100% atari newbie needs some help

[thenotoriousbjc]

hi guys and girls I am new around this part.....I started collecting all the old video game systems that I had growing up and found an atari 2600 at the local pawn shop.....it is a 4 botton wood grain system cx-2600 a ......I tried hookin it up with the switch box they had with it and the picture just kept spinning in a circle from top to bottom.......so then I went to the local radio shack and bought a female f type to coaxial cable adapter and tried that and the picture still spins top to bottom but not as fast.......then I tried hookin it up through the vcr and still moves.....if anybody has any suggestions please get back to me......the system is in great shape and the conrollers still seem really tight......also cleaned all the games that I found.....thanks for the help in advance

[keilbaca]

Sounds like you need to tune in your TV... is it an old tv or a new one?

[Mot]

I just got a new cart and put it in my system and I got the same thing, rolling picture. I came here to find out it is a PAL system cart.

 

So does this happen with all the carts you tried?

 

Maybe the system is a pal system? What does it say at the bottom of the unit?

 

And of cource, try the different channels and look at:

How do I hook up my Atari to a TV?

[keilbaca]

Good point, is it black and white lines flipping, or is it an actual picture of the game flipping, if its an actual picture, tis PAL.

[thenotoriousbjc]

the tv that I am trying to hook it up to is about 4 years old.....it is the picture flipping not black and white lines.....it does not say anything about being a pal system that I know of......I checked out the bottom of the system......how do I tell if they are pal games....and not to sound like an idiot I have no idea what pal means......I can post some pics of the system and the games if that might help.....thanks

[thenotoriousbjc]

the tv that I am trying to hook it up to is about 4 years old.....it is the picture flipping not black and white lines.....it does not say anything about being a pal system that I know of......I checked out the bottom of the system......how do I tell if they are pal games....and not to sound like an idiot I have no idea what pal means......I can post some pics of the system and the games if that might help.....thanks

[adams_ale]

the tv that I am trying to hook it up to is about 4 years old.....it is the picture flipping not black and white lines.....it does not say anything about being a pal system that I know of......I checked out the bottom of the system......how do I tell if they are pal games....and not to sound like an idiot I have no idea what pal means......I can post some pics of the system and the games if that might help.....thanks

 

nope not a dumb question, we aren't all born with this info. PAL and NTSC refer to how many lines of resolution are found on television screens. In North America we use NTSC and the rest of the world uses PAL. If your cart is formatted for PAL t.v's and it is played on a NTSC t.v. then the picture will roll. I don't think the Atari system distinguishes between PAL and NTSC, only the t.v. . Your problem may be that it is on the wrong channel or perhaps you should wiggle all connections and switches to see how finicky they are and what changes you see. Hope that helps. Welcome to AA.

[thenotoriousbjc]

sorry about the double post......dang rookies anyhow

 

here is what the bottom of my system says

 

manufactured for atari, inc by

kingtek electronics co. ltd in taiwan

model no cx-2600 a

fcc type approval no tv-707

valid only when operated pursuant

to fcc rules, part 15

covered by u.s. patents 3,793,483

3,900,886; 3,723;652, 3,728,480; re 28507

re 28598 & patent pending

s.n. 82427830

 

also I checked google and checked out the pal system vs the ntsc system.....how can i tell which one I have....I am pretty sure it is a pal system since all of my games scrolls from top to bottom

[Tsukasa]

Pal stands for "Phase Alternating Line", and is the european video standard which runs at 50hz, whilst NTSC stands for "National Television Standards Commitee" and is the american video standard at 60hz. They aren't interchangeable in most cases. But, that's not important right now. If a game is PAL, there will be a small, letter "P" on the label.

Also, when I tried to do a video mod to my 2600, the same thing happened to me.

[thenotoriousbjc]

just checked all the tvs in the house and it does it on every tv......also no p's on any of the games......man it was so much easier 18 years ago when my mommy hooked my system up for me and I just sat there and asked to play game after game after playing each one about 2 minutes....thanks for everyones quick replyies.....you know how to make a rookie welcome

[Chris-in-NJ]

If you're in the USA, it may be that your unit is set to the wrong channel. If you've got it set to channel 3 and there is a channel 3 broadcasting in your area you may get interference...