com> scribeth thus

In Cambridge the hub of the known Universe;)..

Down Abby walk now all yuppie housing of course...
--
Tony Sayer

[Woody]

"tony sayer" <to...@bancom.co.uk> wrote in message
news:4K6dsNCX...@bancom.co.uk...

An Italian gent who worked for my wife lived with his family in
one of those Cambridge yellow-bricked terraced houses along Abbey
Walk. I once volunteered to put a TV aerial up for him - whata
mistaker to maker. 'Yellow bricks' I thought 'should be soft and
easy.' I don't think I have ever drilled such hard bricks in my
life. A very hot hammer drill, two expensive blunted masonary
bits and two hours later I had a simple 10-ele up and working. I
didn't dare drill a hole in the wall for the cable - took the
easy route through the windowframe instead!

[tony sayer]

In article <fs2hq.249$Z%1...@newsfe09.ams2>, Woody

Cambridge Whites them;!. Don't like u up 'em;!..

What a good invention the SDS was ;)...
--
Tony Sayer