In this video on Chris Cuff’s VWestlife channel, he drags out his RadioShack Archer Multiple Video Distribution System from 1985 to demonstrate how it used the higher UHF bands to allow you to send three different video signals to the same TV. He was also lucky enough to have a VCR from the era that still had the upper UHF channels available to tune to.
In North America, UHF TV channels 70 to 83 never saw much use, but in 1985, Radio Shack introduced the Multiple Video Distribution System, which accepted three video signals and rebroadcasted them on channels 74, 78, and 82.
In 1987, they were forced to take it off the market, due to the FCC reallocating the frequencies used by channels 70 and above for use by mobile phones and public safety services. Luckily, I was able to find one of these unique devices, and despite the FCC banning it 35 years ago, it still works great — if you have a TV or VCR old enough to tune in those upper UHF channels!
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