Technics ST-C02V (c. 1980)
The Technics ST-C02V is a compact TV sound multiplex tuner from around 1980. It was a niche Japanese-market component that let you play TV multiplex broadcasts through your stereo system. It was priced at ¥38,500 new. The printed record is thin beyond that, but what survives shows what it did.
It uses an intercarrier system to pick up both the sound and picture of TV broadcasts. It covers VHF channels 1-12 and UHF 13-62. An automatic program switching circuit detects whether the incoming signal is stereo or a bilingual two-language broadcast, switches the appropriate circuit, and shows the mode on an indicator. There's a video output (1 Vp-p/75 Ω) and a sound output (400 mV / 4.7 kΩ). There's also an RF output on channel 1 or 2, so it could sit between an antenna and a conventional TV, and changing channels on the ST-C02V switched the TV itself. Antenna input is 75 Ω or 300 Ω on VHF, 300 Ω on UHF.
Resale listings occasionally mislabel it as an amplifier. It isn't one. It's a tuner, meant to feed a receiver or integrated amp. It runs on 100 V AC, draws 10 W, and measures 297 × 74 × 300 mm at 4.5 kg.
Known specs
- Type: TV sound multiplex tuner (intercarrier system)
- Receiving channels: VHF 1–12, UHF 13–62
- Sensitivity: 3.0 μV (S/N 30 dB, 75 Ω)
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 60 dB
- Stereo separation: 35 dB (1 kHz)
- Crosstalk: 55 dB (1 kHz)
- Sound output: 400 mV (100% modulation), 4.7 kΩ
- Video output: 1 Vp-p / 75 Ω
- RF output: channel 1 or 2
- Antenna input: VHF 75 Ω / 300 Ω, UHF 300 Ω
- Power: 100 V AC, 50/60 Hz, 10 W
- Dimensions / weight: 297 × 74 × 300 mm, 4.5 kg
- Price (Japan, c. 1980): ¥38,500
No owner reviews, service notes, or current market data have surfaced in the sources we have. The record is genuinely sparse — but for collectors of odd early-80s Japanese AV gear, the ST-C02V is a neat artifact from the moment TV audio started getting the hi-fi treatment.
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