Continuing on from “Slow Networks Experiment 1: Over-Air Tranmission,” this time we performed two different experiments with VHF Radio Transmission – details below.

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Experiment 2

Date: 
Friday Dec. 14, 2020

Location:
Media Archaeology Lab, 1320 Grandview Ave., Boulder, CO 80309

Participants:
Lori Emerson and libi striegl

Network Type: 
One-to-many broadcast network
One-directional
Over-the-Air Audio Transmission using VHF

Tools:
Panasonic Bi-Sider TV/FM-AM radio/clock
Blonder tongue AM-60-750 Audio/Video Modulator
MacBook Pro laptop
LG DVD recorder/videocassette recorder model RC897T
RCA three way cable (video plus two channels for audio)
RCA to coaxial adapter
RCA ANT111E Indoor Digital TV Antenna, Non-Amplified, 40-Mile Range Black
USB-C adapter
HDMI cable
HDMI to AV adapter

Procedure:
We inserted The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) VHS tape into the VCR. We then ran an RCA cable from the VCR to the Blonder Tongue modulator, connecting it via the video and audio inputs via the RCA-to-coaxial adapter and RCA audio splitter. We subsequently set the modulator to channel 6 and plugged the antenna into the modulator’s “RF out” jack. Finally, we turned the TV/FM-AM radio/clock on and set it to channel 6 and FM radio station 88.1. 

Results:
See video documentation below. The VHS tape played on the TV/FM-AM radio/clock quite beautifully although in black-and-white. When the TV/FM-AM radio/clock is in radio mode the sound comes out in mono but sound comes out in stereo while in TV mode. 

Experiment 3

Date: 
Monday Dec. 14, 2020

Location:
Media Archaeology Lab, 1320 Grandview Ave., Boulder, CO 80309

Participants:
Lori Emerson, libi striegl

Network Type: 
One-to-many broadcast network
One-directional
Over-the-Air Audio Transmission using VHF

Materials:
Panasonic Bi-Sider TV/FM-AM radio/clock
Blonder tongue AM-60-750 Audio/Video Modulator
MacBook Pro laptop
LG DVD recorder/videocassette recorder model RC897T
RCA three way cable (video plus two channels for audio)
RCA to coaxial adapter
RCA ANT111E Indoor Digital TV Antenna, Non-Amplified, 40-Mile Range Black
USB-C adapter
HDMI cable
HDMI to AV adapter

Procedure:
We began by opening up the audio file for an excerpt from an interview Lori Emerson and Nathan Schneider conducted with internet pioneer Vint Cerf on Emerson’s MacBook Pro laptop. The excerpt we broadcast will be a podcast episode on “MALcast” – a podcast about the MAL that Darija Medic will launch in 2021. We then connected a USB-C/HDMI cable to an HDMI/Analog video adapter. Next, we connected the cable to the VCR through its AV inputs. We then ran an RCA cable from the VCR to the Blonder Tongue modulator; we connected it to the modulator by way of the “video/audio in” via an RCA-to-coaxial adapter and an RCA audio splitter. We subsequently set the modulator to channel 6. We then plugged the digital TV antenna into the modulator jack called “RF out.”Finally, we turned the TV/FM-AM radio/clock on and set it to channel 6 and FM radio station 88.1. 

Results:
See video documentation below. The audio file played on the TV/FM-AM radio/clock quite beautifully although the laptop screen appeared in black-and-white. When the TV/FM-AM radio/clock is in radio mode the sound comes out in mono but sound comes out in stereo while in TV mode.