Coax to RCA modulator...

I'm looking for a way to convert coax (cable) to RCA video audio... I have visited Ratty Shark to no avail and am looking to build it myself. Any suggestions?

By "coax (cable)" do you mean you want to split a TV antenna signal into composite video and RCA output? If that's the case, you need a tuner.

I'd recommend using an old VCR. (Fish a broken one out of a garbage can. Chances are it was thrown away because the tape transport is broken, while the tuner works just fine. Since almost all VCRs have composite outputs you'll be set.) Building one yourself would be profoundly non-trivial. It might be an interesting project to strip one *out* of a broken VCR or TV, I suppose, and convert it into a stand-alone device.

They do sell stand-alone tuner boxes, usually designed to allow you to use a computer monitor as a TV. However, they usually cost more then a VCR does these days. (It's hard to spend more then $100 for a decent stereo unit anymore.)

--Peace

thanks eudi... but how would i go about making it myself... im really looking for a component soldering project to kill some time...

For most practical purposes, you can't make it yourself. VHF tuners are *hard*. Much harder then an FM radio or an RF Modulator, for example. I've never seen do-it-yourself plans to build one from scratch, honestly. (Even the old Heathkit televisions always came with the tuner section pre-assembled.)

I'd suggest Googling on the subject for more information. You could buy a pre-assembled tuner module:

http://www.73.com/a/0142.shtml

(example) And build the rest of the device yourself, I suppose. But that pretty much boils down to the same thing as stripping a VCR.

Example fun with tuners:

http://dafh.org/gbppr/mil/ntsc/index.html
http://hem.passagen.se/communication/tuner.html

etc, etc.

--Peace