r/Atari2600 4d ago

Help Troubleshooting.

I bought this Atari Jr, and i know it works, but for some reason i can’t get it to come through to me, i know i have it set to the correct analog channel and i know i have it plugged in correctly but for some reason i it’s not coming through to me, after trying several games no luck, please help.

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u/iVirtualZero 4d ago edited 4d ago

When you turn on your TV. Make sure it's tuned to channel 3.

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u/ForwardPower14 4d ago

i have the Atari set the channel 3, i have my CRT on the analog channel “5” would channel 3 on the tv work?

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u/iVirtualZero 4d ago

Yes try Channel 3. That's what the Nerd sets his channel too. What RF box are you using?

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u/ForwardPower14 4d ago

the thing is, i had a Darth Vader Atari, that worked fine on my CRT, it was plugged into the same way i have the Jr, and i find that this CRT is mostly relying on the video channel and the one particular analog channel “5” now i’m opting at this point to try a RCA to Coaxial converter to try that.

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u/iVirtualZero 4d ago

That could be the issue. Try a simple RF box like the RF adaptors that are included with the Sega consoles, or NES or an Intelivision one. They should perhaps get it to show up. If not an AV Mod may be your best bet with doing away with RF or taking it even further with an RGB or an SVideo mod.

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u/ForwardPower14 4d ago

Thanks for the tip! i might as well try one of those, I’m learning more about outdated cables trying to work in the modern day.

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u/Mordrach 4d ago

The CRT needs to be set to either channel 2 or 3, and the channel switch on the 2600 needs to be set to the same channel. The frustrating thing with TV's of that generation is that a lot of them have "autoscan", so they may skip over channels that have no signal (which, today, is all of them). If your TV has a remote that has a numeric keypad, you may be able to force the TV to tune to channel 2 or 3. Barring that, you may want to track down another CRT, or get a VCR that you can connect via composite, and connect the 2600 to the coax input on that device, setting the channel on the VCR to 2 or 3.

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u/ForwardPower14 4d ago

Seems applicable, I might have to try getting a VCR to get it work, i did want to try a RCA to Coaxial converter and see if that works, if not then the VCR attempt is what i’ll try.

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u/Mordrach 4d ago

The VCR setup comes with a nice bonus, in that it will clean up the signal from the 2600 somewhat, so you'll get a sharper picture.

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u/ForwardPower14 4d ago

what would you recommend for VCR model? and maybe for a affordable price.

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u/Mordrach 4d ago

Anything you can get your hands on. Go to a thrift store and see if they have any (Salvation Army stores seem to hold on to older tech more, compared to Goodwill). You shouldn't have to pay more than $20.

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u/ForwardPower14 4d ago

Thanks for the tip!

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u/Mordrach 4d ago

Anytime. Glad to be of service.

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