RCA 12" B&W from 1977

[radiotvnut]

I recently started going back to the church that I grew up in, after about a 13 year absence from that church. Many of the people that I knew are gone; but, there are a few still left. Last Sunday, one of them asked me if I still worked on TV's and I told them that I still worked on them a little; but, not as much as I used to because not many people were having TV's fixed anymore and nobody wanted the old style TV's. One of the ladies who I didn't know spoke up and said that she had an old B&W TV that she wanted out of her house and that she was just before sending it to recycling. I told her that I'd like to have it and she said she'd bring it to church today. What she brought is a 12" RCA solid state B&W from '77 and, other than the vertical size needing a slight adjustment and the tuner/controls needing cleaning, it works fine with a strong CRT. Looking at the inside, I don't think this set was used much and I doubt that it's been used since the DTV transition.

RCA made B&W TV's for many years that used this same case design. This one uses an older chassis with a plug-in IF module. A stripped version of this chassis was also used in the first Radio Shack TRS-80 computer monitor (I also have the TV version that uses the same case as what the computer monitor used). The later versions of this TV used a single board chassis and were around until at least the mid '80's.

I'm happy that I got this set and that it didn't get tossed.

It's getting so that these little 12" sets are not showing up much anymore.

[Eric H]

It's hard to realize that 1977 was almost 40 years ago! My graduation year, how depressing.

That looks like a nicely built set, I have a couple of the 9" Sportables from around the same time, they work well.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Eric H

It's hard to realize that 1977 was almost 40 years ago! My graduation year, how depressing.

That looks like a nicely built set, I have a couple of the 9" Sportables from around the same time, they work well.

I have a JCPenney branded RCA from the same era. Works great, as well. It looks like the battery operated one, but it doesn't have that option. IIRC, it was a freebee on trash day.

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by Eric H

It's hard to realize that 1977 was almost 40 years ago! My graduation year, how depressing.

I graduated from Syracuse Univ in 1978. BSEE Nearly as long ago...

I didn't have a TV in my dorm room back then, Syracuse was a town so small it only had 4 channels. And there wasn't anything that compelling to watch on TV back then anyway. I preferred listening to radio.

Also the first released Star Wars movie came out then.

[centralradio]

Add a couple years for my graduation year .I have one or two of these somewhere here.I remember the IF can plugin board.

The rerun of Raymond looks great on that set.

I wonder how many kids bedrooms had these 12 inch sets then.

No BS SMPS in these.

[radiotvnut]

I was adopted by my Grandparents in '82 and shortly after, they put a 9" GE solid state B&W, with no cable connection, in my room. This was an AC/DC set in a leather case and it probably dated from the very early '70's. I got rid of it in the mid '90's, when the CRT started getting weak (it was an "instant on" set, when operated from AC). I'd love to find another one of those sets; but, no one has ever seen one.

Back then, I thought I was "hot stuff" with that little TV in my room. Today, most kids would act like their arm had been cut off it their parents stuck a small B&W set in their room. Heck, most kids today expect a big HDTV in their room and I blame that on how they were raised.

I didn't have a color TV in my room until well into the '90's, when someone gave me a broken one that I fixed.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

I was adopted by my Grandparents in '82 and shortly after, they put a 9" GE solid state B&W, with no cable connection, in my room. This was an AC/DC set in a leather case and it probably dated from the very early '70's. I got rid of it in the mid '90's, when the CRT started getting weak (it was an "instant on" set, when operated from AC). I'd love to find another one of those sets; but, no one has ever seen one.

Back then, I thought I was "hot stuff" with that little TV in my room. Today, most kids would act like their arm had been cut off it their parents stuck a small B&W set in their room. Heck, most kids today expect a big HDTV in their room and I blame that on how they were raised.

I didn't have a color TV in my room until well into the '90's, when someone gave me a broken one that I fixed.

Did it look like this?

[radiotvnut]

No, it was newer than that. I think I have the Sam's Photofact for my former set and if I can find it, I'll post a picture of it.

[LovesZenith]

I have the same set, dating from October 1981. Different font and shelf paper, but same tuners and insides. I got it for free at an estate sale when I was 14 (2 years ago). It was my first vintage TV. It worked fine, only needing cleaning in the back. It was my primary TV up until I got a larger, 19" tin can Zenith from around 1963-1965 back in January. I didn't have the heart to dispose of it (or any reason to), so as I type, it's in my closet. I still take it out about once every month, and hook a signal to it just to keep it going.

[rca2000]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

I was adopted by my Grandparents in '82 and shortly after, they put a 9" GE solid state B&W, with no cable connection, in my room. This was an AC/DC set in a leather case and it probably dated from the very early '70's. I got rid of it in the mid '90's, when the CRT started getting weak (it was an "instant on" set, when operated from AC). I'd love to find another one of those sets; but, no one has ever seen one.

Back then, I thought I was "hot stuff" with that little TV in my room. Today, most kids would act like their arm had been cut off it their parents stuck a small B&W set in their room. Heck, most kids today expect a big HDTV in their room and I blame that on how they were raised.

I didn't have a color TV in my room until well into the '90's, when someone gave me a broken one that I fixed.

I had a color tv in my BR by 14 YO.. Of course it was one I had FIXED MYSELF...

[TVTim]

Originally Posted by Eric H

It's hard to realize that 1977 was almost 40 years ago! My graduation year, how depressing.

That looks like a nicely built set, I have a couple of the 9" Sportables from around the same time, they work well.

Same year I graduated too. Now I feel old!!!!

[consoleguy67]

My first tv was a 12" black and white Hitachi. I got it as a Christmas gift in 1980. I still have that set also.