Japanese RF

[MrSparkle]

So I'm working on winning a few old consoles namely a sega sg-1000 and a sega sg-1000 mark 3. Both of which apparently only support the japanese rf modulation standard. Is it possible to convert this to its us counterpart, do they use a different type of connector? I already have voltage step down transformers so thats not an issue. as i understand it the japanese and us deviations of ntsc are pretty minor only focusing on black level of the video. However i'm not even sure if japan used the ntsc standard back then. Anyone wanna fill me in?

[ApolloBoy]

No, both the SG-1000 and Mark III use standard RCA jacks for RF out. And yes, Japan used NTSC back in the 80s. AFAIK, they've been using NTSC for about as long as we have.

[chrisbid]

with an rf famicom, a US television will pick up the signal using channel 95 or 96, the switch on the console is labeled channel 1 or 2

i would assume this would also work for any japanese console on a US television

[blue lander]

My SG-1000 Mark II comes in on channel 32 or 35 or something like that.

[ApolloBoy]

MrSparkle, I should also add that the Mark III uses the same AV cables as the SMS and model 1 Genesis, so you don't have to deal with RF. The Mark III also plays SG-1000 games, so there's really no need for an SG-1000 unless you're getting it for collecting's sake.

[MrSparkle]

yep i was aware of the backwards compatibility so it is just for collecting sake. Unfortunatly at the last minute i was outbid on pretty much everything but the damned telecon pack which i now have no use for! DOH!

[MrSparkle]

haha good news i was outbid at the last second on the telecon so now i wont have a useless (though still really cool) accessory sitting around :)

so why is my first urge to bid again on it lol. Ebay is like crack

[Steve W]

My Telegames DINA console is an SG-1000/Colecovision clone, and it uses channel 13 for RF input. It's filled with static, though. Not all that worth the effort.

[MrSparkle]

the prices on those two consoles went considerably higher than i was anticipating i bid more than i would have liked to have before they went into the not even worth it territory. Gonna drop a whats it worth thread on the subject because the prices were getting hefty.

[rbudrick]

For what it's worth, old TVs have a "fine tuning" knob that allows for, well, fine tuning of the stations, or in our case, japanese systems that don't come in on the stations they "almost"' come in on. If that doesn't make sense to you younguns, send me a PM.
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For example, my Famicom doesn't come in on channel 1, which doesn't exist in America, but channel 95 does exist, but comes in like total ass on my old TV. A little adjustment of the fine tuning knob and it comes in perfectly.

While USA and Japan share NTSC signals, they aren't the same NTSC, and need a bit of tweaking. Your mileage may vary depending on how new your TV is, as some newer TVs are smart and adjust accordingly, but some, from what I hear, most certainly do not.

Good luck and stuff.

-Rob