why does Blonder-Tongue offer two new indoor boosters? (Dec, 1962)
Wow, that’s quite a name for an electronics company to be saddled with. Still here though, which is something you can’t say for most of the other companies in this issue.
Also, doesn’t that guy look like he could be John Stewart’s dad?
why does Blonder-Tongue offer two new indoor boosters?
Let’s talk straight-from-the-shoulder about indoor boosters. Transistor boosters provide higher gain and are more rugged, but they have one problem — overload (windshield wiper effect, loss of sync, etc.). If you use a transistor booster in an area with one or more strong TV or FM signals — you may be buying too much booster! On the other hand, tubed boosters perform very well in these areas — and what’s more, they cost less.
That’s why Blonder-Tongue has two new home indoor boosters — the transistor IT-4 Quadrabooster and the frame-grid tubed B-33 Amplicoupler. The B-33 costs less than the transistor IT-4, $19.95 as against $33.00. In most cases, the extra cost of the IT-4 is more than justified by its remarkable performance and long life. However, if the B-33 can do the job, we don’t want you to spend more than is necessary for the finest TV reception. Which one is best for you? Try one, or both. They can be hooked up in seconds at the set terminals. Try them on all channels. With either an IT-4 or a B-33, you’ll end up with the best TV reception possible.BLONDER-TONGUE IT-4 TRANSISTOR QUADRABOOSTER • 4 to 8X increase of signal voltage for 1 set • improves reception on up to 4 TV or FM sets • long-life transistor • stripless terminals • exclusive neutralizing circuit minimizes overload. List $33.00
BLONDER-TONGUE B-33 FRAME GRID AMPLICOUPLER • More than 2X increase of signal voltage for 1 set • Improves reception on up to 3 TV sets • Lowest price multi-set booster on the market. List $19.95 Indoor or outdoor, VHF or UHF, tubed or transistor Blonder-Tongue offers the world’s most complete line of signal boosters. See your service dealer today!
engineered and manufactured by Blonder-Tongue
Canadian Olv: Benco Television Assoc, Ltd., Tor., Onf.
Export: Rocke Intl. Corp., N. Y. 16—CABLES: ARLAB
The first set-top box, the booster. On our 17 inch Motorola we had a Blonder-Tongue booster so we could receive channel 6 (eventually changed to
in New Haven, CT. It was daisy-chained after a Blonder-Tongue UHF converter so we could receive the new-fangled channels 55 and 61 from Springfield, MA.
Eventually everybody was able to get rid of their boosters and hook up to cable, another set-top box.
So here we are in 2010, still we’ve got boxes connected to our TVs, the only difference is the receivers are flat and thin, so there’s no room for the boxes to sit on top.
Comment by George — March 12, 2010 @ 9:18 am
Darned automatic smileys, now I don’t trust numbers…
Channel six became eight, fifty-five moved to forty, and sixty-one moved to twenty-two.
Comment by George — March 12, 2010 @ 9:21 am
Ben H. Tongue’s website is here: http://www.bentongue.com/bht/bht.html. He is into crystal radio sets. Info on Blonder Tongue is there too: http://www.bentongue.com/bht/bht.html.
Comment by TomB — March 12, 2010 @ 10:14 am
Now you would use a GaAsFET preamp to do the same thing. At least today we have players as an alternative to putting up with expensive cable or satellite with our TVs. I preferred it back in the days where everything came over the air and was free!
Comment by KD5ZS — March 12, 2010 @ 10:32 am
Did you notice they had transistors working at UHF frequencies in 1962? That’s impressive.
Comment by mc — March 12, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
The vacuum tube makers countered by introducing the nuvistor.
Comment by KD5ZS — March 13, 2010 @ 11:41 am