VCR problem ? (1 Viewer)

[Michael Cook]

My mom just called. When they record a show on the VCR, they are not getting any sound when they play the tape back. TV sound works fine and they have it hooked up with a RF cable from the wall, through the VCR, and then to the TV. I can't go over till this weekend, just wondering if anyone has seen this before. My guess is the vcr is toast. It is fairly old.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Sounds like toast to me!

 

[Neil Joseph]

What happens if you use the audio/video connections from the VCR to the TV? No sound still?

 

[Reginald Trent]

The tracking could be way off, especially if it is a older unit that has manual settings for the tracking.

 

[Michael Cook]

My parents put in a tape from a show they recorded on their other vcr, and it worked fine. So for some reason, it seems it is not recording any sound. I am going over there this weekend and mess with it. I will try some compostite cables and maybe replace the rf cable.

 

[Allan Jayne]

I am sure there is nothing wrong with the cables. Sound and picture come down the antenna coax cables together, it is impossible for one to arrive and the other not.
If you get sound when tuning in a channel with the VCR and watching it via channel 3/4 on the TV, the VCR is tuning in the sound just fine.
If sound is OK when playing a different tape, the playback sound circuits are OK. This would narrow down the problem to the recording circuits.
One thing you might look for (long shot) is in the VCR set up menus. There may be a selection for "hifi on/off", try it both ways. Hifi VCR's (most of them are HiFi these days) record sound on two sets of tracks. If the VCR settings are to record on one pair only but play back from the other pair, you don't hear sound.
(The regular sound tracks are along one edge of the tape and work the same was as on an audio cassette. The hifi tracks are "commingled" wioth the video in the middle of the tape.)
Other video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[Michael Cook]

Thanks I will look at the menu setup. I am thinking they just need a new one. It worked fine until recently.

 

[Reginald Trent]

I bet it's tracking/control related.

 

[Bill Will]

Just a thought, by chance does the vcr have manual volume control levers? If it does maybe they are turned down all the way? If they are that's why your not getting any sound on the recording because no audio is being sent to the vcr to record. Also make sure on the vcr or in the menu that the audio is not set to "SAP" if it is & the program being recorded had no "second audio program" you wouldn't get any sound either.
Good Luck & let us know how you make out.

 

[Reginald Trent]

BW, that's a good possibility too.