Can I use a Nipkow disc to view modern TV shows?
ANSWER. Yes. You can use Nipkow disc reception with NTSC, PAL or SECAM transmissions. In between the receiver and the scanner, you must insert a scan converter. Early Television Foundation markets such a converter. The Narrow Bandwidth Television Association describes a circuit that an advanced builder can construct. See both sites. A Google search will turn them up. A better (and cheaper) way to go is a program disc from NBTVA. This will run on a 32-line disc system. Also, I recommend using LEDs instead of a neon tube. Flat-plate and crater neon tubes are antiques. Nobody that I know of makes new ones. Anyway, LEDs operate better with solid-state circuits.
