RetroTech: TV Personal Stereo - 1986 in your pocket

Watching video, listening to your music and receiving radio broadcasts on a single pocket sized gadget was possible in the 1980s it just took a bit of effort.
Q) Why didn't I wrap a wire around the aerial to supply a video signal?
A) To keep the device looking neat and tidy. With it being a portable wireless device, I didn't want to demonstrate it with wires going into it. Besides, I already had a video sender.
INFO - Apologies - There are a couple of sections that are slightly out of focus, but you wouldn’t believe how tricky it was to get any clear shots of this thing at all - it was a fine balancing act between angle of the light, the screen, the mirror and my camera...and on top of that eagle eyed viewers will notice that I didn't close the cassette door properly at one point.
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[@ChipGuy]

Very cool find! Back in the 80's I had a TV that did not even have a coax input, like that little thing. So I butchered a coax cable, soldered a wire at the end and wrapped it around the TV antenna to get capacitive coupling. It worked fine with both a Telefunken VCR and an Amiga A520 modulator. That one I used back then was transmitting on channel 36 (Default setting in Germany for all VCR's etc). I had to detune every modulator, VCR etc. off that channel because they decided to put a TV station on CH36 where I used to live. That interfered with the picture of whatever I was using.

[@Techmoan]

I've used that trick in the past...and I might end up using it again in the future as my video sender doesn't send sound properly.

[@ChipGuy]

I thought you already knew that trick ;) Makes me wonder why you bothered using that video sender in the first place.

[@Techmoan]

The reason I didn't use it here is to keep the device looking neat and tidy on the video. With it being a portable wireless device, I didn't want to show it with wires going into it.

[@ChipGuy]

Fair enough :)

[@BigJim1976]

May I ask just how you did this? Because I really want to try this with one of my portable TV's.

[@ricovali9245]

The eighties was a great decade for electronics. Every gadget you can imagine at electronic stores that seemed to be everywhere. Vinyl,cassette,and CD was still a hot item and the video game consoles and handhelds and computers were at their infancy,so there were plenty of great gadgets out there.

[@shannonolivas9524]

I was wondering why my old CRT suddenly picked up Lethal Weapon for about 10 minutes...

[@deathstrike]

Lol, ironic because me and my son were able to get a similar LCD b/w television (Casio) from 1983. We created a microbroadcasting setup and tried to run Super Mario Bros(TM) on the screen, it was weak, difficult to see, but it did work! However the LCD screen cannot handle the transitions of the game so well. But overall a great video as always and we learn quite a bit from watching Techmoan!!!

[@miguelcastaneda7236]

lethal weapons or letha weapons

[@bigstupidgrin]

He did it! It was Techmoan, in the Conservatory, with the TV personal stereo.

[@patrickwombacher210]

bigstupidgrin I See What U Did There ! ;-D

[@pgtmr2713]

You've been holding on to that gem since the 80's, CLUE era

[@Elifesound]

bigstupidgrin 😂 😂 Very clever sir!

[@jaffachannel]

Huh?

[@gregorybentley5192]

bigstupidgrin I still think it was colonel mustard with the Walkman....

[@li-pinchang2157]

A lovely gadget. I can imagine that an mid-age Japanese man was watching a live baseball game or horse race on it while his family were watching variety shows on the living-room TV.

[@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews]

This cassette player is the same age as me. It's aged better and doesn't have a mortgage.

[@phs125]

On the other hand, nobody really wants it...

[@lurch727]

I had one of those video senders in about 1996 to view Sky upstairs. I had no idea they where illegal. I'll hand myself in at the nearest Police Station.

[@user-es8fp7oi4k]

Techmoan is the Forgotten Weapons of retro tech and HiFi

[@alexm566]

except he actually owns most of what he reviews

[@md_vandenberg]

@@alexm566 Why does that matter? Firearms are expensive and have a lot of legal strings attached to them. God forbid Ian McCollum not own every gun he shows off. I'm not sure what you're reaching for with your comment, but do know that I think you're a fucking idiot.

[@alexm566]

@@md_vandenberg sigh. All I meant is that he gets to enjoy the equipment he reviews at anytime he pleases. I am one of biggest Ian fans and watched hundreds of his videos, many of them more than a handful of times and we all can feel how much happy he would be if he could own many of the firearms he reviews. Just saying Techmoan is living the dream any gadget collector like Ian would wish to live in. How does that in anyway shape or form can be disrespectful to Ian? Chillax

[@bryanfuchek2413]

Wow, never thought I'd see a youtube video on such an obscure, but interesting piece of 80's tech. I remember seeing this for the first time at the local TV shop when I was a kid, and i had to have one. The thought of having a single device with a radio, tape player and a TV was really appealing, especially since it was about the same size as a regular walkman. Unfortunately, by the time I had saved up enough money to buy one, the only store in town that had it was no longer carrying the model. BUMMER! Well, I wound up getting a Casio TV-21 and was perfectly happy with it. But I always thought it would have been cool to have one of these.

[@Clell65619]

Nice. A buddy bought one of those beasts even after I tried to explain to him what a dog the television function was. Moaned and complained about it for about a year.

[@BatsTDK]

So one could say that he "Tech Moaned"? :D

[@jcraig6431]

Clell Harmon Can I Tech Groan at your pun?

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

JesseLS Craig → I would say that *pun* was *Tech Blown*...LOL

[@jonathantan2469]

How much was it? The other one from Casio was listed as 100 pounds in 1986. That's ~280 pounds today.

[@kross777rlsh9]

Clell Harmon Lmao

[@michelvanbriemen3459]

I didn't even know these portable TV's with an LCD were a thing back in 1985 These videos are beyond educational. They're a museum, and a damned good one imo.

[@zandelscomicsandcards7543]

You’ve at least in part been responsible for me getting a turntable, VCR, and old style TV. Nostalgia plays a big part in it also but this channel has no doubt put it in my mind. My latest obsession is Horror Movies on VHS. Thanks for helping me appreciate this stuff again.

[@medes5597]

Take it you noticed he shows the lethal weapon bit with Tom Savini then

[@idonotcomplyrevolution]

me too, grew up in the 80s, love 80s BMW's, rc cars, computers, im a big Casio watch collector, i even collect 80s HP and Casio calculators, dont ask i know lol, but it tickles my 80s cravings.

[@MrCougar214]

Keep the retro tech coming. I love walking down memory lane and seeing all the stuff that was around when i was a kid.

[@GatoLand]

I know that it is not the place to say this but I want to express my pain and my rage over the attack happened last night in Manchester and sent from Madrid, my city, my full support and solidarity with that lovely city and its inhabitants. A big hug from a subscriber to your channel.

[@tjcdesign8377]

As always, super interesting video! Also really like your new closing tune remix with the new rhythm. I think it superbly communicates the creativity of the design, and amazing evolution of personal technology over time.

[@Den_Watts]

you just got to love the old school designs of tape decks, personal stereos etc etc, each company had there own style and design, nowadays every company sticks to the same basic design, usually changing a few things on there but generally they all look the same.

[@paulnash9851]

I love how Mr Techmoan always knows his stuff + is so knowledgeable no matter what the piece of kit is. It's always both a pleasure + humbling to watch his videos.

[@Anamnesia]

I recall buying a colour LCD TV (like the one in the video) back in late 1987/early 1988. I realized very quickly the gimmick that it was, laughing when I tried to watch the Tennis, or Cricket, because all you'd see were people running around - never the ball... LOL!!!

[@volvo09]

Anamnesia it's funny how you usually see some ad for a portable tv showing a guy watching a sports game on it, yet that's a portable tv's worst application...especially color lcd! of that era ... I saved my radio shack color pocket lcd from when I was young... I tossed just about everything else but that thing meant so much to me that I saved it.. as useless as it really was. my mom knew I wanted one and got it for me after I got my tonsils removed. probably in 92 or something...viewing angle and response time are baaaad.

[@thephoenixhasflown]

Introducing the pocket TV now with screen too small to see the ball! :-)

[@ModMINI]

I bought one of these with money from my first job... I forced myself to watch it for a week or two, before it ended up in a nightstand drawer. Good idea, terrible usability, the technology just wasn't ready.

[@gettshafi]

I been watching your videos one after the other and I must say that your channel is fascinating :) Very nostalgic, indeed..

[@AndresSilva037]

Brilliant video as always. I love the latest sign off format you created. It's a proper sign off now. I do wonder how many people have stayed at the end just listening to the K.I.T.T audio sample, fantastic!

[@BryanMinnix]

I had a similar portable TV with the reflected screen when I was a kid , although without the built in Walkman. On at least 2 separate occasions when I went to show someone they grabbed the top part and overextended it before I could stop them. It was a cool device though. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

thanks for making all those remarkable old tech videos, keep going !

[@zosxavius]

I love these vintage tech videos so much. Keep them up!

[@jaaasgoed]

Just the new outro makes it worth while to watch these videos. I don't know why, but the combination of the music and the images shown just speak to me. Great video as always.

[@StusReviewsUK]

love this! your videos are always top notch! certainly one of my inspirations!

[@totaltwit]

wow! - I was there at the time buying this kind of kit but never saw this! To have a LCD display with sufficient resolution in 1986 was some breakthrough, plus, they must have integrated all of the many TV functions into a very few low power semiconductor chips. That feat alone is amazing. The TDA series of chips were common in TV sets to perform most of the functions so usually needed 5+ separate chips as a minimum, also add the LCD driver, an amazing feat electronics skill. We just take for granted this very high level of skill from Japan.

[@micomrkaic]

As always, a fantastic video! Many thanks for doing this project. Best, MM

[@BarnokRetro]

What a cool piece of 80s tech! Thanks for sharing it. By 1986 we were starting to see portable CD players on the market, so the crowd that would have craved this in 1985 was already looking toward the those. I bought a Sony D-7 a portable CD player under $300US, yes I was a nerd.

[@notconsenting6633]

'86 was the best year ever because its the year i was born!😎👍I love this channel and seeing all the cool gadgets they had back it the day and seeing how technology has evolved through the years

[@kymmoulds]

Thanks Matt. Another very interesting review of yesterdays technology. Keep em' coming please.

[@tonybarthel9226]

Sure enjoy these looks back and you do a great job with them. Thank you!

[@Perdy258]

one of my favourite channels on KZbin...great new outro

[@TheDigger61]

Excellent as always keep up the good work.

[@joebeastyg5686]

Mind. Blown. How'd did I miss this whilst growing up?!?

[@vueport99]

That TV.. Ahh memories of school. Watching it in class was fun. Japan made a number of other limited test marketing devices that had crazy ideas and features. Thanks!

[@Paulman50]

I had a couple of 4 inch tvs in the 80s and they were so cool. Now everything is so easy and accessible the coolness has gone. Miss those days.

[@kevinlord9894]

Long time fan 1st time comment. Love these vids...keep it up !

[@kushith]

Me too. I probably watched every single video you made but never commented. I think it's time just to say how great these videos are.

[@paulinaz3477]

I really love your channel and look forward to your new videos.

[@Helderhugo]

I remember advertisments on this on magazines. But today it was the first time I saw it working. I have a transmiter like that too. I think this was very advanced for the time.

[@pelahale]

This brings back bittersweet memories when I used to spend over 10hrs a day studying, doing math and science problem sets. I had one of these when I was in college in the mid-1980s - I remember how I used to reward myself with an hour of TV between 10-11pm or so while I lay in bed in my single room in the dormitory, only if I had a productive day of study. The reception was crap and fuzzy, but enough to take in a little something. It was pathetic, yet was sometimes the only bit of pleasure I might have had for the day.

[@quintincunningham242]

This is hands down one of the coolest thing I've ever seen

[@CharlieEdward25]

Really kool to check these out i always wanted a portable tv when i was younger :-)

[@jinggarcia]

wowowow! never even knew such a thing existed. i'm an 80s tech dreamer, often drooling on tech stuff from catalogs and magazines. lavet.

[@motodevcam]

Wow! That was a trip down memory lane! I wasn't lucky enough to own one as we were quite poor really but used to look at them in the catalogues! Remember it well!

[@freesaxon6835]

Almost forgotten about these, thanks, as always interesting

[@spartanx5806]

those electronic devices from the 80s are so much cooler than now.....miss those days....

[@dazaspc]

Wow I had one of these in 88. The trick was a little light box i made for the back, I just ran a torch into it. I used it when we were camping to watch the footy. The color was never very vivid though. Great find.

[@stephenestes7430]

I wanted one of these back then SO BAD! Was never able to have one as they were well outside my or my families budget. I was convinced that if I had one back then, my life would've been totally awesome!

[@paulyh4531]

I don't remember seeing this in the past but did have the Sinclair TV , and later the Sony colour portable tv . As you say now you can do all 3 and more now on your phone , I wish my grandad was still alive he used to make TVs he would be gobsmacked stuff we have now days ! Cheers Matt great video 👍

[@pancudowny]

Good-Lord! A pocket-sized entertainment console! When you think about how large the cabinet T.V./home Hi-Fi's of the 60's were, this is astounding!

[@thephoenixhasflown]

The kid in me is like that is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life! Back before they turned off the analog television I would have spent a small fortune for one of those. Good find.

[@emersonalder1486]

Having been a Techmoan subscriber for several years, can’t believe I’ve missed this one. Watching in March 2021 😳

[@PixelguardianGame]

Oh man, we've come pretty far even compared to just over a decade ago! I came to the cellphone game late, but I remember having the LG Chocolate Flip, and I used that as my mp3 player for awhile, and I also remember being able to watch tv on it too. The 80s and 00s were awesome!

[@bob7872]

Thanks for the nice piece of electronic history!

[@norcalactive5279]

Love the videos very interesting and exciting to watch.

[@Hirobian]

I feel fortunate to have been born in 1994 and grown up in a time where radio cassettes and VCR television tapes were still widely used. I got to experience a lot of drastic changes in relatively recent technological advances. In only 22-23 years, I got to see the cassettes replaced by CDs and the CDs replaced by DVDs followed by BluRay as well as streaming online because by this time the internet itself had developed significantly as well. I experienced DOS for a short time, as well as Windows 95, 98 and ME before XP, 7 and 8.1 (We skipped Vista, thank god.) Pretty damn cool seeing what has been accomplished. To many to mention.

[@charlottedashwood6034]

Didn’t they make things so well in those days. That’s a lovely bit of kit.

[@cosmicrdt]

That's an amazing piece of tech for 1986. I remember wanting a portable handheld crt as a kid in 1989!

[@Stefan-]

I had that exact Casio TV-400 color TV that you showed in the add or should i say have since i think i still have it somewhere, its not working anymore though and there isnt any analog TV transmitted either. I actually think it was the first TV that i bought myself, i got it slightly used from a co worker, i was just a teen. Nowdays i only watch streamed on demand TV, so thats quite a difference from back in the 80´s. I also had a sharp "walkman" which had built in stereo recording with a mic as well as most of the other popular features like EQ, autoreverse, radio and such. I do love your video´s since they remind me and everyone else about a time when we could only dream of things which are common items today, like a smartphone or powerful computers. Im very fascinated about old technology, ive been working in electronics since 1987 so that may have something to do about it.

[@warriordrum]

Great Techmoan episode since the device is so damm cool. Thanks!

[@dabarbequeman]

Very cool, I had one of these TV´s too back in these days, same problems with light but it was cool when I was still in school :D. Good old days ...

[@pinecone9619]

You always find the coolest stuff!

[@oodyboo]

I bought one of these at a dubious looking discount stereo store that popped up on the main drag one day, I spent $35. I used it mainly for the tape player, but at night I would watch Dr. Who on my local PBS station at work on my 11pm lunch break, which made graveyard shift a bit more bearable. And the picture looks exactly the same as it did nearly 4 decades ago!

[@bobbyberetta4206]

Still have our portable tv from 84 that came in our Dodge Van (Kustom Koach). Took forever to get a station but was fun when took road trips across Texas up 281.

[@AtheistOrphan]

I'd completely forgotten about video senders until this video! Thanks for the memories. (Now I'm off to call the rozzers).

[@FordGranada75]

I once had a Citizen 04TA back in 1988 when that model was current. The image had a little more contrast than yours, but not that much to tell the image to be good. I remember the image quality quite well because I was trying to hook it up to my Commodore 64, but the resolution of the Citizen 04TA was only a quarter (half in each direction) of that of the C64 - no way the letters could be read! And added to that the C64 used to have a border around those 320x200 pixels. :)

[@jamiemarchant]

Nice short video, thanks!

[@joejarvis2497]

My sister had one of these. Thanks for the memories. :D

[@Abitibidoug]

Wow, I would have loved to have such a gadget in the 1980s, 1990s, or even early 2000s.

[@andrewj2411]

Great video, thanks. I had the Tandy version of the pocket telly, that used the same sort of screen. It also had an optional backlight unit that clipped on the back of the screen, which was powered by 2 more AAs. The telly without the backlight was tiny, and the LCD was always a bit grey-ish, like you mentioned. It was also powered by 2xAA batteries, and these would last us a couple of weeks, when we watched Neighbours, in the office. We mainly listened, because the picture was so bad LOL. For sound, I attached a pair of Aiwa mini speakers. One day, I left it in my Cortina Mk3, on a hot day... it never worked again, tut. I know it was my own fault, but in the late 80s, I was young and reckless. Tandy said they coudn't repair it. After that, I upgraded to the Casio TV-400. btw I just searched for the old Tandy, but I'm sure I threw it away. However, I did find an old Zeon Tech calculator, from the 1990's that also stored phone numbers, powered by a CR2025. I just pressed ON/C and it switched on!! The phone numbers stored, do not start 01, so a number I have in Brum is 021-749.... Those were superseded in 1995.

[@kareno8634]

I Love it when there Is, You Have, So Much Excitement in your clips. Nice 'Toy' ~

[@ScottDuensing]

I have one of these. Used it every night... To watch my main TV while using this for headphones!

[@fsinatra7965]

Thank you for the nice video!

[@seksanbir]

I picked up a Citizen 06TA-OA pocket TV when I was in Korea back in 88-89. It is the size of a pack of cigarettes and was great for watching TV while at the airport between flights or while in the field.

[@JoeBetro]

Wow. Yes, loving my backlit HD iPhone screen where I can enjoy over the magic of the internet and mobile broadband technology your videos in perfect digital quality and post a comment to you too on it. Insanely great!

[@LonSeidman]

There was so much cool tech out around that time. I never saw that one but would have definitely wanted it back then. What do you think it cost upon release? I'd wager expensive!

[@joshualebowitz]

I have that device. Thanks for showcasing it!

[@jammerjimfalco]

Love your videos my friend...Manchester Strong...

[@LazyScoutJace]

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL!!

[@RegiPavan]

Never seen one of those before! Nice video...

[@philiptynan9159]

Really cool, I love 80s tech.

[@Shamus71]

I kind of miss these days.. a certain appreciation for new tech.. people take for granted of this stuff. Now a-days the smartphones even being taken for granted and shouldn’t be that way if you think about it.. it can simply do just about everything and do it well.

[@Raptor50aus]

I now thanks you to you have 2 of this model both in Red and black and both like new. Very nice tape mech inside and the TV works great :) Mine have a battery operated light unit too.

[@edinborogh]

awesome!! thanks for the video!

[@arkano01]

extremely clever way to see the screen, i wish smartphones would have screens like that.

[@cliffordsmith9628]

awesome, I really like remembering the 80's

[@avejst]

THANKS for sharing this👍😀

[@markb4071]

have just picked up a "job lot " of 3 LCD colour TVs and an RF Modulator - fed back in to the aerial in the house can get a decent image on them don't know why - probably just because i had one when i was a kid in the 80s and wanted to recapture lost youth lol enjoyable video, thanks

[@ZekeGraal]

My best friend's father had one of these back in the early 2000s. Whenever I would stay over at his place, he would watch the morning news at the breakfast table while eating his cereal on that tiny screen!

[@eurobum2012]

I like that it ran on only 2 AA batteries. And once you bought it, using it was free. No spending $1000 per year for data service.

[@MariaEngstrom]

Sweet! Was bored and then this video turned up! Thanks man, always great stuff! :) They kinda missed out on implementing a shitty VCR function on the tape recorder.

[@tjarsun]

First thing I thought was "who wants to watch tv on a small device?" Then I realized I'm using my phone to watch this video...

[@user-yu5rx7cr4y]

Tech moan , Retro Tech Tv mini 1986 . I had one in New York when I was 16 . It good to make it again , it was great for travel time , why they make it , it sell great . For 2024 . From Lillian R - G . ❤

[@ethansloan]

Watching Lethal Weapon on a portable cassette player? Cool. Very cool.

[@nicholas_scott]

I remember a time in the early 80s when it was a fad to have small TVs in refrigerators, Microwaves, etc. So you would never miss your show as you were busy cleaning.

[@Seegalgalguntijak]

Back in 96 or so I was allowed to dig through a basement of a tech shop, and I found one of those early portable LCD televisions, it was made by Casio. And it was even a little bit larger than this device, but it didn't have a stereo included. Instead, they went with a full CFL backlight, which made the thing so big. It ran on 4x AA batteries (=6V), but not very long. Unfortunately, this thing had a thermal issue, so it would shut off after a couple minutes. My fix was to separate the case, put fan from a PC power supply inside and wire it up. Now it ran even shorter on batteries (I mainly used it with a mains adapter though), but at least it wouldn't shut off any more ;-)

[@reeffeeder]

Thank god for smart phones! Love the video - thank you.

[@IMRROcom]

When I was in the military in the late 80's this or something like this were popular among the guys in the BEQs

[@mariosiaven2965]

Marvelous piece of technlogy of its time, it must have been very powerful to have all those capabilities in such a small package even though the tv was kind of basic but hey still it was a tv on the go

[@DanielFoland]

I remember this device, saw it used at outdoor baseball and football games by fans so they could track what was going on with the game (when it was live-broadcast over television), usually accompanied by a neon multi-color fanny-pack full of black-cat Eveready batteries.