Interesting RCA Victor

[Charlie]

A guy emailed about this set recently. It's got an RCA Victor badge at the lower left... but it does not look like the usual early-60's RCA. It kinda looks European. The knobs do not look RCA-ish. It does not appear to have a UHF tuner.

Anyone seen an RCA like this before?

[azbigsam]

Here is a close up of my 1962 RCA console. The basic mask is the same but with a few differences. Mine has "New Vista" after the "RCA Victor" logo.

[Charlie]

Yes, basically the same. Yours has more attractive trim i think. The cabinet he has seems quite nice. I am trying to figure out what it says above the channel selector... I don't think it says New Vista.

I just thought it oddly resembled something that might have come from overseas. I would have never guessed it to be an RCA had the name badge not been there.

[Einar72]

A look at the back-cover markings would be helpful...

[bgadow]

Canadian? I agree, that control panel looks odd.

[Charlie]

I have invited the guy to come over and check out our site and share some more photos. Sounds like he does some radio work and will need just a little coaching to get his RCA in order.

[rob Cashin]

i want to thank you charlie for inviting me here. here are some pictures close up of the knobs and the chassis. i hope this helps. im a newbie with TVs

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by rob Cashin

i want to thank you charlie for inviting me here. here are some pictures close up of the knobs and the chassis. i hope this helps. im a newbie with TVs

It looks like a lower priced "Leader model".
I worked on an RCA CTC38, that didn't look like the rest of them. It had a real simple control panel on it. No lighted dials or tuning indicator on it. Just the numbers on the channel knob.
Those sets were hard to get replacement knobs for also, as they didn't sell as many.

[rob Cashin]

i havent done a thing to it other than replace the cord some old english and adjust it. it works pretty well. i appreciate any input

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by rob Cashin

i havent done a thing to it other than replace the cord some old english and adjust it. it works pretty well. i appreciate any input

They made about four years of that chassis run. Yours is the earlier model, using the 5U4GB. The newer models used a voltage doubler and silicon rectifiers. Also a different power transformer, plus more novar based tubes.
They were all very simular circuit wise.

[Charlie]

Being on ship right now, the computer system we use greatly reduces picture quality to help things move faster. I can just barely make out what looks like KCS134B stamped in black ink. If you go to https://www.samswebsite.com/ you will type that number in and you'll be greeted with folder 526-1. If I was at home, I could likely find a hard copy and send to you, but that wont be for another month.

If you have used Sams before, you already know what's in there. If not, you will find there's a lot of info in there to help you along with your electronic restoration.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Charlie

Being on ship right now, the computer system we use greatly reduces picture quality to help things move faster. I can just barely make out what looks like KCS134B stamped in black ink. If you go to https://www.samswebsite.com/ you will type that number in and you'll be greeted with folder 526-1. If I was at home, I could likely find a hard copy and send to you, but that wont be for another month.

If you have used Sams before, you already know what's in there. If not, you will find there's a lot of info in there to help you along with your electronic restoration.

Charlie, you're close on the chassis number--it's KCS-136B. VHF only, as I found out when I zoomed in on the pic of the front control panel. I want to say that the "New Vista" badge below the volume control is a knockout plug covering a hole for an optional UHF tuner, and it likely is, since the VHF tuner has the UHF position between channels 2 and 13.

That this TV is VHF only probably dates it before 1964. Many TVs made in the early '60s had knockout plugs covering the UHF tuner hole, as the tuner was available as an extra-cost option even before '64 (for areas with only UHF TV stations, like Fort Wayne, Indiana, Youngstown, Ohio, et al).

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

Charlie, you're close on the chassis number--it's KCS-136B. VHF only, as I found out when I zoomed in on the pic of the front control panel. I want to say that the "New Vista" badge below the volume control is a knockout plug covering a hole for an optional UHF tuner, and it likely is, since the VHF tuner has the UHF position between channels 2 and 13.

That this TV is VHF only probably dates it before 1964. Many TVs made in the early '60s had knockout plugs covering the UHF tuner hole, as the tuner was available as an extra-cost option even before '64 (for areas with only UHF TV stations, like Fort Wayne, Indiana, Youngstown, Ohio, et al).

The set is a late '61, early '62 model.
When the set came factory-equipped with UHF, it had a regular one tube UHF tuner and a VHF tuner with a UHF IF input.
If the set was shipped without UHF, a rather elaborate three tube UHF tuner kit had to be installed. It had a separate IF strip, that fed the UHF tuner to the TV IF, instead of going through the VHF tuner. Seemed to work very well. It was also used in color sets.

[Charlie]

Rob, does the set operate now as is? Do you happen to have any screen pics of it operating?

[Kevin Kuehn]

I think it says KCS136 B, model 232 C 355 MV. Both of those bring up Sams 585-2 for me. My Sams folders end about 540 something.