Identifying a Zenith - Videokarma.org TV - Video

lnx64 · #1 12-12-2014, 02:18 AM

I'm trying to identify or find out more information about a Zenith. Sadly, my memory of this TV is not a pleasant one. The last memory I have of seeing one of these, was 9/11. I watched, in 9th grade in high school, the horrors that day, on this Zenith set in class. I was to go to American History class, and the teacher told us flat out, the only history to learn is currently on TV.

All I can describe about the TV. It was kinda BPC, but it had wood appearance, but had buttons on the bottom, and did have an on screen display with built in closed captioning.. The top of the TV where the picture tube was, is slightly bigger than the base with the buttons itself.

Ideas? It sucks this is the only memory of this TV, but hopefully I can figure it out.

zeno · #2 12-12-2014, 07:50 AM

I remember the styling but it was around a while so
cant comment beyond that.

Good chance it was an institutional set also. They were sold through
the distributors NOT the dealers. Had different models & looks.
In the 90's they also had a specialized school set that you could
get add ons for like computer inputs. Dont remember what they
called the line.
Sold without a labor warranty. If you got a lead you called the
distributor, they made the sale & you got to do set-up & sell
a labor warranty if you wish. You would also get other bones thrown
to you especialy if its a big sale like a 50 room hotel.

Often a school will just by regular sets, we had an increase in
sales at the end of the fiscal year. All the gov agencies had leftover
money to dump fast.
Once when camcorders were big $$ the prison ordered 12 of them
complete with many accessories. I asked what they did with them & he
told me 3 or 4 would be used & the rest were loaners ! They loaned
them out to the bulls for vacations etc. Your tax $$ at work

BTW that was NOT in N.H. !

73 Zeno

jr_tech · #3 12-12-2014, 10:34 AM

Perhaps closely related to this set (I bet that they also made some fancy wood-grain versions) ?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zenith-24-TV...item5416151163

not affiliated,
jt

zeno · #4 12-12-2014, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jr_tech

Perhaps closely related to this set (I bet that they also made some fancy wood-grain versions) ?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zenith-24-TV...item5416151163

not affiliated,
jt

Thats the style I was thinking of. Must have been late 80's.

73 Zeno

lnx64 · #5 12-12-2014, 04:24 PM

That looks just like it. Nice find thanks.

Rod Beauvex · #6 12-13-2014, 01:18 PM

Looks like a bigger version of my Montgomery Ward set. Slightly different button layout, though. Still a Zenith set though.

radiotvnut · #7 12-13-2014, 01:24 PM

When I was in school during the '80's and '90's, we started out with a mix of RCA CTC39 tube color sets with the jack panel on the back and 25" Zenith table model "custom series" sets that were in a wooden cabinet, had a green LED channel readout and pull-on/volume knob. All of these were on roll around carts that also housed a Sony or Panasonic U-matic tape machine. In '89, we got 19" Maggotbox "channel one" TV's installed in all the classrooms and those sets replaced most of the roll aorund TV's.

zenith2134 · #8 12-13-2014, 10:19 PM

I've had a few of those pass through my hands(the one pictured in the ebay ad)..mostly smearing highlights due to used up tubes. I'll save the next one I see. When new, they make a nice bright pic.

radiotvnut · #9 12-13-2014, 10:52 PM

Yeah, the late '80's ones seem to hold up better than the early '90's and newer ones; but, I've still seen plenty of late '80's Zenith's with wasted CRT's.

Findm-Keepm · #10 12-14-2014, 10:16 AM

Institutional sets are all over the place on public surplus - I scan the ads locally, and sometimes come up with some bargains.

publicsurplus.com

Cheers,

radiotvnut · #11 12-14-2014, 02:50 PM

Years ago, a friend who had yard sales every Saturday picked up one of those big wooden Zenith's in the rectangular cabinet that he found beside a school dumpster. He normally got me to fix the sets that he found so he could sell them in his yard sale; but, that set had the name of the school written on the cabinet in magic marker and he didn't want to take a chance on it being seen at his sale. So, he gave it to me and all that was wrong with it was a loose connection in the vertical circuit that was causing intermittent vertical sweep. I think this set was an '84 model and used the 9-181 main board and 9-186 horizontal sweep board. It was the type of set where one could screw legs on it and use it as a console; but, the schools always had them sitting on rollaround carts. Most of the school TV's that I used to find were in decent shape because they didn't have a ton of hours on them.