December 15, 2000
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Check out the museum pages There are many updates tonight! I've added the pictures (finally) of the Panasonic NV-3080 VTR, WV-8080 camera and the Akai CVC-150 color camera & CCU and Akai CV-X1U color camera. Museum is updated as well as Akai and Panasonic catalog pages.
December 14, 2000
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Check out the museum pages There are two new ones! The first page is devoted to vintage black and white video cameras and the the second one is devoted to vintage color video cameras in my ever growing collection. Check back daily as I will be updating all of the museum pages just as frequently. The back log of many shipped items arrived today and I'll be busy as a beaver getting all the items cleaned up, photographed and documented. Even more items are still coming and they will certainly add to my work (play?) load. But, I love nothing more than doing this anyway! All you have to do is kick back and watch ancient history unfold before your eyes.
Here is what arrived today: The TV history book with the Philo Farnsworth autograph, the Panasonic NV-3080/WV-8080 EIAJ portapck VTR & camera, the complete Akai CVC-A150 color camera kit and the Akai CV-X1 single tube color camera. Still to arrive: a JVC CR-6060U Umatic VCR deck, the RCA CC-002 single tube color portapack camera and a Zenith VC-1200 single tube color portapack camera.
Before the new year, I will be recieving another AVC-3200. Now all I need is a Sony SEG-1 B/W video switcher and I will be able to produce those cheesey videos that many of us remember from our high school or college days of so long ago.
December 10, 2000
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Boy howdy!!! There sure is a heck of a lot of news this time! Now that I am back on line full time, I will be making up for a lot of lost time. Almost a whole year has gone by since I've been able to do any updates to my pages. During that off-time, my collecting proclavities have not let up one bit! So here is a run down of all the things I have in the works:
I've updated the Ampex, Crosby Enterprises, Hitachi, IVC, JVC and Sony catalog pages, adding an update about the sad passing of Jack Mullin last year and several new pictures of old VTR's! (What else?) I've also added a new catalog page. A big LabGuy welcome to Precision Instruments! Check out the new (old?) PI-3V.
I've just scored another Sony DV-2400 skip field portapack VTR. That makes for three of these in my collection now! Anyone out there got the service manual for these? Anyone else, know the model number of, or have, the AC adapter for this VTR? I could also use a matching DVC-2400 vidicon / viewfinder camera too.
Also, watch for the Sony CVC-2100 vidicon/viewfinder camera to show up in my museum pages. I just got this vintage camera in the same auction as the DV-2400. I guess I'll have to add a new page to the museum. It will be for small format "studio cameras", since I also have a Sony AVC-3200, a Panasonic WV-350P and my original Videmo plumbicon (modified vidicon) camera with a "kluged" on viewfinder, all of which fall into this new category.
Another recent and very precious additon to my museum, also scored on Ebay, is a 1949 book about the history of TV and the life of Philo T. Farnsworth by George Everson. Everson was one of Farnsworth's lab assistants. What makes this item so special to me is that it contains an actual Farnsworth autograph!
Pictures coming real soon (early this coming week?) of the Panasonic NV-3080 portapack VTR and matching WV-8080 vidicon / viewfinder camera. Also a complete (working?) Akai CVC-A150 color vidicon / viewfinder portable camera ensamble. Throw in a Panasonic NV-8100D pre-EIAJ VTR and matching (all vacuum tube) video monitor / TV reiever. Plus, a JVC CR-6060U 3/4" Umatic VCR deck is still coming in the mail.
Still, in the wings, is another Akai VT-100 VTR with the VM-100 side-car video monitor. Unfortunately, this unit is in storage at my brother's place in the state of Louisiana. Pictures and working status of it as soon as I get it shipped out here to me in California.
Soon, I will be expanding my venue slightly by adding first generation, single tube and two tube color video cameras to the museum and catalog pages. This will include the Akai color cameras (3) and an RCA CC-002 single vidicon / viewfinder color camera. The first generation cameras are typically identified by seperate or detached CCU (camera control unit) / encoders.
This portion of consumer video evolution, parallels the introduction of the VTR's. The big difference is that the color cameras came into their own in 10 times faster than it took the VTR's catch on! The VTR's caught on twice as fast as color TV. And color TV took about four times as long to be accepted by Joe Public than monochrome TV did. (Ignoring the WWII years)
December 1, 2000
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The links page has been updated. Be sure to check it out. I've added a dozen or more recording technology sites and a (new) list of TV and electronics professional societies and orginizations.
November 30, 2000
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Happy happy! Joy, joy! I'm back in the Silicon Valley after a long and unpleasant absence. I'm back in "true" civilization, I've already found a great paying job in video engineering and a fine place to live. The company I work for now helped me move, is temporarily storing my video collection and a dear old friend has provided me with a room to rent. I believe that it can only get better from here on out!
November 11, 2000
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Great news! I will be getting back on line very soon! The problems that my mother was having are now pretty well under control. I will be returning to the Silicon Valley soon, where I already have a job and housing lined up.
You will be happy to know that I will be adding many new VTR's and cameras to the museum pages too! Look for the Shibaden SV-700U with matching monitor and (an extremely rare) Panasonic NV-3080/WV-8080 portapack and camera! Also: a Panasonic NV-8100D deck, a complete Akai CVC-A150 color video camera and CCU and another Technicolor 212D. Plus a ton of new "old" information!
January 5, 2000
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A family emergency has come up and I have to make an unscheduled move. This page is likely to not be updated until further notice. It is highly likely that I will be off line for several weeks until I arrange for a new ISP when I get to California. I will make every effort to get back on line as soon as possible. Thank you for your support. Keep my page counter ticking over, ok?
January 4, 2000
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OK, I've done it again! I thought that I had two CV-2200A's. But, it turns out that one of them is a plain vanilla CV-2200. Is that significant? I don't know. You tell me. Check them both out in my museum section.
The JVC CR-4400U 3/4" portapack arrived today and has also been added to the museum pages along with some of my memories of my early days as a guerilla television practitioner....
Be sure to stay tuned to the 1/2" skip field recorder pages. The CV-2600 should be arriving any day now. With the addition of that deck, I am only one model number away from having the complete line up of every 1/2" VTR Sony ever shipped. (That I know of!) If you would care to donate an AV-5000 or AV-5000A, the Sony series would be completed.
After the Sony series is complete, I start after the JVC's. JVC made fewer models of reel to reel VTR's than any other manufacturer. So, it should not take too long to complete that series. It will be expensive, however, based on the prices I've seen the JVC VTR's draw on Ebay. The models that I still need to find are: KV-360 & FV-1500. The first is a monochrome EIAJ record / play deck VTR with basic editing functions. The second is a color EIAJ play only deck. Does anyone know if JVC made a color record / play deck. If so, what is it's model number?
January 3, 2000
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Well, I would say that LabGuy needs to pay closer attention to what he buys! I recently picked up another Panasonic NV-3020 (or so I thought) on Ebay. Tonight, as I prepared to clean it up and evaluate it, I discovered that it was really an NV-3020SD. This is significantly different than an NV-3020! Read all about it on my museum page devoted to EIAJ deck VTR's.
Some other interesting points about this particular relic are that I payed only $10 for the deck, but $90 to get it shipped to me from Canada. Since it did turn out to be a completely new model for the collection, I guess the value imbalance can be considered to be offset slightly. (Yeah! If I tell myself that one thousand more times, I may actually begin to believe it!)
January 2, 2000
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Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE EBAY? Sorry, sick and sad as that may sound, it sure is true! The largest auction place on the internet has coughed up another pearl for my collection! This time it's a very nice Akai VT-100 VTR and VM-100 side-car monitor. I'll let you know when it arrives and if it works.
Still in the post is a JVC CR-4400U 3/4" portapack and a very rare Sony CV-2600. Let's hope that all of these these new items fair better in shipping than the last few goodies have!
January 1, 2000
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After all the years of waiting, the future is here! I can't believe that it's the year 2000. Oh, well..... how about a run down of the recent additions to LabGuy's junk pile... er.. um... I mean extinct VTR museum!
The Sony AV-8600 has arrived and has taken its rightful place in my collection. Like a lot of this stuff, it will need some basic maintenance before it will be fully functional. The prognosis is good, however, because it is in complete condition with it's video heads intact. More news on the resurrection as it becomes available.
Also added to the collection, last month, was one of the rarer Panasonic NV-3082/WV-3082 EIAJ portapack systems. It is not in very good shape and will need a lot of work to get it running. But it is good enough for showing off in the museum.
The second Sony DV-2400 skip field portapack arrived also. It suffered some minor denting in the shipping process. But, has been straightened out enough to function and to show, if photographed from discrete angles.
The second CV-2200 arrived. It was packed so poorly that it will now take the roll of "organ donor" for the restoration of the first machine.
Add to the list, the Akai VT-100 that got it's cabinet shattered, and the total shipping damage last month was substantial. Approaching 100%. I guess the Christmas shipping season was very hectic for most of the carriers out there and delicate handling of packages had to make way for expedient delivery. I won't name any shipper in particular, because I don't want to UPSet myself again over essentially spilt milk.
December 17, 1999
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Look for three more hot items to appear in my museum pages very soon.
The first one is the long sought after Sony AV-8600 color EIAJ VTR. This one is an "almost" donation from Jeff Rice of Muncie Indiana. The price he offered me was totally OK and on par with what I've been paying for similar items. Thanks Jeff!
The second item is a Sony CV-2600 skip field VTR. It was the last model in Sony's CV series VTR's. It's another fine catch from ebay. These two Sonys now make my collection 99% complete. With the addition of an AV-5000, I will have every model of 1/2" reel to reel that Sony actually sold! Throw in a CV-5100 (color skip field VTR) and I'll have every Sony model that I know of!
The third, and last, item is a JVC CR-4400U 3/4" Umatic portapack VCR. Also from ebay. I used to own one of these back in the early 1980's. I packed it everywhere with me back then. I hauled it from California to Florida to record the third launch of the space shuttle Columbia. It also made half a dozen trips to Edward's AFB with me for many space shuttle landings. At that time, I was the manager of the service department at Videomedia in Sunnyvale California and I repaired dozens of these guys. They were extremely built well and were very easy to fix. They recorded gorgeous video and stereo sound and were used by everyone and his uncle, too. So, as you can see, I am a bit nostalgic about this particular model. I guess this one is worth the $32.00 I paid for it on ebay.
December 15, 1999
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I've just received a generous donation from Steven Sugar who lives in the Toronto area of Canada, of a Sony AV-3400 portapack, AVC-3400 vidicon camera and AC-3400 power pack. My friend, Sheldon Galbraith, assisted in the transactions of getting these items to me. To Steven and Sheldon I'd like to say "Thank you both for your considerate and considerable efforts to support my on going efforts". Steven's name of course has been gladly added to my life long contributors' list.
The Akai VT-110 VTR and VC-110 camera arrived yesterday. The VTR took a hell of a beating in transit, but would you believe it's fully functional? Well, it is! Anyone, out there got a top cover for one of these? Read more about it and see a great picture of it running on my museum pages.
December 9, 1999
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LabGuy's World got it's 10,000th hit today! In just over two years, my page has been viewed 10,000 times. That averages out to approximately 17 hits per day. Not bad for a "home page".
The CV-2000 works! The tape, that was on it when I got it, couldn't be more boring! But, what the heck! It's apparently a training session for insurance salesmen in the late 1960's. <yawn> The rates were a lot cheaper back then!
Jeez! Someone tie me down or ebay is going to bury me alive in video goodies! My madness has resulted in the acquisition of three more skip field VTR's, another Sony portapack camera, a Sony portapack camera AC adapter, two more Panasonic VTR's and another Akai portapack and camera! The two CV-2200's, the Akai VT-110 VTR and VC-110 camera and the Sony CA-4 camera adapter are new additions to the museum. But, add to that another Sony DV-2400 skip field portapack. Another Sony AVC-3450 portapack camera. Another Panasonic NV-3020 EIAJ deck (now I have 3 of those!). And, finally, another Panasonic NV-3085 portapack and its matching camera. Spare parts are good. Aren't they?
December 4, 1999
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The CV-2000 has finally been cleaned up. A new picture of it has been added to the museum pages. A nice Sony CVM-194 video monitor / receiver has been obtained, thanks again to ebay, and so now functional testing of the CV-2000 can be performed. It turns out that the only video jacks on the CV-2000 are the 6 pin DIN camera jack and an 8 pin EIAJ monitor jack. No provision was made for a normal UHF or BNC style connector input. But, now that I have the appropriate monitor with the correct connectors and a cable, I'll be able to try to play and record on this old deck. Results of the testing will be posted as soon as they are available.
The payment for the CV-2200A, that I got on ebay, has been sent out. It's only a matter of time before it arrives. Well, what could possibly be better than an old Sony CV-2200? How about TWO old Sony CV-2200's! Yep. I won the auction on a second CV-2200. Sheesh, where will it all end? How about when nutty ol' LabGuy has one of every extinct VTR ever made! Naaaa. Probably when he wins the auction for the third CV-2200 that's on ebay right this second!
November 29, 1999
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The CV-2000D arrived today. It's very dusty, but otherwise complete and in excellent condition. The walnut case is rather striking and has only the slightest of nicks! The photo, on the museum page, is still the ebay picture, but watch for new photos as soon as I get time to clean up the deck.
The arrival of this beauty (and some historical corrections from my friend, Howard Katz) has inspired me to update the skip field museum page. The skip field primer has been enhanced with a superior description of the process and a new diagram of how it all works. Let me know what you think of it.
Last night I won another ebay auction. This time for a CV-2200A skip field machine. That makes for a total of five CV machines in LabGuy's museum of video boat anchors. This particular machine has appeared on ebay a couple of times before, but with an opening bid of $200, it was too rich for my blood. This last time, it came up for a more reasonable $114 opening bid. Apparently no one else was interested. (docmendal where were you?) So, now I'm down a hundred bucks plus change. I've already added the CV-2200A entry to the museum page, temporarily using the picture from ebay.
At this rate, I'll need to move to a bigger home. Anyone got an airplane hangar for rent in the Leesville area?
November 26, 1999
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I know of a way to speed up the U.S. Postal Service. Mail them their paychecks! In the mean time, we wait for the mailman to bring our goodies. I have four VTR's "in the mail" right now. They are the Sanyo VTR-1360, the Sony CV-2000, a Sony AV-3400 system and an Akai VT-110 system. The photos of the first two items, shown on my museum pages, are actually the ebay photos! As soon as they arrive, I will correct this situation.
The fellow that I purchased my Akai VT-100 system from has located both the operator's and the service manuals. Those items are also in the mail! As soon as they arrive, I will add the appropriate wiring information to my "connectors" page.
November 21, 1999
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A lot has been happening here! I've added many new sub pages to the site. The first one is a time line of extinct video recorder technology. It will be under construction for a long time. The next is a page that documents the many types of connectors you are likely to find on old VTR's. It, too, will be under perpetual construction until further notice.
There are new sections in the VTR catalog pages. Look for Craig, Loewe-Opta, Westinghouse and Wollensak. I did not know that Wollensak had manufactured a VTR! Does anyone, out there, have any info on this? Better yet, does anyone, out there, have one to donate to my museum? Many of the catalog pages have been updated. Be sure to not miss them!
The mystery has been solved concerning the "Videocorder" that I bought on ebay. It turned out to be an AVC-3400 portapack camera with pistol grip and zoom lens. It turns out that the word "Videocorder" is printed boldly on the side of it. The person selling this camera didn't have a clue what it was. That turned out to be a good deal for me! It is in overall good condition. Someone made a very nice handle for the zoom ring on the lens. I have no info on that, but what the heck!
A friend of mine is tinkering with the burned out head motor(s) of his Sony AV-3400's. It turns out that the brushes wear out and the motor goes electrically open. He has promised to photo document this process for us. If he is successful at repairing them, this could lead to an article on how to restore these motors. I know of a couple of other people who have experienced this problem too. It sounds like a real bummer. Stay tuned....
November 12, 1999
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Gee whiz! Ebay again! This time, I got a Sony AV-3400 portapack VTR, with an AC-3400 AC adapter and TWO matching AVC-3400 video cameras! With the addition of this system, I now have representatives of all of the half inch reel to reel portapacks that Sony produced! Look for this exciting addition to the museum pages soon!
And did I mention the mystery "Sony Videocorder" that I couldn't resist bidding on, too? Yeah, I also won that auction. The seller never answered my question about which model of Videocorder it was. Currently, this system is still in transit to me from Indiana. There's only three possible models that it can be, a DV-2400, an AV-3400 or an AV-8400. So, I guess we'll find out when this package arrives.
Somewhere along the line, I also managed to score another Panasonic NV-3020 deck VTR, an Akai one inch mini monitor, eleven rolls of half inch video tape, and two 1970 advertising flyers for the Roberts 1050AV 1/4" video portapack system - I couldn't help myself! I just had to have them, those ebay prices were too good to pass up! (Silly me!)
November 9, 1999
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Let's here it for good ol' Ebay! Thanks to the best auction site on the web, I've added another very collectable video recorder to my personal collection and to the VTR museum pages. This one is the vintage 1965 Sony CV-2000! Happy happy! Joy joy!
November 7, 1999
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I've added one more video machine to my personal collection and to the VTR museum pages. This newest one is the Sanyo VTR-1360 time lapse EIAJ VTR.
Also added, are two new categories to the video catalog! They are Grundig and Ikegami. In those pages, you will see a most unique half inch medical video tape recorder and a strange two thirds inch video recorder that never made it. I've also added a new VTR to the Ampex page, the 1961 VR-8000. Be sure to check that one out! Also, check the Akai page for a great (and long awaited) photo of the Akai X-500 / Roberts 1000!
All this new info and photos comes from Tim Stoffel's Quadruplex Park web site. Be sure to go to my links page and pay Tim a visit. Be sure to tell him that LabGuy sent you!
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October 24, 1999
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I've added two more video machines to my VTR catalog pages. The first one is the Sony TAV-3610, a combined VTR and monitor unit like the TCV-2110, only with an EIAJ AV-3600 VTR instead of a skip field CV-2100. The second one is the VR-420, an EIAJ type M deck made by Toshiba-Ampex that was not only color but had stereo sound! A very unique addition indeed! Those two contributions came from Josh Cason and Bruce Graham. Thanks for the great birthday present guys!
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October 23, 1999
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I've added three more video machines to my collection. The first is a Technicolor (Funai) 1/4 inch cassette format portapack from the early 1980's. The second is a Panasonic EIAJ-2 video cartridge player from the late 70's. The last one is a JVC PV-4500 B/W portapack from the early 70's. See them all in the museum pages.
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October 13, 1999 NEWS FLASH! LABGUY'S WORLD IS MOVING TO GEOCITIES!!!
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Yes. It's true. My beloved web page will be moving from Pacific Bell Internet to Geocities. In fact, it is already mirrored there. I mean here: [LabGuy's World at Geocities]. The PacBell site will be up through the end of October.
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My new permanent email address is contained in this picture. Just click
on it for the larger view. Placing my address in image file makes it immune
to being scooped up by illicit email address list "web bots". Be sure to
update your address book(s), page link(s) and bookmark(s) NOW.
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I can not afford the luxury of paying for two ISPs. The advantage of Geocities is: It's sort of free. It also provides almost four times the home page megabytes that PacBell does. Geocities will never dump my home page because I can't pay them. The disadvantage is that little add that pops up when you call up my page. I'm sorry but I have no control over it's content or behavior. Once I can afford to, I will get my own domain name and a proper web hosting service. But that day is still a bit in the future.
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I've just completed a rather large move, from Wyoming, to Louisiana. I'm now working as a video engineer for TRW after a long bout of unemployment. I'm sorry for the long absence and the inconvenience. I'll be answering all of my backed up email as fast as I can get to it. There are over 500 messages still in the queue!
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The number of extinct pre-Betamax & VHS non-broadcast VTR's identified in my catalog is rapidly approaching the 120 mark! I've just added a previously unknown portapack model to the JVC catalog page. There are some updated photos added to the Akai and Philips pages too. Check them out.
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It's great to be back on the web!
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July 20, 1999
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The Sanyo VTR-1375 has finally arrived! Check it out out on the museum and catalog pages!
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June 25, 1999
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The Museum page has been improved. I've broken it up into smaller pieces so that each will load faster. The first page is now an index, making it more convenient to directly choose a category of interest. I believe that you will find the category "grouping" to be more logical, too. At any rate, it is a vast improvement in order and performance. Enjoy!
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June 5, 1999
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Some of you have noticed that this web page is intermittently "not available". If you have trouble accessing, just be persistent and try back at a later time. Due to my move, the billing of my on line service has become a little "confused". We'll sort that out as soon as possible.
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I'm still getting adjusted to my new location. Wyoming is an interesting state with a lot of outdoor activities. Hunting, camping, fishing, four wheeling, etc. and it is summer time now, too. Also, since all of my personal effects are still packed away in storage, access to my research data is not possible either. But, I'll try to respond to your email questions as well as I can. So, keep them coming. You may use this alternate email address too:
Click on the picture if you feel uncertain about your attempt(s) to contact
me. Thanks for your patience.
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There will be a new addition to the museum collection soon. I purchased a Sanyo VTR-1375 EIAJ time lapse recorder on Ebay. This machine looks very similar to the Javelin X-400. It comes from a university surplus sale and is alleged to be non operational. More details as they become available.
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May 4, 1999
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I've recently moved to another state. Expect some delays in receiving answers to your email questions until further notice. The URL of this site may change soon, but should be supplemented with a forwarding screen containing the new location.
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April 14, 1999
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Updated the Concord catalog page. Added photo and info about model VTR-600-1.
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April 2, 1999
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Updated the Sony catalog page. Added new pictures and information about the TCV-2010 skip field system.
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Have not received that "new" Cartrivision yet. I'm still working on it and will keep you posted.
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March 26, 1999
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Updated LabGuy's First Video System page. Added new pictures and information about the Videmo 127e as it exists today.
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March 25, 1999
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The rework is complete on all of the pages at LabGuy's World now. Let me know if I missed any spots.
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This weekend, I will be getting another Cartrivision system with a camera and some tapes. It is alleged to be operational. Hmmmmm. Anyway, watch for it somewhere on this site. Coming soon.
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I recently acquired an Akai VC-150 color camera. But, that's the problem. It's a two piece system requiring a separate camera control unit or CCU, model number CU-150. Camera and CCU, as a system, model VCS-150. The camera head only contains the deflection and video pre amp boards to support two 2/3" vidicons and the 1-1/2" viewfinder CRT. The sync generator and color encoder circuits inhabit the CCU. Powering up the camera head, without the sync generator drive signals provided by the CCU, would result in damaged horizontal deflection circuits. So, if you know the where abouts of a CCU for this camera, feel free to drop me a line.
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March 10, 1999
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If you've ever been here before, this visit you'll immediately notice the site's new look and the new title. There has been a lot of remodeling. There's a lot more to come! I've worked diligently to eliminate the crowded, hard to read, screens of the original design. Well, not so much a design, as it was an evolution! In any case, you, the visitor, should find the experience less confusing. (I hope)
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My next chore is to clean up a lot of outdated and inaccurate information that has accumulated since LabGuy's World appeared on the web, two years ago. Most of my original video equipment articles are still here as well as the catalog of extinct VTR's. There have been a lot of changes in my hardware collections too. Some growing, some vanishing.
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I've decided to narrow my focus to mostly video tape recorders and some related video cameras. Content is mostly unchanged, but that won't last. I've acquired about 15 "new" extinct VTR's that will be appearing on these pages as time permits. There has been a lot of interest in this site and my email traffic is rising rapidly enough to cause me to worry about being able to minimally answer it all. "I do what I can" seems to be the best response I can offer. Don't hate me because I can only type 45 words a minute!
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And finally, I've added this "What's New" page. Check this page occasionally, for updates and bulletins about the trials and tribulations of maintaining a web page that, almost over ambitiously, covers such a fascinating topic.
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Last updated: December 15, 2000