HOOKING UP YOUR DUAL-DECK VCR
81
Connecting Your
8mm/VHS Dual-Deck VCR
Your exact hookup will depend on whether or not you
subscribe to cable, and whether you have a cable converter
box or other equipment (such as a laser disc player, satellite,
etc). However, the basic idea is the same no matter what
kind of hookup you need.
The key is this: the signal (whether antenna, cable, or
satellite) coming into your house needs two things for the
program to appear on your TV. These two things are cables
and tuners.
First, the signal travels through cables. In fact, all of the
dozens of channels that you can watch on your TV can travel
through the same cable, as one signal.
Second, the signal goes to a device with a tuner. From this
signal, the tuner selects the one channel that you are
watching, from the many different channels that you can
watch.
After you have chosen the desired channel with this tuner,
the device may convert the signal into the audio and video
that you see on your screen, or it may rebroadcast the
signal, on a pre-set channel, to another device.
For example, a cable may go into a device with a tuner (a
cable box or VCR) and have a cable going from this device
into another tuner. This means that the channel selected in
the first tuner is the only one that the second tuner will be
able to pick up. This is why you select TV channels using
your VCR remote control. The VCR is tuning in the one
channel that you are watching, and sending that channel to
the TV. This is also why, if you have a cable converter box,
you select TV channels using the cable converter box.
When one tuner sends a signal for a channel to the next
tuner, the first tuner always uses a particular channel of its
own to broadcast on. For example, your VCR uses either
channel 3 or 4, whichever you set on the back of the VCR. If
your VCR is set to broadcast on channel 3, you must set your
TV to channel 3 to receive that signal. So, to watch TV
channel 12, you would tune in channel 12 on your VCR, and
channel 3 (or 4) on your TV.
Your cable converter box, if you have one, works the same
Tip:
If you’re not sure whether
to set the back of your VCR
to channel 3 or 4, try
channel 3 first. Set both the
back of your VCR and your
TV to channel 3. If your
picture has interference, try
setting both to channel 4.
Ideally, you should set the
channel on the back of your
VCR and on the TV to a
channel which is NOT
broadcast in your area.
