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  #76  
Old 01-26-2019, 07:35 PM
Philco1968 Philco1968 is offline
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Old TV sets remind of my much younger days is why I like old sets! I practically grew up around RCA even though I'm a Philco fan,...especially the Philco-Ford sets of the mid to late 1960's! Still like RCA,too!
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  #77  
Old 01-26-2019, 09:29 PM
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Another rather evil, but still fun thing is ushering a jaded young kid, or for that matter, a smartarse, jaded hipster type who knows it all, & THINKS he's "Seen it All", into my "Ships' Radio Room", where I have my Boatanchor collection, & my 1950 12" Zenith Porthole, & chuckle as his eyes & tongue pop out in utter amazement. NO WAY could the pre-historic people back in Antediluvian 1950 have had something like THAT... They didn't have the Internoot, texting or NOTHING Kewl like we have today...A LOT of these younger folks today have never seen a B&W set, either, or if they have, its a teeny, tiny one-And they never have seen anything that looks like my Porthole... You try to explain that it was a fairly expensive item having a TV in 1950 was still a pretty Big Deal, there were few stations, no cable to speak of, is just hard for them to wrap their 2019 minds around it... The fact its likely older than their grandparents-And STILL Works- usually gives them pause, too. They know little else but electronic trinkets that often won't make it much longer than this time next year.
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  #78  
Old 01-27-2019, 09:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandy G
The fact its likely older than their grandparents-And STILL Works- usually gives them pause, too
Yes, I like that moment too

Even though I'm not very old (38 now), I managed to use an old television set for its intended purpose. Moreover, we've become close friends back then.
Our house has an attic, but initially the attic had no heating (I made it much later when I grew up), so our family had used the attic not for living but as a lumber room and, from time to time, as a guest bedroom. When I entered my teens, I discovered the need of some private space where the parents don't come very often, as it usually happens in that age. One summer I fitted the attic out, and began to use it as my personal 'summer appartment'.
There I found a very old tabletop television sitting on a narrow commode in the corner. It was named Radium (mid-late 50s), my Dad said that it came many years ago from his sister's first husband, and it definitely doesn't work due to the age:



Unlike my Dad, I was a pretty technical boy. I found out quickly that the television works well, and the only thing it really needs is an antenna The picture tube (an unusual metal-cone beast for me then) was rather weak but still being watchable comfortably in a darkened room.
I liked my new place, so I decided to live there until the cold chases me away. I found another nice thing there, an army wadded sleeping bag that allowed me to sleep comfortably with no heating right till late November. I liked the television as well. Exploring it deeper, I found out that it's reliable as hell, and it is not afraid of either cold or damp. It has a bare-bones layout - no phenolic PCBs that tend to warp from the cold. Paper capacitors have a metal-porcelain design that makes them reliable and insensitive to moisture. No any modern television could survive and work there beside my 'old chap' Our neighbors, the ones who tried to use or keep televisions in unheated houses, had spoiled the most of them. Russian winters are harsh!
The early 90s were a time of booming of music television, a non-usual format for previous Soviet times. Russian division of MTV was established then, along with some domestic music channels. Music meant a lot to me as a teenager, and my lovely television set helped me in a very significant way, involved me to the musical culture. I've spent many nights in my cozy place watching it and listening to its sound, warm and mysterious...

P.S. I found out later that the television was made at the factory where my Grandpa worked half his life. He told me a lot of technical details about it.
P.P.S. Forgot to mention that the television has an onboard FM radio, imagine how valuable it was for me then!
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Last edited by Gleb; 02-15-2019 at 10:42 PM.
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  #79  
Old 01-27-2019, 04:51 PM
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Great story Gleb. Same story you may hear from the USA. Shows you how
close we really are. The Radium sounds much like our Zenith brand TV's.
They were well built with better components & still hand wired into
the 1970's. Many are still found running after 60 yrs with only minor
repairs needed. Maybe some time you can post pictures of the insides ?

BTW if you like harsh Russian weather you may enjoy this site. Watch it
for a few weeks & watch the WX conditions. It will keep you warm !
73 Zeno
LFOD !

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Yes, I like that moment too

Even though I'm not very old (38 now), I managed to use an old television set for its intended purpose. Moreover, we've become close friends back then..............!
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  #80  
Old 01-27-2019, 06:32 PM
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I have long thought that America & Russia are WAY more alike than we are different. We'd likely be fast friends if we could keep our respective governments locked away where they couldn't keep the people "Stirred Up" at each other. I remember seeing a pic of American & Russian fighter jet jockeys at an airshow not long after the USSR went out of business. There were really no Russians, or Americans, you had a bunch of friendly young guys who ALL had a strong love of their planes & flying, sitting around swapping notes & stories w/each other. If the generals had seen that, they would have likely had purple cows over a Serious Breach of Security, 'cause the Russians were happily sitting in, I think, F-16s, but to me it just looked like a bunch of guys having a blast, talking planes & making friends. Always got a kick as well over the pics of some guy in a TU-95 "Bear D" flashing a "Peace" sign to the guy in the KC-135 tanker who snapped the pic. Always, too, kinda hurt when I'd watch that show "Planes" that showed Soviet fighters & bombers rotting away outside, in a former museum, somewhere outside of Moscow, all most as much as it hurt watching the wings of B-52s being guillotined in the desert...
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  #81  
Old 01-28-2019, 02:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Sandy G View Post
I have long thought that America & Russia are WAY more alike than we are different. We'd likely be fast friends if we could keep our respective governments locked away where they couldn't keep the people "Stirred Up" at each other. I remember seeing a pic of American & Russian fighter jet jockeys at an airshow not long after the USSR went out of business. There were really no Russians, or Americans, you had a bunch of friendly young guys who ALL had a strong love of their planes & flying, sitting around swapping notes & stories w/each other. If the generals had seen that, they would have likely had purple cows over a Serious Breach of Security, 'cause the Russians were happily sitting in, I think, F-16s, but to me it just looked like a bunch of guys having a blast, talking planes & making friends. Always got a kick as well over the pics of some guy in a TU-95 "Bear D" flashing a "Peace" sign to the guy in the KC-135 tanker who snapped the pic. Always, too, kinda hurt when I'd watch that show "Planes" that showed Soviet fighters & bombers rotting away outside, in a former museum, somewhere outside of Moscow, all most as much as it hurt watching the wings of B-52s being guillotined in the desert...
I always liked the Tupolev TU-95, quite the sight and a real screamer with its four contra-rotating turboprops. Then of course there was the TU-114 airliner version, not quite as sleek-looking with its larger fuselage but still cool.

Last edited by Jon A.; 01-28-2019 at 02:52 PM.
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  #82  
Old 01-28-2019, 04:01 PM
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Great story Gleb
Thanks!

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Maybe some time you can post pictures of the insides ?
If you're interested, I can try to make a photo review of the Radium.

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BTW if you like harsh Russian weather you may enjoy this site. Watch it for a few weeks & watch the WX conditions. It will keep you warm!
It seems that the URL is lost, what site do you mean?
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  #83  
Old 01-28-2019, 04:33 PM
6GH8cowboy 6GH8cowboy is offline
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Why I have- em.

There is a nostalgic component to be sure. When friends see one of my early TV's working there is a sense of amazement when they can see the mechanics and the tubes lit. Lets face it, old tv's and radios can be very visual. When the local NBC station was ready to throw the big red switch on digital, a photo journalist came by and did a story on my then 61 year old TV that survived the era. The camera guy said "I've seen these in museums but never saw one working". He asked to shoot some video of the insides so I removed the back and he went "wow". He saw the glowing tubes, round things, square things, coils, colored wires and the picture on the screen from the back amid the shiny things. I was interviewed sitting next to it and a scroll kept rolling across the bottom of the screen- 'If you can read this your TV is ready for the digital age. It was on a digital hd converter. I also have a AA5 radio PC board version mounted on a board as a visible radio kind of thing. That shiny tuning capacitor is the money shot every time.
The picture was from a public Christmas display featuring one of my sets
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  #84  
Old 01-28-2019, 06:24 PM
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Another thing-And maybe this is a bit "Bad" perhaps, but y'all KNOW how I am- Anyone else have a tiny bit of feeling SUPERIOR because WE have & love old TVs & radios, we know how they work, many of us have gotten intimate w/a soldering iron, forceps, etc. while the Great Unwashed masses haven't a clue as to any of this They don't know any theory, couldn't tell a CRT from a diode, you mention the great enmity between Cdr MacDonald & Sarnoff & you get a blank stare... Maybe none of this stuff IS important, but I think most of us here DO think it is, to some point anyhow. Or am I Fulla Beans, as usual ?!?
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  #85  
Old 01-28-2019, 09:21 PM
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TU-95 a screamer? Propeller tips created high-speed popping by literally breaking the sound barrier. To detect this plane doesn't need radar: just use your ears! We put a turboprop on a fighter that made airport crews faint from the noise even with hearing protection!
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  #86  
Old 01-29-2019, 03:41 PM
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TU-95 a screamer? Propeller tips created high-speed popping by literally breaking the sound barrier. To detect this plane doesn't need radar: just use your ears! We put a turboprop on a fighter that made airport crews faint from the noise even with hearing protection!
I don't know much about aircraft engines let alone turboprops, or the aerodynamics of contra-rotating propellers, but obviously the setup has worked very well for the Bear. Besides, I like mean-sounding engines, i.e. Detroit Diesel two-strokers. As for motorcycles that sound like they have no exhaust system, ricers or a certain Trans Am that was coming and going all the time around here last year, forget it, those are just sources of annoying noise. The blasted motorcycles for example sound like a fusillade of firecrackers going off when they pass by, I don't know why they don't deafen the riders.
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  #87  
Old 01-29-2019, 03:59 PM
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I don't know much about aircraft engines let alone turboprops, or the aerodynamics of contra-rotating propellers, but obviously the setup has worked very well for the Bear. Besides, I like mean-sounding engines, i.e. Detroit Diesel two-strokers. As for motorcycles that sound like they have no exhaust system, ricers or a certain Trans Am that was coming and going all the time around here last year, forget it, those are just sources of annoying noise. The blasted motorcycles for example sound like a fusillade of firecrackers going off when they pass by, I don't know why they don't deafen the riders.
They probably do create hearing damage... but they Also make a hard to see vehicle's presence known... I'm sure many riders get those pipes because they rather be deaf than dead.

Granted any rider riding by while I'm trying to sleep will get my scorn.
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  #88  
Old 01-29-2019, 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by 6GH8cowboy View Post
There is a nostalgic component to be sure. When friends see one of my early TV's working there is a sense of amazement when they can see the mechanics and the tubes lit. Lets face it, old tv's and radios can be very visual. When the local NBC station was ready to throw the big red switch on digital, a photo journalist came by and did a story on my then 61 year old TV that survived the era. The camera guy said "I've seen these in museums but never saw one working". He asked to shoot some video of the insides so I removed the back and he went "wow". He saw the glowing tubes, round things, square things, coils, colored wires and the picture on the screen from the back amid the shiny things. I was interviewed sitting next to it and a scroll kept rolling across the bottom of the screen- 'If you can read this your TV is ready for the digital age. It was on a digital hd converter. I also have a AA5 radio PC board version mounted on a board as a visible radio kind of thing. That shiny tuning capacitor is the money shot every time.
The picture was from a public Christmas display featuring one of my sets
Nice set! I’m sure that you are proud to display... looks like the kids were quite interested. Seeing this inspires me to put my somewhat earlier, but similar 12 inch version next in line for a restore job. These are pretty nice looking bakelite sets:



Any unusual problems that I should watch out for?

jr
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  #89  
Old 01-29-2019, 05:59 PM
dieseljeep dieseljeep is offline
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Nice set! I’m sure that you are proud to display... looks like the kids were quite interested. Seeing this inspires me to put my somewhat earlier, but similar 12 inch version next in line for a restore job. These are pretty nice looking bakelite sets:



Any unusual problems that I should watch out for?

jr
I had the same model RCA as you have. It's the same model year as the 14" shown in that picture. Good performing sets.
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  #90  
Old 01-29-2019, 08:10 PM
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I was thinking the other night-What do we call THESE guys ?!? I mean circular CRT sets are "Portholes", early color sets are "Roundies", what are these Bad Bois ? Or are they so rare today, and/or not as popular, nobody's ever come up w/a rather universally known nickname for 'em ? I have one, too a 12" Admiral from 1950, I believe. Cyoot widdle bugger, has a good pic, & is a floor standing mini console configuration. Guess we could call 'em "Double Ds", but that really wouldn't fit my little guy, & I'm not really all that hepped over the Double D moniker...
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