This "Raspberry PIrate TV" Transmitter Is a Pocket-Size Gadget for Testing Old TV Tuners
Designed to slip into your pocket, this simple gadget is great for testing the tuners on secondhand vintage TV equipment.
Pseudonymous tinkerer "devicemodder2" has shown off Raspberry Pi Zero with a difference: It's hooked into a low-power UHF transmitter to turn it into a "Raspberry PIrate TV" transmitter — for testing classic televisions.
"I have a micro UHF analog TV transmitter connected to the composite video output on a Raspberry Pi Zero," devicemodder2 explains. "It runs on channel 29, and allows me to use old RF only TV sets with the Pi, without a long cable feeding a modulator. Transmit radius is around 100 feet."
The build is largely a curiosity, given that modern TV sets often lack the analog tuner required to pick up on the signal emitted by the device — except it has a functional purpose too.
"I can also keep it in my pocket," devicemodder2 explains, "and use it when testing thrift store/Craigslist TV sets before purchase." Simply add a battery, bring the device in-range, and tune in to channel 29 — and if all is well with the tuner, a picture will appear.
There is one catch, however. "This does video only as the transmitter is set up for PAL audio only and the signal feeding it is NTSC to work with my sets," its creator explains. "Don't need audio for my use.
"You could say," devicemodder2 quips, "it's Raspberry PIrate TV..."
More details are available in the project's Reddit thread, while its creator has recommended a sub-$12 transmitter from AliExpress for those looking to repeat the project - all while making sure they are aware, of course, of their local regulations on UHF transmission.