Close visual binaries. I - MK classifications Each component of 170 close visual binaries has been classified with newprocedures for controlling contamination problems. These classificationsare presented and are shown to be on the MK system. Two sources of areascanner UBV photometry were compared in order to establish homogeneousphotometric as well as spectroscopic data. From a consideration ofsystematic errors in the V magnitude difference (Delta V) betweencomponents the photometry of Hurly and Warner (1983) is to be preferred.Absolute magnitudes for each binary are derived from Delta V via atested MK - M(v) map.
