What does collecting old tv's mean to young people?

[wkand]

Hi:
Really glad there are very young people interested in the hobby.

I am 57, recent retired from Boeing, and I learned electronics from a former military and civilian electronics technician in high school, as a three year certificate program that earned you 1 full year at the local community college (way before "Running Start" type programs). My motivation was to learn to fix our household sets, and avoid those dreaded words, "It has to go to the shop." I was really into TV as a boy and teen, and watched all those 1960's sitcoms as well as the local Seattle kids shows (J P Patches, Stan Boreson, Captain Puget, Brakeman Bill) at the end of their glory days.

My dad did the basics (testing tubes at the local TV shop) and even at 5-6 years old I was always fascinated by the glow of the tubes in the back of the set when he worked on it. He worked second shift at Boeing, took the speaker out of the set, and ran speaker wire under our carpet from the TV to his favorite chair so he could watch/listen to Johnny Carson after work without disturbing us kids. So I got the bug from him too, although he was never trained in electronics.

In the 1980's I had a bunch of vintage sets from the 1950's, '60's and '70's, all with tubes, as well as several radios and parts. I was still living at home and every room had some of my collection. Mom and Dad finally said I had to get rid of the sets, and to this day I regret having to dispose of all of them. I still have a 1965 Zenith chassis 25MC33 roundy combo, and a 1967 Motorola 23" color console, but they are still at my parents house, and will have to go soon. I have no space in my current house, and my wife is not into it at all...

I am a vicarious collector these days except for recently acquired test gear and a few older transistor radios from my parents and thrift shops. The bug has not gone away...

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by wkand

Hi:
In the 1980's I had a bunch of vintage sets from the 1950's, '60's and '70's, all with tubes, as well as several radios and parts. I was still living at home and every room had some of my collection. Mom and Dad finally said I had to get rid of the sets, and to this day I regret having to dispose of all of them. I still have a 1965 Zenith chassis 25MC33 roundy combo, and a 1967 Motorola 23" color console, but they are still at my parents house, and will have to go soon. I have no space in my current house, and my wife is not into it at all...

I am a vicarious collector these days except for recently acquired test gear and a few older transistor radios from my parents and thrift shops. The bug has not gone away...

It's as much your house as your wife's you should be able to claim a room or half of one for your two consoles. If there is a dry climate controlled basement or attic (extra space in the garage perhaps?) that is not finished/furnished you should be able to eek out a small collection space by repacking the stuff junk stored there more densely in a corner or disposing of a portion of it.

I've got 70% of a basement and have had north of 50 tube TVs and around 100tube radios down there. If you get serious I think you can find space for your two consoles EASILY (making it may take a bit of effort though).

[wkand]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

It's as much your house as your wife's you should be able to claim a room or half of one for your two consoles. If there is a dry climate controlled basement or attic (extra space in the garage perhaps?) that is not finished/furnished you should be able to eek out a small collection space by repacking the stuff junk stored there more densely in a corner or disposing of a portion of it.

I've got 70% of a basement and have had north of 50 tube TVs and around 100tube radios down there. If you get serious I think you can find space for your two consoles EASILY (making it may take a bit of effort though).

I hear ya, Tom. Thanks for the inspiration to hang in there, LOL. I am working on alternatives. I have some relatively modern stereo equipment I am going to get rid of to make some room etc. My wife is fine with all of it, ultimately. I did not mean to make it sound like she's the buzz kill...She knows I like my stuff. Also, the house we're in is really too small for either of us, and developers are sniffing around since we are near 2 state highways, and they want to increase housing density in our part of town. I can hold off the need to move the sets out of my folks' house as my brother lives there by himself. The definition of "soon" in my earlier post is a bit more fluid and less dire than I indicated...

There will definitely need to be a "collectibles" room in the new dwelling...BUT we like our debt free financial state, and I do not want to jeopardize that either...

Decisions, decisions...