Are you trying to record from an antenna? Majority of these broadcasts use the new high definition format and you will need a convertor for the input to your VCR. Some local low power stations (mostly local religious) broadcast in the old format.

Using cable box, rf input on vcr. Vcr is set to ch 3. Didn't try rca/composite inputs. Gave up. That was last week

The cable box is putting out a DIGITAL signal on Ch. 3 and the VCR needs an analog signal. You need to use the separate audio/video inputs.

Actually Comcast scrambles all their channels. I cannot view 2-3-4-5 and so on if I run cable directly into new digital ready tv. The signal coming out of the cable box is massaged. I can plug my cable box into old analog tv using RF connection and it is viewable. So, the signal coming out of cable box should be recordable on vcr.

I feel like at this point it may be worthwhile to try to record on another device (dvd player). Why may I ask are you using the VCR?

OK, does the VCR have an input selector? It must, if it has audio/video + RF inputs. Are you 100% sure you are recording off the RF input?

So you have not tried the audio/video output of the cable box to the audio/video line in on the VCR? Usually that is labeled "Line In" wherever you select the input.

I used another vcr last year at former residence. I recorded the nightly news every evening. I am now in a new place and I tried using 3 different vcrs. I wanted to record game of thrones last month when it was free. I am cheap. I have a DVDs recorder but of course HBO encrypts their signal so a dvd recorder will not function. A poor vcr tape is better than nothing. A friend gave me 100 prerecorded tapes and all refuse to record. I have no blank tapes. Yes I put a piece of tape on cassette shell to go into record mode. I think if u don't, the record function will not even engage.

You seem to have trouble either reading or understanding the questions we're asking, so it's hard to figure out what the problem might be.

Vcr has line in/out and coax. Have not tried using line input.

Well, your cable may be scrambling you into a DVR. It happened to me a few years back. I fought it for a while. I seem to recall having the vcr connected to the tv which had to always be tuned to channel 3 and then recording channel 3 at whatever time my show was on (Jack Bauer as I recall) but needing to make sure the cable box was left on an tuned to Fox! I even recall trying some sort of convoluted remote that would attempt to turn on and off all the devices to ‘simply’ this. I averaged missing 50% of my 24 episodes that season! Eventually the cable company put me out of my misery by scrambing everything anyway…the BAST@RDS!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Actually they did me a favor. The $12 a month for the DVR was the best $12 a month I ever spent in terms of aggravation and missing shows.

Perhaps you can renegotiate your cable bill to get the cost down so it nets out to $5 - $7 a month? I think you will be happy if you give in on this one.

Perhaps you can record off the internet…assuming you have wireless….I know the kids today don’t even have cable…they watch everything off the net. That may be scrambled as well…

If you give up a StarBucks a week that would likely pay for it…but perhaps you are brewing at home…there’s gotta be something you can do!

Good Luck!