My Favorite Zenith
 

I own a handful of Zenith sets, and I'll swap em out once in awhile, but I think my favorite one that gets a ton of use is this 1981 System 3. It's a 19", has a wood cabinet, and it's the model with built-in space phone. Picture on the set is better than what my camera shows.

Zenith TVs were always good, until the company sold out to LG in the late '80s-nineties. I think my "Insignia" brand (Best Buy house brand) flat screen TV may have an LG-built chassis, as I understand most Insignia sets are manufactured with mostly LG parts.

However, your Zenith System 3 set from '81 looks great. One of my great-aunts had a Zenith console in the late '80s with Space Phone, but she never used that feature. I don't know what happened to the TV after she passed in the early '90s :scratch2: -- maybe one of the other relatives has it now.

That your System 3 set has lasted 31 years and is still going strong speaks volumes for the way Zenith TVs were built before LG got hold of the company. I had a Zenith 12" b&w solid-state portable I bought in 1978 that was still working extremely well 22 years later; I had no repairs done on that set, and when I got rid of it (I moved in '99 and didn't have room for the TV in my then-new apartment, not with my two other color sets I brought with me) even the CRT was very strong, almost like new. That set got a lot of use at my former home as well, so I was very surprised and pleased that the tube worked as well as it did after all those years.

I'd hold on to that System 3 set if it works so well. They don't make them like that anymore, and of course Zenith no longer exists as a TV manufacturer. The Zenith name and the trademark lightning-bolt "Z" symbol on today's sets bearing that name are only marketing symbols with no connection whatsoever to the former Zenith Radio Corporation of Chicago. A darn shame, as Zenith used to make some of the best TVs around, and in fact Zenith was my favorite brand of TV for decades; I had two Zenith 13" color portables in the late '70s and eighties, and still have my 19" Sentry 2, but since getting the flat panel last year the latter doesn't get much use anymore. The last time I tried it, however, it was working as well as the day I got it as a birthday present in 1995. Yes, this was within the time frame during which Zenith CRTs were prone to early failure, but I must have been lucky to get a set with a good tube. My set has never had one bit of work done on it to date, and still has the original CRT. :yes:

I second Jeff's comment. I still use a 1982 Zenith System 3 to this very day since we got it new. It is semi-retired since my aunt gave us a 1999 Sony but it still sees use almost everyday. She's showing her age a little, I think I cap is out of spec since I see a 1/2 inch of black at the very bottom of the raster after she warms up and the screen goes red for a few seconds after turning her on and then it doesn't do that anymore. I plan of buying parts for her when I can, but still, she is a trooper. Her picture is as good as the day we got her wit the exception of that 1/2 inch at the bottom after she warms up completely. Maybe 30 years to a TV is like 100 years to us so with these little things aside, she performs quite well.

My favorite set is my avatar. I originally wanted earlier one like seen in American Gangster TV shop, but this has electronic tuner, smooth clean front panel
The smoke pleaxi was added on top and front from RCA 2000 inspiration. I always wanted a 2000 until I did this cosmetic mod to my set. 2000 has problems and is a huge set to place too. extra set used sparingly for mame or news.
:banana:

A wonderful tv set.
 

You have a wonderful tv set. I've tried several times to get one of these but they don't show up easily and when I spotted one on the ebay the seller didn't want to bother making the package and shipping it... :-)
You're very lucky owning a superb set like yours!

Marco

Thank you Marco!
I'd be scared to fathom what shipping would be to Italy tho........

Hello, I have an old vintage 1970's Zenith SG2570P chromacolor TV, but the adapter broke off On the rear cable wire.
It was a female to female adapter, I think...
can you tell me what I need exactly here ?

heres some pics.
http://i47.tinypic.com/2581d9d.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/n3kxaf.jpg

i couldn't get the pix to turn out, but here is what should be at the end of your wire..

What VHS VCR are you using, based on the VHS tapes you put on top of the TV?

Currently I'm using a JVC HR-XVC27U Combo Unit, Prior to that.. it was a Sony SLV-N71 which I bought new in 2000. that deck has seen HEAVY use, and still works great.