DuMont-branded portable color TVs from late 60s

[robatino]

I'm trying to track down a large portable color TV which we probably bought in the late 60s and which MAY have been a DuMont. There are old threads in this forum which unfortunately no longer contain the associated pictures. Does anyone still have such pictures they'd be willing to post? Thanks.

[holmesuser01]

I've seen some NEC built TV's with the DuMont name on them.

I've also seen a NAP (Philips) set that was branded DuMont.

Later in the early 1980's, I serviced a bunch of mono and stereo DuMont VCR's that were built by NEC... based on their N-901 model.

I know that Emerson Electric took over the DuMont brand name when Allen B DuMont Labs shut down... maybe they built a DuMont TV in the late 1960's?

[robatino]

Originally Posted by holmesuser01

I know that Emerson Electric took over the DuMont brand name when Allen B DuMont Labs shut down... maybe they built a DuMont TV in the late 1960's?

I've read that DuMont sold their TV manufacturing operation to Emerson in the late 50s, and that Emerson continued to produce DuMont-branded TVs (of inferior quality to the originals) for some time after that (but I don't know how long).

[holmesuser01]

Originally Posted by robatino

I've read that DuMont sold their TV manufacturing operation to Emerson in the late 50s, and that Emerson continued to produce DuMont-branded TVs (of inferior quality to the originals) for some time after that (but I don't know how long).

I've serviced an old Emerson built DuMont from around 1962... Series string tube filaments, etc. I remember it not looking particularly good when I hooked its antenna terminals to my master antenna system that I used in my shop... OK picture on its own, but comparing it to other sets, it suffered.

[Penthode]

My parents bought a DuMont 21" B&W TV new in 1962. It was Fairchild branded Dumont and the construction quality was superior to other sets of the period. I feel it was superior to even Zenith.

It was fully point to point wiring with no printed circuits. And what struck me was the neatness of the construction: wiring was arranged neatly with all components neatly arranged.

So from what I can see, under Fairchild's management, DuMont branded sets were still of best quality as late as 1962. I do not know what happened later.

I would suggest the timeframe of the final demise of DuMont may be exagerated and I do not know of any Emerson connection.

[holmesuser01]

I used to see advertising from Emerson/DuMont in printed matter.

Im going by memory on the Emerson/DuMont I serviced. It was a long time ago.

The DuMont name was on radio/TV/communications tubes in the early 1970's. Our local civic center, until recently, had a huge tube PA system that was installed in 1973and was full of DuMont tubes.

Same logo.

[bgadow]

I have a DuMont table model color set from 69 or early 70. Certainly not a portable, basically just a console cabinet without legs. Why I don't have a photo to share, I don't know. Guess I'll have to snap one. I have seen portables while going through stacks of Photofacts, and my guess is that they might have been rebadged imports-could be wrong, though. I think Emerson/DuMont only ever had one basic color chassis that they actually designed/built themselves. It might have gotten crammed into some 19" models but I don't think it could be made more compact than that. Interesting about the Fairchild connection-could that maybe have been Canadian? I had always heard Emerson took over around 57. In color sets, from examples owned among VK members, it appears they were RCA clones until about '66 when they went to their unique chassis, which also uses PC boards. Sometime in '70 they closed their factory and sublet production to Admiral.

[bgadow]

DuMont did seem to have a good presence in the tube business for a time. Something I've noted on the boxes: older ones have the initials A.B.D. (I think), newer ones, E.R.P.(I was able to confirm that). There is a discussion somewhere here or on the ARF about what happened to the DuMont tube business. I think it was seperate from Emerson and I don't know that they actually made tubes later on, just marketed them. The DuMont TV I have naturally uses all DuMont branded tubes but with the newer logo, and all made in Japan. Meanwhile, boxed DuMont tubes from that era use the older logo and tend to be US sourced.

[robatino]

The TV I remember was big and heavy, all tubes, but it did have a handle on top (which rotated about a left-to-right axis, so you could swivel it either forward or back), even though I probably never tried to lift it, so technically it was a portable. It's possible we could have gotten it anywhere from the late 60s (probably 1968 or later) to the very early 70s. The only reason I think it might have been a DuMont is that my late father said it was, but it's possible he misunderstood and was thinking of a different TV. I haven't even been able to find pictures of DuMont TVs from that time period - only from the 50s or earlier.

[Einar72]

Originally Posted by holmesuser01

I know that Emerson Electric took over the DuMont brand name when Allen B DuMont Labs shut down... maybe they built a DuMont TV in the late 1960's?

FYI, Emerson Electric is an altogether different company, HQ in Missouri. Emerson Radio & Phonograph co. was their name at the time they bought DuMont. Allen B. Dumont was hired by Fairchild Camera, freshly robbed of the U.S. camera market by the "trade not aid" blunder pursued by Ike's administration. It was DuMont's lab that was the genesis of Fairchild's semiconductor business, whose employees included a future founder of Intel!

Oddly enough, a company called National Union Electric bought Emerson shortly after Emerson acquired Pilot Radio from Jerrold, of all people! They continued selling all three brands, but suddenly fired everyone making TV's and sold re-badged Admirals!

It only gets worse, with new owners contracting GoldStar and Orion to make everything since the 1980's. So sad it's all been reduced to importing stuff from third-world factories...

[Penthode]

I refer to something I found on Wikipedia which may explain why the Canadian DuMont sets looked so good. Apparently Canadian sets were assembled by Canadian Avionics, manufacturers of flight simulation equipment, in Montreal. I recall the Fairchild name on some of the components and recall DuMont Fairchild on the rear cover. This may explain the quality difference between Canadian sets and US assembled Emerson sets.

The Canadian DuMont set was amongst the best constructed sets I recall of the period.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuMont_Laboratories

[sampson159]

we had a dumont badged set in the shop once.i think it was a japanese built unit.it was dated 1970?was not a bad set at all.picture was pretty darn good when repaired.18 inch crt and a wood cabinet.very bulky but a good performer.mr dixon told us about the great dumont sets in the 40 and 50s.he said they were the best sets with high quality throughout.it was if he was remembering his first girlfriend.mist eyed!i have seen some dumonts from the early 80s.decent pictures but not good performers.

[kx250rider]

I've seen Sharp-built sets with the Capehart-DuMont brand, but those were late 70s/early 80s (solid state with inline tube).

Charles

[Steve D.]

I recall seeing DuMont 25" color consoles in an electronics chain store in the late 70's. Some were large combos and probably built by Emerson. Some were still in their shipping cartons w/the DuMont logo and their slogan "First with the Finest" printed on the carton. Funny, the things that stay w/you.

-Steve D.

[holmesuser01]

Originally Posted by Steve D.

I recall seeing DuMont 25" color consoles in an electronics chain store in the late 70's. Some were large combos and probably built by Emerson. Some were still in their shipping cartons w/the DuMont logo and their slogan "First with the Finest" printed on the carton. Funny, the things that stay w/you.

-Steve D.

The boxes the DuMont VCR's I serviced came in said "First With The Finest" on them, too. I've still got one of the stereo DuMonts... it's still running allright, too.

When I mentioned Emerson Electric early on in this thread, I should have said, Emerson Radio Company. Two totally different companies.

I've got lots of Emerson built motors, too.