i found one of those "bug eyes" zenith sets on the curb a while back.
it has a good tube and fly but i need to change a gazillion black beauties:puke: to get it working right.

Here's a 1955 Motorola I just picked up off ebay for 15.00. The only reason I bid on it was of it being only 15 min from my house! Actually it turned out to be a nice set, Although large, (24" crt model.) The crt is a replacement RCA Silverama that is like new still. All the set needed was the peaking coil replaced.

captainmoody,

Congratulations. That Motorola is in really nice condition, and the large 24" tubes aren't found very often. Can't beat the price either. You did good. :)

Rob

14" General Electric 1958?
 

I just got back from picking this one up.

It's very clean, there's a mark on the plastic surround from the cord having laid on it at some time but it should buff out, inside it's incredibly spotless!

The 14AJP4 CRT is a bit of an oddball, it has a small neck and may be 110 deg but it still has an Ion trap! said CRT is also really really dead :( but I may have a line on one.

With proper alignment of the RF and IF circuits, each channel's response curve would have the correct shape to pass only that channel's signal through to the detectors. Accurate, precise and stable marker frequencies are essential for proper alignment. I allow my alignment instruments and the chassis under test a 45-minute warmup period before beginning alignment and verify each marker frequency with a frequency counter.

Re: Golden Grid tuners
 

Eric -

In answer to your comment about the meaning of the term "Golden Grid": This referred to the tuners in top-of-the-line Philco TVs of the 1950s, which were designed with what were known as "cascode" RF stages (generally using 6BQ7 and/or 6BZ7 RF amplifier tubes). These tubes were actually two tubes in one envelope with, in Philco sets using this type of tuner (if I remember correctly) gold-plated grids. The cascode tuner, with its 2-stage RF amplifier, was designed for extra signal amplification in television fringe areas, far from the nearest TV station. (In the early 1950s, television stations, which were mostly VHF at that time, were not nearly as powerful as they are today, hence the need in fringe and even some suburban areas for boosters and other methods of signal enhancement such as cascode tuners).

Philco also produced a line of TVs in the 50s it dubbed "Microgrid 390". (I had one of these sets about 30 years ago, which worked well until the CRT gave up; then I moved and it went out with the trash.) :( If I remember correctly, these sets were extensions of the Golden Grid series, using the same type of tuner. What the 390 stood for, however, I couldn't tell you.

BTW: You have done an excellent job of restoring your set's cabinet; it looks wonderful in the picture. I wish my old Philco, and several other old wood-cabinet consoles I had in the late 1960s-early seventies, had looked that good!

Good luck. I sincerely hope your Philco gives you many more years of enjoyment. I'd hold on to that set if I were you, since Philco is out of business (has been for some time) and no one makes TVs (or anything else, for that matter) like that anymore.

Cascode tuners
 

Several other manufacturers (Admiral was one) also used the 6BQ7/6BZ7 cascode tuner circuit, but did not promote it as "golden grid". Gold plated grids were a feature of the 6BQ7 & 6BZ7 tubes used in those tuners.

I finally picked up this Philco 48-1050 I bought about a year ago. Turned out much better than I imagined.

Chuck

Nice!
 

ChuckA,

Took you a whole year to prep youself to pick this set up? Must be heavy! :)

I've never seen this model before. What a beautiful center piece of attention for the living room of yesteryear. I are impressed!

Rob

Rob,

It doesn't weigh much more than the table model 48-1000.

Even had the original owners manual stuck inside.


Chuck

Wow Chuck, that s a beautiful set!!
I couldn't have waited a year to get that home:p:

Eric

Fada 799
 

Working on my Fada 799 at the moment. Cabinet is in near mint condition, unmolested dusty chassis cleaned up nicely, super-strong 10BP4, may need several caps, tunes in sound and snowy picture as-is. Tuner is touchy because the detent clip is broken, but I'll find a source for the parts I need. I'll keep everyone posted as to progress.

Most recent set to follow me home from a local auction. Spent 4 hours waiting for it to be put up.

Chuck

ChuckA,

Nice Porthole! That grille is most unusual. Do you think it is factory issue?

Rob

Rob,

Don't know, I just unloaded it in the garage and haven't looked to closely at it yet.

Went out to look it over, it's a model H2449E, 16GP4 CRT. I looked at the grille decoration, if it's not original someone went to a lot of trouble making something that fits that opening perfectly.

Looking at Riders I think it's 1950.




Chuck

Here's a Dumont I picked up today from my ad in the paper.
It even has a matching wood stand. Someone put handles on both sides! Does anyone know the year of this beast? From what I was able to get off the label on the back it says that it is the model RA-306 "Warren" Was thinking maybe 1952 or 1953?

The RA-306 shows up in Riders Vol 13, so should be 1953


Chuck

Here's my RCA 8-T-241. I had it moved to the display room and set up just in time for the two customers who dropped off their Crosley TV and Zenith Cobramatic radio phono for restoration to see it work. Both this one and the Fada TV30 could use IF alignment, but I prefer to set up my custom-calibrated B&K 415 to do that. The unit is on its way. Until I get the equipment ready, I still need to fire these up periodically to keep them in good shape. The display room seems like the most logical place.

Here's my Fada TV30. This set is "the groupie" that has been passed around from one collector to the next over the years. I had it moved to the display room and set up just in time for the two customers who dropped off their Crosley TV and Zenith Cobramatic radio phono for restoration to see it work. For both these sets, I ended up cutting pieces of rubber to the proper size and attaching them with hot glue to the CRT brackets since I couldn't find any 1"x3/8" rubber bands to exactly match the originals.

Thanks Chuck,
I thought it was around that year. Would you believe that tv works great still, When I looked at it at the old womans home all I got was sound.
After getting it home, I found the brightness all the way down as well as the contrast and vert hold.
It has a suprisingly clear picture with excellent brightness still, Has a replacement Dumont tube in it, Although I couldn't read the date (I'll disturb the dust later!)

Sentinel B&W T.V
 

Hello
I bought this at a flea market about 10 years ago for $20.00
It still kinda works a little, very faint sound and a picture
about the size of pin head!
I'm actually taking it today to get looked at by a TV repairman
who has been in the business for a long time.

If any one has any info on the Sentinel company let me know.

Thank You
Mike Caldwell

Mike, that is a good find! It is worth maybe $150 to $200 as is. I paid $165 for mine not working and missing two knobs.
Marlin

I knew it was too good to pass up!

Thanks
Mike Caldwell

RCA 9PC41
 

I just purchased my first vintage tv, an RCA 9PC41, identical to the one pictured by Marlin Makley in his 9/25/02 post in this thread. I know nothing about it and would appreciate any information anyone can give me on it. And does anyone know someone in the Rio Grande Valley (Harlingen, Brownsville, McAllen, etc.) who works on vintage tv?

Thanks for your help.

9pc41
 

js,

Congratulations on your score! The series of RCA projection consoles that started in 1946 and ended in 1949 with your model (and mine) all share the same four chassis and optics. They all have Channel 1. Projection TV's are much more of a challenge to restore to reliable operation than the more common direct view receivers which we are more accustomed. You have chosen quite a challenge for your first foray into this interesting hobby.

I have two of these with plans to eventually restore one of them which is now on display in my home. It is one of those non-urgent future planned projects.

I know that there are a couple collectors who have restored these projectors who might be willing to give you some advice.
I'll contact one I know and see if he will agree to me giving out his contact info to you.

Quite good service and setup info on this set is published in the Rider TV books.

One thing you must really be cautious about is to never operate the set with deflection circuit problems as when the raster is not present the high energy of the electron beam operating at reduced or no deflection will easily and quickly burn a permanent mark (dead spot) into the delicate phosphor of the 5TP4 projection CRT, a tube that is now somewhat rare and difficult to obtain. Another CRT used in small theater projectors from the same era (yes they were doing 15x20 foot projected TV screens in those days!) is the 5AZP4 CRT. It can be successfully installed in these vintage RCA RPTV's. Another suitable projection tube, the newer version of the 5AZP4 is the 4820A. That one is a very bright CRT due to phosphor improvements. Always use the least amount of brightness from the control until you can verify that you have a proper scanned raster before turning up the brightness. Do this in a darkened room and look into the flat corrector plate lense surrounding the CRT with the light blocking sock removed. Once you have verified that the optical system is properly alighned you can trust what you see on the actual fresnel viewing screen up top.

Your major work will involve mindless replacement of very many wax-paper capacitors and testing tubes and replacing the bad ones. Do not tamper with any of the adjusting screws in the cans or coils! You may shoot cleaner/lube spray into the potentiometers and work them back and forth between their end stops to clean them up. Return them to where they were set or mid position if you don't know. They can be set properly once the set ius operational. I'm going from memory here but would advise not tampering with (don't try to clean) any of the pots in the High Voltage box. It will take proper steps by an experienced tech to restor those settings. This includes the Focus control which shouldn't be cleaned anyhow. This TV uses 28 kilovolts on the small picture tube. There is about 6 kV on the socket of the CRT for focus voltage as well. Keep fingers away from the tube while operating!

Best to find a fellow collector in your area with vintage TV restoration experience to at least work with you on this project which I suspect you will really enjoy.

Rob

Thanks for the info. My challenge will be to try to find someone down here who can work on it - I don't know a thing about them. Any idea of it's value?

js,

Right now they seem to go for about $0.75 - $1.50 per pound unrestored depending on condition. A fully restored unit in good cosmetic condition SHOULD fetch $2.50+ per pound. With large consoles of anything it takes a special collector to want them. They are hard to handle (very heavy) and take up a lot of room. I predict that they will command significantly more someday when collectors awaken to the true value of these rare projection consoles.

Rob

John, congrats on your find of the RCA projector! Mine was less than 5 miles from my home and had been there close to 20 years. A friend told the owner of me and the rest is history. I paid $100 for it. (40 cents per pound). Networking at its best! I have done nothing to mine yet except show it to anybody I can drag kicking and screaming into my studio. They are always impressed by the cabinet, novelty of its age and design, and that it has a remote control, of sorts. Anyway, enough babling on my part, and hope you have fun with your set.
Marlin

Re: hidden casters on console TVs
 

Hi Rob -

I like the idea of hidden casters on TV consoles as well. :) The small wooden cart my living room TV is on (which in its previous life had been a microwave oven cart) has hidden casters, which makes it look better than if the casters were out in the open for all to see. (That's one thing I never liked about those metal TV carts that were so popular in the '60s and '70s, before entertainment centers became commonplace.)

Kind regards,

Jeff,

I have a cart similar to that too with built in casters for my system in the bedroom. BTW, that is a beautiful coffee table.

I gotta ask...you DO turn that window off at night right? :)

Rob

Re: hidden casters on console TVs
 

Hi Rob -

Don't have to turn it off; it goes out automatically at night. Seriously, I took that picture last year on a very sunny day, which accounts for the window being so bright. :)

BTW, thanks for the comments on my coffee table. It is part of an entire set of new furniture I bought when I moved here three years ago. What can I say--I like the warm appearance of wood. Every piece of furniture in my apartment is either cherry or oak, and matches everything else.

BTW (2): Did you do any more with that 1949 TV you said (in one of your posts a few months ago) you were going to convert to an entertainment center? If you did, and if I were a betting man (I'm not), I'd bet it looks very nice with the doors and all. I'd hang on to that cabinet if I were you, since this kind of cabinetry is only available nowadays in commercial entertainment centers like Sauder, Bush, et al--and they cost an arm and a leg.

I think recycling old furniture like that, and as I did with my Sauder utility cart, is an excellent idea, and an inexpensive alternative to purchasing an entertainment center. I hope that if you did go ahead and convert that cabinet, you enjoy it for many years to come.

Kind regards,

Jeff,

I haven't had a chance to convert the TV cabinet yet. I have so many irons in the fire now it is in real danger of going out. When and if I do it will make a fine piece of furniture in the living room, and will match the other similar vintage TV's I have on display there. I actually have a real need for three audio/video equipment rack/stands here. I don't like piling too much gear on top of itself on a small wobbly table. :(

Rob

Old project
 

Here's one I don't think i've posted before.

Got this 6 or 7 years ago so it's actually one of the first sets in my collection. Found it in the back yard of a thrift store, it was overpriced at $75 and still overpriced for the $60 I gave for it but it looked like rain and I didn't want it to get ruined so...

It has a 16" tube and a radio, that's the dial scale under the screen. The cabinet is rough but inside the doors it looks like new!

Got a NOS CRT off eBay, it has been recapped and works but I just never seem to get around to doing all the little details to finish it, could be because it is a huge heavy pain in the a-- to move. :D

Picture of same model set
 

I got this pic off eBay too, it shows the exact same model being given away for a prize.
Check out the price tag!

Eric,

I like your latest avatar!

Rob

Thanks Rob, it's cropped down from this Rider booklet:

Picked this Zenith up at a local auction, furniture dealer ran me up on it a little more than I was hoping to get it for, but still a good buy. Has all the original Zenith tubes and 50 years of dust in it.

12" Model G2340R "Saratoga"

Chuck

Chuck - great looking set! I got one just like it in restored condition for $250 and considered myself lucky. While I have other rarer sets in the collection I use this one on my TV collecting business cards.
Marlin

Marlin,

These Zeniths sort of grow on you, I have two now. I like this one better than the 16". Guess I'll have to find a combo unit next.

No idea where I can shoehorn it in, between my stuff and outside repairs everything is getting full.


Chuck

Philco "Seventeener III"
 

Picked this up this morning.
Circa 1959, I think this uses the same CRT as the 17" Predicta.

It was filthy but it's cleaning up pretty nicely.