Below is a list of NICAM-728 coders ordered approximately from oldest to newest (date of first production units) that I have confirmed actually existed which may (or were confirmed) to have been used for Broadcast purposes.
Does not include multifunction test equipment capable of NICAM-728 modulation or modern FPGA / software based solutions as these are unlikely to have been used for large scale broadcast.
Philips PM5685 (encoder only), Philips PM5686A (modulator only), Philips PM5687 (encoder + modulator)
The oldest NICAM modulator I know of. First went into production in 1987. More information here.
Eiden 198A (encoder + DQPSK modulator)
I have no information about these. It is a very old school looking design but this particular unit has a date sticker on the rear saying 1998.
Solution Produced by RE Communications used by ITV and Channel 4 UK (encoder + SIS encoder + DQPSK modulator)
It is well known that the IBA had their own implementation of Sound-in-Sync built by RE Communications of Denmark. I ended up in contact with two retired engineers who went to considerable lengths to try and find some of the actual equipment but unfortunately it had all been disposed of. Above is the best they could find – two modules from the system. The NICAM audio coder and decoder. It is nice to at least see those! There is a video on YouTube which shows completed equipment as well as an interview with Graham Sawdy who oversaw the project. The final design went into production around 1990.
Varian LDM1903 (encoder + SIS encoder)
Went into production around 1990. There is more information about this solution here.
Rohde & Schwarz SBUF-E NICAM Module (encoder + DQPSK modulator)
Tektronix 728E (encoder + DQPSK modulator)
A later (mid 1990s) design.
Factum NC200A (encoder + DQPSK modulator)
Another later mid-1990s design. There is more information about this unit here.
Barco NE-728 (encoder + DQPSK modulator)
These were known to be used in Kordia transmitter huts in New Zealand. Went into production around 1995.
No good quality photos are available but there is a copy of the manual here.
Has anyone experience with the MC44C404 Nicam Encoder chip from NXP or FREESCALE?
It never went into production
HI Matt
If interested I can make some better pictures from the Barco NE728 (I have two of these units)
I also have a Philips PM 5689 NICAM Monitor if you want I can make pictures of it.
Did you know that NICAM until today still is used by Dutch HAM ATV amateurs, in 1999 they even developed there own NICAM encoder (Search for Werner PE1OBW NICAM encoder)
I have one of these units if you want pictures.
Best regards
Grtzz Mark
Better pictures of the NE728 would be appreciated.
I’ve got a PM5689. It has been used in a few of my YouTube videos.
Interesting to hear about more NICAM usage in the Netherlands. I actually recently obtained some distribution equipment from the Dutch TV2 which also was using NICAM!
Hi Matt
I will make some pictures from the Barco (I think I have an email address from you, but not shure)
I thought I red on one off your pages you did not have information about the PM5689,
just watched your video, and I did the same conversion 🙂 We only use System I (6.552MHz) did you know that the three jumpers beside the power supply capacitors
determine what you see on the display at boot.
This is mine: http://www.frx.nl/PE3FRX_I_System.jpeg (originally a Belgium B/G unit)
Funny thing Philips uses CRC on every eprom (written on top) so I had! to hack my callsign on to the display 😀
I’m interested what you have from TV2, Here in the Netherlands we did nothing with NICAM, only Filmnet used scrambled NICAM with there cablecrypt decoders but this was only on cable…
Grtzz Mark
Yes once upon a time all the information I could find about it was a low quality picture. Now I have a PM5689 and all of the service information (can send a link if needed). The PM5689 video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK16Srr-_PY
Interesting that you have dealt with the PTV checksum. I believe there are a few different variations of it. I found the earlier mechanism (where the PROM checksum always ends in 00) quite difficult to crack. There is a tool which does it in my GitHub repo.
The equipment from TV2 appears in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4su9kC0KIs&t=1801s it is the RE-DSIS coder. Kindly rescued by a Dutch friend. He also got the manual with it: https://techmattmillman.s3.amazonaws.com/files/RE_DSIS_Service_Manual.pdf note that it contains many handwritten notes by a TV2 engineer. It was used for distribution within TV2s network, not for on-air. Note that in the manual for this particular configuration NICAM is described as SPB424. I presume this was done to not frighten Dutch customers.
Speaking of stereo sound, some time ago I purchased a PM5588 Zweiton modulator from a Dutch equipment dealer which was featured in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfjZPYrSP6g
Hi Matt
I saw in the PM5689 video that you also changed the 6,552MHz bandpass filter, where did you get this come from?
I use TOKO filters but I think the original is better…
If you would like to share the service information then this is highly appreciated.
Maybe we should discuss further by email? (also for the pictures from the Barco) I also have schematics from the NE728 if interested.
I know SIS from the old EBU Satellite feeds, in the old days I even had some sort of decoder for it but not an official one. (made with one FPGA)
Funny to see that it is based on NICAM, chopped up in 625 fragments from 4uS in length…
Grtzz Mark
PM5689 docs here: https://github.com/inaxeon/PTV_Preservation/tree/main/PM5689
System I filter was borrowed from a PM5688/I
Email is on the about page!