Motorola 23" combo color set needs rescue in SoCal

[kx250rider]

Found at an estate sale in Encino, CA today:


It's a Motorola combo with a 23" tube (NOT a 23EGP22; the later type). It's very clean, and the estate sale had a $25 price tag on it. Even has the original remote. I don't know much about these Motorolas, but I remember a thread about them here in the past couple months. The women running the sale said that they don't expect it to sell, so it's in jeopardy! No mention of Solid State, so it may be a tube set or hopefully that very elusive earliest transistorized chassis.
Sincere apologies for the awful pictures... Cell phone camera.

It has a tag "DREXEL HERITAGE FURNITURE COMPANY" on the front, so I guess it was one of those high-end department store models like the late 60s GE sets with the Ethan-Allen cabinets.

Anyone in the Los Angeles area can probably pick it up free, but bring your football buddies to help lift it.

Sharon Yost, Estate Sale Broker
(818) 515-1557
The house is on Morrison Street in Encino.





Charles

[old_tv_nut]

I believe those slide-pot controls were on the first transistor chassis. I also forgot about what I believe is a mechanical push-button UHF tuner (the kind of mechanism used in car radios at the time).

Here's a vacuum-form "3D" ad sign for it.

[old_tv_nut]

Add: Note the color controls are just up-down switches. This chassis had analog memory modules for the remote adjustments. The module used a low leakage capacitor whose voltage was read by an FET. To change the voltage, it was charged or discharged through a small neon bulb, which had very low leakage in the off state. The bulb had to be an earlier model specified to have no radioisotope content. Later versions of neon bulbs included a small amount of radioactive isotope to pre-ionize the gas and get a consistent firing voltage, but this would have slowly discharged the capacitor. The whole memory module - cap, bulb (or bulbs, can't recall if there were two) and FET was potted with low-leakage epoxy.

[radotvguy]

nice tv , but a lot of them cant be saved becuase they are just too big and heavy

[oldtvman]

Seeing that set again is like remembering having my tonsils out!

I think that set was one of the worst color sets every made

[jstout66]

The Motorola/Quasar sets were at least better than the Motorola tube sets. Now those WERE horrid. As for the "works in a drawer".... I know my Uncle, who was a TV sales/repair guy hated them. We had a few on the route. In the early 80's parts for those were getting hard to come by and those modules were EXPENSIVE. Some of the sets had a decent picture, but most did not.I think Motorola was as expensive as a Zenith, and I could not figure out what made people choose that brand over a Zenith or RCA, altho in 1968/1969 RCA offered the CTC-38, which was the worst set they came out with IMO.

Hope someone got it and it didn't end up in the trash. I bet that thing weighs a TON.

[kx250rider]

There's still some time... The estate sale goes all day today (Mon, Jul 14), then they will leave the TV in the house until the house is sold. My guess, since it's an old original 1600 sq ft tract house on a huge lot with $5,000,000 mansions all around it, it will be bulldozed when it sells. I hope the TV isn't still in the house when that happens...

Charles

[drh4683]

Wow, hopefully it can be saved! Its a remote control unit too. Exact same set I found earlier this year, but this one looks mint. The one I picked up had alot of cosmetic flaws. If one has the room, its a neat set to have. I have a few motorola tube color sets and I think the picture is pretty decent. Same with the WID's. Seems like everyone hates motorola color TV's.

[reeferman]

I agree with OLDTVMAN and JSTOUT66. Those were junk when they came out and will always be junk. Might think about keeping one as they will be a very rare set in the future. They are such a piece of junk nobody will even consider holding on to them.

[roundscreen]

Originally Posted by reeferman

I agree with OLDTVMAN and JSTOUT66. Those were junk when they came out and will always be junk. Might think about keeping one as they will be a very rare set in the future. They are such a piece of junk nobody will even consider holding on to them.

You guys are a riot. I have a works in the drawer Motorola set. After doing some major repairs to the set, It has been working vary well and has a lot of hours on it. The only thing I can complain about is the crappy crt in this set. The emission checks good but it puts out a crap picture. I do have a replacement video display rebuild so when I get the time I will put it in. Other than that it has been a good runner. If I lived near cal I would grab it.
Ed

[reeferman]

A satisfied Motorola owner.

[reeferman]

Originally Posted by reeferman

A satisfied Motorola owner.

I like your attitude

[sampson159]

stan cash had one of those back in the big 80s.it had a zenith crt and the picture was really something to see. the original crt was really a lousy pic-reds were orange.blues were greenish,etc. he installed a crt with a light gray face. he always used that crt. stan was one of the first color techs in central ohio. fine eye for those kind of things. it was some set and i believe it is still in use today. stan passed on a few years ago and his friend billy got the set. lucky guy!

[truetone36]

By a strange coincidence I got one of these for free this morning. Mine's missing the remote and has a dead CRT, but I gladly took it. I've got a couple of Zenith Chromacolor CRTs, so I'll put one of those in if possible.

[JB5pro]

I am too budgeted now to get it to Florida. I have wanted that remote set very much. I'll be surprised if I ever get one but I'm keeping my hand unit just incase I get lucky!
I also believe that series was a very good and reliable system if you have a good CRT for a good enough picture. A friend of mine, Ed Callahan of St. Petersburg made a good living selling and servicing Motorolas from about '63 till the '80's