As I think about the evolution of pre-digital cable systems, I recall that in the earliest days, systems had only 12 channels (the 12 VHF channels) available for use, then 20 and later 36 (with the addition of mid-band, super-band, etc.), then by the early 21st Century analog systems might have 75-100 channels. With that in mind, along with companies only having to provide analog-converted signals until around 2012 (per a recent ruling, to smooth over the transition for those with older sets after OTA stations go all digital in 2009), I wonder if there still exist anywhere in the country any old-timey cable systems that still only provide 36 or fewer analog channels? I would think if there are, they would have to be in very small, isolated rural markets, else I wonder how they could possibly survive and compete with both digital cable and satellite providing in the hundreds of channels.
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Any "Old Timey" Cable Systems Still Around?
- Thread starter Stanislav
- Start date
One thing I might point out, BTW, is that some motels, hospitals, apartment buildings, and other such institutions have their own private MATV-type systems that in some cases might have just the broadcast stations and a handful of popular cable channels. (My mother is currently doing some post-hospital rehab in a facility that has a horrible little private system that has maybe 20 channels, and includes none of the cable news channels, among other shortcomings.) There are probably a lot of those still around -- I'm curious about actual, publicly distributed and subscribed-to CATV systems that serve a community at large.
There are some. I know that there's one based in Arizona called Eagle West LLC. I think in a lot of areas, they're competitors with Cox, but I think in some rural parts they're the lone cable provider. And I think they get a total of like 39 channels on those systems, and they don't even offer digital cable. They don't carry MTV, Vh-1, or any of that stuff. Other cable systems with a similar number of channels are Elk River Cable TV company in eastern Washington state. They only carry 36 channels on analog, but they have a little more on digital, but still no MTV, or a lot of the popular channels. A lot of these rural cable operators have upgraded a little bit, but not much. And from what it seems, most of their customers don't even realize that digital cable is being offered. I think usually if people REALLY want to upgrade and the only cable in town is one of those small ones, they'll simply get satellite. In other words, if they upgraded to digital cable, it would be kind of like adding a CD player component to a 40-year-old stereo system, or adding a DVD player to a 30-year-old TV. The quality isn't really any better.
And also, I remember as late as 1998, when we stayed at a hotel in Sunday River, Maine, they still used those old-fashioned cable boxes with the slider. It had 42 channels. I wonder if they still use those boxes today. I do know that Maine is known for not upgrading things very quickly.
And also, I remember as late as 1998, when we stayed at a hotel in Sunday River, Maine, they still used those old-fashioned cable boxes with the slider. It had 42 channels. I wonder if they still use those boxes today. I do know that Maine is known for not upgrading things very quickly.
ssetta said:
Wow, I remember those things. When I was first living on my own, circa 1980 or so, I had one of those. Big, ugly, clunky thing that was WIRED to the TV with a thick white cord. I tripped over that thing many times, knocking the box to the floor, but somehow it survived. I had 36 channels and thought I was in TV Heaven.
As an aside, when "cable-ready" TVs were first coming out, for those of us who still had plain ol' VHF-UHF TVs, remember those cheapo block upconverters that RS and others sold that took all the "extra" channels and upconverted them to UHF channels so you could watch them on your old TV? Never worked really well (half the channels had all sorts of lines and interference on them), but they were cheap to buy, and saved po' folks the monthly rental on a cable box.
Comcast (yes...Comcast) has a few 40 channel systems southwest of Atlanta (outside of the metro, they don't serve a lot of people). I don't know when they will go digital.
On the flip side...all of the cable providers in the North Georgia Mountains are digital with 200+ channels and broadband internet. One of them is even locally owned and operated (Ellijay Telephone Company).
You probably would think it would be the other way around, with the Comcast systems digital and the mountain one's not.
On the flip side...all of the cable providers in the North Georgia Mountains are digital with 200+ channels and broadband internet. One of them is even locally owned and operated (Ellijay Telephone Company).
You probably would think it would be the other way around, with the Comcast systems digital and the mountain one's not.
Some cable systems also featured FM radio stastions. This enabled those unable to hear FM because of distance, geographic location or both the chance to do so. I'd be interested in hearing from someone who used such a service and from how far away the FM stations they got came from.
If I recall, there is someplace in Western New York or Northern Pennsylvania that only has maybe six channels on its local cablesystem. Don't know if that's still the case, but I saw such a system listed about a year ago.
In Canada, there is the odd rural system that has 36 cable channels or less, but these are locally owned systems. Up until last year, all cable companies across the country were required to carry FM signals. Companies like Rogers were quick to drop FM after the rule was relaxed, but quite a few systems apparently still carry FM. I'm pretty sure that in the 1970s in London, Ontario there were more FM signals than there were TV signals on cable. Think they had 11 cable channels and about 12 or 13 FM stations, from both sides of the border.
In Canada, there is the odd rural system that has 36 cable channels or less, but these are locally owned systems. Up until last year, all cable companies across the country were required to carry FM signals. Companies like Rogers were quick to drop FM after the rule was relaxed, but quite a few systems apparently still carry FM. I'm pretty sure that in the 1970s in London, Ontario there were more FM signals than there were TV signals on cable. Think they had 11 cable channels and about 12 or 13 FM stations, from both sides of the border.
For about 5 years, I subscribed to a prehistoric cable system operated by a telephone co-op in the Allegheny MTs of VA. The system carried 20 TV channels and also offered a "full channel" FM service as a freebe. The cable company had a omni-directional home-type "turnstyle" FM antenna at it's head end which happened to 4000 ft above sea level. The results were just sooo cool. Of course, the system caught 4 or five class C FMs from Roanoke, about 115 miles away (which were the only radio stations available OTA, barely). But they it also caught the class A Roanoke stations, just as clear as if they were next door. Also received, all the class As from Lynchburg, also clear from 100 miles away. Even better, 2 stations, an Urban AC and a Hot AC, from Richmond, 180 miles away. Not to mention all the FMs from the central Shenendoah Valley, including several translators from 50 miles away. Those were the stations recieved 24/7 regardless of the DX conditions. When conditions were right, you could also do FM DX over this cable system! I often got FMs from the Triad and Triangle areas of NC, over 200 miles away---A few times I got Charlotte stations, 300 miles away. Didn't do as well to the north, though Pittsburgh was a frequent visitor.
The cable service in STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA had a slider box when they started in 1973, but this slider box was about the size of an Adult Hand and the switch slided from A to B. Thus instead of the usual 12 channels, we had 24 channels but in those days it was strictly Local Channels (from SACRAMENTO) and Long Distance Channels (From The San Francisco Bay Area). It was cool as the Bay Area channels had A better variety of programming. (like Cartoons and CREATURE FEATURES with Horror Movie TV Host BOB WILKINS). Those were the days!Stanislav said:
In the late 1970's the Great Barrington/Lee, MA cable system (then known as Berkshire Cable Television) had only 12 channels available at the time. Many of the channels were shared during the evening (prime time) hours when the network affiliates were duplicated on two to three channels at once. For example, WVIT/30 New Britain NBC (Cable 4) was prempted with WEDH/24 Hartford PBS at night and WSBK/38 Boston Ind. (via microwave) during sports programming. WFSB/3 Hartford CBS (Cable 3) was prempted with WMHT/17 PBS Schenectady. And WTNH/8 ABC (Cable Channel eight) was prempted with those free "HBO Preview Specials from time to time". At the time, the Albany and Springfield markets were favored on the cable system. However, overnights local pubcaster WGBY/57 PBS (Cable 10) would go off the air at midnight and WCBS/2 would be on the channel during the overnight hours until 6 AM for Channel 2's overnight movies. Speaking of Channel 2 (Cable 2), it was used for the soon to be famous HBO which only operated during the evening hours during the week and also had extended weekend hours beginning after 12 noon. Otherwise, it would be color bars and tone. No doubt the cable system has advanced since those days. I believe that Comcast now owns it.
I also recall that the cable system had an all band receive antenna from atop Butternut Basin (the headend) which received virtually everything within 150 miles including the NYC FM's and many Boston FM's. During trops and E-skip, man you could go nuts with the DX that antenna and amplifier got. It really didn't matter if your radio sucked. The cable did all of the work for you! But of course, I had some good receive equipment. In fact, I was getting (and get this....) Rock 102 from Buffalo (WBEN-FM) on a semi-regular basis. It over took WCRB 102.5/Waltham, MA quite often. Not bad for nearly 300 miles as the crow flies!
I also recall that the cable system had an all band receive antenna from atop Butternut Basin (the headend) which received virtually everything within 150 miles including the NYC FM's and many Boston FM's. During trops and E-skip, man you could go nuts with the DX that antenna and amplifier got. It really didn't matter if your radio sucked. The cable did all of the work for you! But of course, I had some good receive equipment. In fact, I was getting (and get this....) Rock 102 from Buffalo (WBEN-FM) on a semi-regular basis. It over took WCRB 102.5/Waltham, MA quite often. Not bad for nearly 300 miles as the crow flies!
We stayed in a motel (a real cheapie) in Brattleboro VT about 3-4 years ago and the TV had one of thos old time cable boxes which one had to manually tune. A royal PITA if you were a channel surfer...
The one thing that was nice about those "old timey" systems was the "old timey" price$...
The one thing that was nice about those "old timey" systems was the "old timey" price$...
fortmill said:
This is the first time I have heard of a cable system ( large or small ) that didn't offer at least one of those pay channels like HBO.
I know until the 80s, many systems including the one we had didn't offer Showtime or The Movie Channel. They felt it was the same as HBO. The movie Flashdance changed all of that.
I also remember back in the 70s, some cable systems refused to install HBO in buildings that also housed a business nor did they install HBO in homes with children under the age of 16 and the ones that did, many required a lock on the boxes so kids can't watch.
Stanislav said:
My Parents(who live in SE Tennessee in Polk County,Turtletown)had a prehistoric Cable channel for awhile called Cudzu Cable. My Parents got HBO and a few others. They also got WSB from Atlanta by a TV antenna,that a lot of the time was too blurry to watch. That was the worst Cable system,I've seen. They have Ellijay Telephone and Cable now(A huge improvement!).
Back in 1974, in part of Ottawa there was one share-time channel. The Global Television Network signed on daily at 3 PM during its first year, and so it was carried after 3 PM daily on Cable 12, with CFCF Montreal being seen on that channel the rest of the time.
I don't know of any other situations like that in Canada, although I know there was a proposal at one point for OECA (TVOntario) to be seen on Global's channels outside Toronto before the 3 PM sign-on. I'm not sure if that was ever set up, or if the proposal also included the transmitters.
I don't know of any other situations like that in Canada, although I know there was a proposal at one point for OECA (TVOntario) to be seen on Global's channels outside Toronto before the 3 PM sign-on. I'm not sure if that was ever set up, or if the proposal also included the transmitters.
vibe said:
Which motel in Brattleboro? I'm gonna guess it's along US 5/VT 9 near the bus terminal, Wendy's and the Hannaford Shopping Plaza?
Anyways, I don't know how the Comcast takeover has affected it, but the lineup of broadcast channels on that system looked remarkable. Certainally more than one station for each network!
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