Connecting a VCR with a mini box

The minibox should be set to the channel to be viewed / recorded.  Both the VCR and TV should be set to channel 3 if that's the output channel of the minibox (switch on back) and VCR.  Setting the TV to any other channel ("TV is set to channel wanting to be viewed") will not work, you won't get anything unless the TV is set to the VCR output channel (3 or 4).

Also, I don't know how you set the channel on the TV with the minibox remote ... it will only change channels on the minibox.

Summary of channel settings:
- Set output of minibox (switch on back) to 3 or 4.
- Set VCR tuner (input) to same channel as above.
- Set output of VCR (see VCR instructions) to same channel as above.
- Set TV tuner to same channel as above.
- Select channel to be viewed/recorded with minibox.

Thank you for your reply.  That is exactly what I did.  When I said the TV is set to channel wanting to be viewed, I thought I was clear when I said I used the mini box (remote) for doing so.

Connections are as follows:  From wall (OUT), to mini-box (IN), from mini box (OUT) to VCR (IN), from VCR (OUT) to TV (IN).  

The rear of the TV is set to channel 3.  The rear of the mini box is set to 3.  The mini box remote has been programmed to my specific TV.  I do NOT use the TV remote at all.  When I want to view something on TV, I use the mini box remote to select the channel.  

When I press play on the VCR, the picture on the TV goes away.  NOTHING.    TV plays a VCR tape if I take the mini box out of the line up completely and remove it..  Of course, without the mini-box, I have no reception to record anything.

I do have a mixture of cable types between the items connected, some RG 6 and some RG59.  Could this be the problem?.

Mixing RG6 and RG59 shouldn't cause a problem.  When you said "rear of the TV is set to channel 3" did you mean rear of VCR?  The way you describe your connections it should work if all channel settings are correct.  The thing I don't understand is the minibox is connected to the VCR input, the VCR output connected to the TV, it's strange that the VCR will play if you remove the minibox from it's input.  What model VCR are you using?  Was it working before all digital and inserting the minibox between the wall and the VCR?  You could try changing channels on the TV (with TV remote) while playing a tape ... see if somehow the VCR is switching to a different channel for output.

Without going into all the steps taken, I finally have the VCR playing a tape and recording with the mini-box installed.

With the television ON, the channel selected using the mini-box remote, the VCR ON, I pressed record on the VCR remote and all was fine.

New question. . . .  I did this manually by pressing RECORD on the VCR remote at the time the program began and had to press STOP when the program was over.  Is there a way to use the VCR without being here to press record?  I used to set the VCR to record a particular channel, at a particular time, and stop at a particular time.  To do this, the TV was OFF and so was the VCR.  Will this still work with the mini-box?  And if so, how would I program the channel?  The channel is being decided by the mini-box, not the VCR.  What channel would I program on the VCR?

Continuation, . . . 

I attempted to use the VCR programmed timer to record something last night.  (As I did before the days of the mini-box.)  The only difference was I used Channel 3 in the program setup since the mini box was set to the channel I wanted to record.

Nothing recorded and VCR did NOT come on at the scheduled time.  I checked using the "display" feature of the VCR remote and the clock or time had not changed since it was set.  Obviously THIS is why it did not come on and record as the VCR never reached the time programmed.  Is this a problem with the VCR clock or do I need to do something somewhere else to make the clock on the VCR advance with time?  This is a brand new VCR so the clock should work.  "Should" being the operative word.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

I am very happy to say that I CAN play and record now with the VCR, but I must manually do it and be here to start and stop it.  

I think it will work if I can get the clock to advance and keep time.  It doesn't advance even if ALL 3 are ON; the TV, the mini-box, and the VCR.

Hope, first the easy question, you can't switch channels with the VCR.  You can only record the channel set in the minibox.  That's a big drawback of this system.  It was designed 40+ years ago when almost everything was analog.  Times, they are a changin'. Sorry.

The VCR should start and stop on the programmed time and setting it to record on channel 3 is correct.  I have no idea why the clock didn't advance.  You are asking for help operating a VCR but haven't even posted the make/model.  Could it be looking for a time signal to sync with?  I vaguely remember in the old analog days, PBS stations broadcast a time signal and VCR's would sync with it.  Don't know why that would stop time though.  Check the VCR manual, maybe you can find something in the troubleshooting section.

Dear Allen,

Thanks for all your help.  You have been very kind and patient with all my questions.  I feel like I became my mother.  I used to be the one that understood things and would help HER program the VCR.  Now I have BECOME the one that needs help all the time with the newer electronics.

The VCR is  Emerson, brand new, just out of the box, but I think old by mfg. date.  It was given to me last week by a friend that had it and never used it.  Still in original packaging.  Very basic.  Just a 4 headed VCR, nothing else.  No DVD or anything.  The instructions that came with it consist of two pages so not very informative.  It does have directions for setting the clock and programming VCR to record at specific times.  

After following the instructions for setting the clock, I pressed "display" on the VCR remote and the time appeared on the TV screen.  After about 15 minutes, the displayed time remained the same as the time set, and had not advanced.  

I turned both the TV and the VCR OFF, leaving the mini-box powered up as it remains at all times.  Hours later, I turned on the TV, just the TV, I left the VCR off, and the time displays automatically for about a minute or less.  It had the correct time but it is coming from the television, not from the VCR.  

Is the TV clock interfering with the VCR clock?  Does the signal from the cable company through the mini-box contain any time information?

I am guessing I can do two things to test the situation.  I can replace the VCR with an older one that I have and see if IT works and the other option may be to remove the mini-box and see if the current VCR clock works if the mini-box is not in the lineup.  

Based on prior usage (before the days of digital and mini-boxes), even if the TV had a clock, you set the time in the VCR if you wanted to record at a specific time and date.  The TV clock need not even be present.  In fact, some older TV's did not have clocks.  The clock on TV's appear to me to be needed for sleep timer purposes or alarm purposes.   It did not seem to matter if the TV had a clock or not, nor if it had a different time from the one set on the VCR.  The VCR only paid attention to the VCR clock, not the TV.

Am I on the right track?  I know this is a little OFF TOPIC from where it began, but it is still in line with using a VCR WITH a mini-box.  I never had problems using a VCR until the mini-box became a necessity to get a signal.

I do realize that if I remove the mini-box from the lineup to check the function of the VCR clock, I will NOT get a signal.  I also realize that I am now talking about an issue with a VCR clock, and not the original topic.  I guess my biggest problem is not understanding exactly what the mini-box is doing beyond modulating between analog and digital.  I like "simple" and use the KISS principle.  For me, the more "add-on's",  the more complicated and the more I don't understand.  I am old enough to remember using a black and white TV with rabbit ears, that you walked to the TV console to change the channel to one of the 3 broadcasting stations.  No such thing as a remote control.  No cable, satellite, or the like.  Thanks again for your patience.

Thanks again for all your prior help.  

Dear Allen,

Since you were so kind to help me, I thought you might like to know the outcome.  After connecting several different VCR's, I finally got one to work with the mini-box.  I pulled out an OLD 1993 Panasonic VCR and everything is working fine now.  

It is so old, the year allowed in the programming section will go no higher than 2011.  I just had to pick a year that the date and day agreed with that of the current year and it works fine.  

The never before used Emerson VCR must have a defective clock.  The Hitachi VCR was the first one I tried to use with the mini-box.  I don't know why that one did not work but I am just glad that I finally have one that is doing everything it is suppose to do and seems to get along well with the mini-box.   I just hope that VCR does not break since they don't make them any more.  

Thanks again for your help and wanted you to know that all has been resolved. 

Hope, glad to hear you have everything resolved.  You are correct with your KISS answer to the minibox ... it receives the digital signal, decrypts it's encryption and outputs an analog signal your old TV or VCR can receive.  That's it.

I. too, remember B&W TV's and bunny ears.  Most TV's only had the VHF channels 2-13 and only few came it.  I had a 19" TV which actually had the UHF channels of 14-83 and was actually able to watch (B&W thru much snow) the Giants-Colts 1958 playoff which was blacked out on the lower channels.  Thanks for jogging the memory   Once again, happy you have it resolved, happy VCRing.