Is my Atari 2600 broken?

[So Many Kinds of Bagels]

I have an Atari 2600. I don't know if it works (I hope it does, if it doesn't, it'll be my second dead one from ebay ). I don't have the adapter to play it on a modern TV yet (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... 2123169&cp), so I can't tell if it works or not. Here are my troubleshooting questions:

--Does the Atari 2600 make a sound when powered up (there's no LED to tell me if it's powered)?

--Is the end of the cord from the power adapter kind of...weird? Like, it's not a typical shape, and fits very loosely in the jack. Is that normal? (I'll upload pics in a sec.)

--Do certain things have to happen for the Atari to turn on? Ex. game insterted, controller plugged in, certain switches set to certain settings.

--Are there are any other things I should do before I give up on my Atari?

Here's what the power cord looks like:
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/4210/p8240166zm7.jpg
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/8564/p8240167jy6.jpg
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/1363/p8240168ub7.jpg

Damn, last two won't show up. Hold on...

[Kyo]

The atari does not make a sound when powered up. How could it? It lacks any kind of speakers!

Anyway, have you considered it might be the cord that goes to the TV? Cause even tho you can't remove it from the atari itself, you can easily replace it (without any soldering) with another one. You need to open up the atari tho. And you need a new cord. So yeah... That might destroy the point, cause you'll pretty much need a second atari for the cord.

[So Many Kinds of Bagels]

Yea, I guess with its lack of fans and a hard drive, it wouldn't need to make a sound.

I already looked inside it. I have an extra cord. But first I need to know if that is the correct power cord, and I need that TV adapter.

[bicostp]

--Does the Atari 2600 make a sound when powered up (there's no LED to tell me if it's powered)?

--Is the end of the cord from the power adapter kind of...weird? Like, it's not a typical shape, and fits very loosely in the jack. Is that normal? (I'll upload pics in a sec.)

--Do certain things have to happen for the Atari to turn on? Ex. game insterted, controller plugged in, certain switches set to certain settings.

--Are there are any other things I should do before I give up on my Atari?

1. No, the console itself is silent.

2. That's normal. You should be able to push it in all the way and it will "click" into place. If the jack bothers you that much, get a normal plug and socket from Radio Shack and hack it in.

3. Nope. It will turn on when you flip the switch and it's plugged in. Of course it won't do anything useful without a cartridge...

4. Only that you should give it a chance.

Actually, you don't need a converter box. Just take a spare coax cable, cut it in half, and solder on a spare RCA connector and it will work. (That adapter is just a switch, after all.)

However, I suggest picking up a normal 3xRCA cable (red, white ,yellow) and doing the new Composite mod. Composite > RF.

[So Many Kinds of Bagels]

--Does the Atari 2600 make a sound when powered up (there's no LED to tell me if it's powered)?

--Is the end of the cord from the power adapter kind of...weird? Like, it's not a typical shape, and fits very loosely in the jack. Is that normal? (I'll upload pics in a sec.)

--Do certain things have to happen for the Atari to turn on? Ex. game insterted, controller plugged in, certain switches set to certain settings.

--Are there are any other things I should do before I give up on my Atari?

1. No, the console itself is silent.

2. That's normal. You should be able to push it in all the way and it will "click" into place. If the jack bothers you that much, get a normal plug and socket from Radio Shack and hack it in.

3. Nope. It will turn on when you flip the switch and it's plugged in. Of course it won't do anything useful without a cartridge...

4. Only that you should give it a chance.

Actually, you don't need a converter box. Just take a spare coax cable, cut it in half, and solder on a spare RCA connector and it will work. (That adapter is just a switch, after all.)

However, I suggest picking up a normal 3xRCA cable (red, white ,yellow) and doing the new Composite mod. Composite > RF.

Thanks!
Just some questions though...
Converter box?
How does that coax thing work (I'm a complete noob)?
The converter box is just a switch, or the radioshack adapter is?
Do you think the composite mod could be my first mod?