My dad used to work for Radio rentals back in the early 1980's
he borrowed a lot of equipment on trial. I have managed to convert the old family movies from vhs and have a blurry screen shot of an old tape cassette machine he was using to record/play the video..he had it connected up to the tv while filming so the family could see what was going on... the marvels of tech.. now its sooooo easy these days...anyway.
I have a recollection of him walking around with the camera (i don't know what camera he was using) with this unit on a strap.

any ideas? its a bit blurry the picture but its the best I have, all i can work out its a top loader.. i miss the days of when TV's came in wooden cabinets..

http://i48.tinypic.com/2q9ywbl.jpg

thanks
scruff

It was a Ferguson (made by JVC), I can't remember the model number now (and the manuals are long gone).

But the first Ferguson VCR was a 3292, followed by the 3V00 - both of these were mechanical top loaders (like your picture). The next model was a 3V29, which was a light electrically keyed top loader, and the 3V23, a top of the range front loader.

I 'think' the portable mechanical one was the 3V01 - but I wouldn't swear to it.

3V22 http://www.flickr.com/photos/12064036@N04/5055365754/

3V29 http://www.oldtechnology.net/vhsgallery.html

3V01 http://www.totalrewind.org/portable/Q_3V01.htm

And may be of interest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1QduFJu4v0

Oh my god we had one of those TVs on rental from DER

Brilliant you lot are fantastically ace.. thank you

Since having a look at the fergusons the 3v29 sort of ring a bell in my head. i remember that machine being under our telly and me showing my mum how to record on it and watching Lucky Luke (the ones with him smoking in) on rental from the library.

Yes, its just below the Tv on the floor


Sorry

Am I seeing the vcr correctly ? has it only got 3 mechanical buttons / levers on the front ? if so it rules out the portable versions of the 3v00 & 3v01 "metal mickey" built by the JVC / Ferguson / Telefunken ( J2T ) factory in Gosport UK . Could this be a very early Panasonic ?