Sony Model FD-10A Watchman Television (1987)
The Sony model FD-10A Watchman television is the most recognizable of all handheld TVs.
Measuring 6 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches, it literally slips into a shirt pocket.
The Watchman has a sleek, utilitarian look. The tiny picture tube is flattened out,
without a long rear neck like most CRTs.
The low-profile controls are thumbwheels (Tuning, Volume) and slide
switches (VHF/UHF, Power/Sound/TV). Powered by four 1.5-volt AA batteries,
the FD-10A has an earplug port and uses a built-in monopole antenna.
That's it! No contrast or brightness controls, no external antenna or
video connectors, no AC adapter, no horizontal or vertical adjusters.
The Watchman does only one job, but does it well. The screen
is watchable in ordinary room light, or even outdoors if you're not
in direct sun, and I have never seen a wobble from the horizontal
or vertical.
I like the ability to listen to TV sound without the picture. Before
analog broadcasts were switched off in favor of digital, I used this feature
every now and then. Once, I quietly tuned in a big ballgame on
an earplug while attending a dull meeting. I also enjoyed
listening to Sunday morning news programs while walking, in the days before
analog TV broadcasting became obsolete.
Removing the back cover shows you some of the Watchman's compact
circuitry. Repairing such miniaturized PC boards would be a real
challenge, but fortunately, my Watchman works like new.
The Watchman is smaller than my other handheld TV, a
Panasonic
Travelvision. Both produce a sharp picture. The
Travelvision uses a magnifier to boost the picture size.
Following the switchover from analog to digital broadcasting,
handheld TVs have become cheap because few people know
how to watch anything on them. This house is an exception, as you'll
learn if you read about my home
TV transmitter. The final photo shows these two handheld TVs
receiving a home broadcast, along two of my larger
restored sets.
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