1992 Zenith J0920X Portable Color TV
 

Found this this Rare 1992 Zenith J0920X Portable Color TV at a garage sale today for $10 bucks.
Works like new. color, Assembled in Mexico. 9" screen
The CRT is made in Japan though.
Good cosmetic shape.
Anyone have more info on these sets ?

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I have the same set in black in my mom's kitchen getting regular use instead of turning on the 46" PTV just for background noise.

I picked it up at the thrift for, I think, $10 also.

I did open it up when I got it home, outside, and checked for little hitch hikers. No work anywhere on the PCB's.

It has a very nice picture for it's size.

I read these were used in Hospitals back then ?

Zenith made a bunch of those 9" sets in many case colors during the late '80's-early '90's. Some were AC-only, while others were AC/DC. Fortunately, I don't think the CRT's were actually made by Zenith; so, you should be safe in that respect.

Does anyone know the remote model that goes with it ?

I sold a few of those models, but not many as that was one of Zenith's most expensive small sets. They are a pain to work on (everything's crammed into a small space), but fortunately, they were really good sets. I don't remember working on that chassis very often.

I do remember those being especially popular in commercial applications. The old clubhouse at Hazel Park in Detroit (harness racing) had tons of those models, mounted on every table in the clubhouse.

Just found out that this set isnt remote capable.
J0923X had remote cabability and no On/off button.

I have a few sets simular to that model. Different colors and one remote. One is branded "Heath". I think that one is ac/battery.
The CRT is Japanese. Good performers. :thmbsp:

Heathkit offered that model in a black cabinet as a kit. This was of course after Zenith purchased Heath.

Never seen a black case one..
Heres some earlier models with aluminum front.

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Sometime around '87, we had an early '70's Japanese-built Truetone 14" tube color TV in our motorhome. Once, we were in a town about 30 miles away spending the week with some relatives. Soon after we got there, the TV started giving vertical trouble and we took it to one of the local shops. They didn't really want to fool with a tube set; but, agreed to look at it while we waited. They replaced the vertical output tube, adjusted the vertical controls, charged my Dad $38, and sent him on his way.

As we were leaving, this dealer had several models of those smaller Zenith TV's and he was trying his best to sell my Dad one.

The next day, our tube set started rolling after it got hot and Dad took it back to the shop. The next day, they called to say it was ready and that they replaced some resistors in the vertical circuit. Dad asked how much and the guy said, "Nothing, it's not going to last much longer and you need to go ahead and let me sell you one of those little Zenith sets." I don't remember the exact cost of those TV's; but, I'm thinking in the $300 range and my Dad certainly wasn't going to spend that much for a motorhome TV.

The Truetone set limped along until we got back home and I used it in my bedroom for a little while, before the vertical started losing sync after it warmed up. When it first started acting up, the roll could be stopped with the vertical hold control. After the set got hot, the control did no good.

My Dad took that set to every shop in town and none of them would look at it because it was a tube set. After he carried it to the last shop and got the same statement, my Dad said, "I'm tired of lugging this heavy thing around and will you throw it away for me." They did and that was the last I ever saw of that TV. Had it been a few years later, I could have probably fixed it.

He still didn't buy one of those expensive Zenith's. He bought a 13" knob-tuned Emerson for $149.

Why were they so much money for such a small CRT TV ?

One reason was probably because the ones being shown to us were from an independent dealer; which, tended to be higher than a "big box" chain store. Another reason was likely because they were cable ready; which, added more money to the cost. The Emerson that my Dad ended up buying for $149 was a basic knob tuned TV from Service Merchandise; and, at the time, $149 was a cheap price for a color TV. The next model up was a remote set with a 13 position varactor pushbutton tuner (the type tuner that had a thumbwheel for setting whatever channel you wanted for each position) and I believe it was $199. Color TV's had gotten cheaper by the late '80's; but, it would still be a few more years before the bottom fell out of TV prices. Towards the end of the CRT era, I recall some 19" TV's for under $100 and some 13" TV's in the $69 range. Of course, the quality of those later TV's was lacking in comparison to the older ones.

Truetone 14" colot set.
 

The 14" Truetone was made by Sharp.
They always had a problem with heat related issues.
Sharp also made a Midland 14" set, that was sold in the late 60's for under $200.00. I also see them branded Wards Airline and even Motorola. :sigh:

It doesnt matter anymore but I must clear up a fact about Mom & Pops
prices. Most of the time they were the same or very close. We
priced our sets based on credit card, free set-up, free instruction & free disposal. 19" & above included free delivery. If someone payed cash
(saved us 3%-5%) & took it home we would often be less.
Other things we gave on all Zeniths were free 1 yr labor & free
2 yr labor on CRT. Sets above 19" were done in home. Only catch
was WE had to do it. Also went to bat on just out of warranty repairs
often getting it covered or just eating it.

Another forgotten or never known fact is Zenith replaced tons
of the bad CRT's up to 5 yrs for free or a discount. If we saw one
we had the owner call Zenith. Depending on the age & feature
level the tube would be free or discounted. We also had to pitch
in on the labor, charging little or none. Needless to say we only
did this for OUR sets. Many were SOL especially sets from Sears.
They bought most sets WITHOUT a warranty & nobody could
do warranty work but them. One day out & you were screwed.

73 Zeno:smoke:

I HATED working on those little sets!! Often, they would develop a "No start" condition, and some parts went bad on the board.(Can't remember what they were now..seems like a transistor and maybe resistor) It was NOT possible to repair the board in the set---it had to be removed--not the easiest thing to do. But I do NOT EVER recall seeing a bad CRT in one...they seemed pretty good.

I think Im going to have the labels redone on this set.
The tape holding them on is pissing me off ! :nerd:

From what I remember of that set, it had an MIC model number prefix. Once, after it started acting up, I slipped off the back just to look inside and I remember it being full of NEC branded tubes. The set was in a black metal cabinet with slide controls for color and tint, with the rest being rotary controls. When I was getting stuff from that closed TV shop several years ago, I picked up a '73 Teledyne/Packard-Bell 14" color portable that has a different control layout; but, the chassis looks just like what I remember the one in our Truetone looking like.

I actually remember when my Dad got the Truetone. He bought it used in the early '80's for $75 from an older lady that our family knew. Later, he said that he knew that he paid her too much for the TV; but, he knew that she needed the money. Of course, back then, most any color TV would still bring a high price on the used market. Now, one can't hardly give one away.

The same lady also had a 19" solid state Truetone Sharp-built color TV from around '76-'77. It lasted until around '92, when a cap failed in the vertical circuit. I fixed it and she got another year or two out of it before the flyback went belly up. At that point, she replaced it with a 19" RCA CTC175 and I eventually had to fix the tuner connections in that set.

At that time, $300 was just about right for a premium Zenith model with a digital, cable-ready tuner. Zenith had other 13" models that were cheaper priced, but they were in larger cabinets.

I remember Zenith had a 19" cable-ready portable that we retailed for $329 (remote control model) and $299 (non-remote control model) about 1990 or so. In those days, anything around $299 was a good price-point for a full-featured 19" portable TV at independent dealers.

I remember some Zenith TV's that used a non-cable ready digital tuner with a red LED readout and the the cable ready sets had a green LED readout. I also remember the non-remote models that had a standard power/volume knob; but, an electronic tuner.

Several years ago, the Zenith shop gave me what was probably the last knob-tuned Zenith 19", a "custom series" badged set that used the 9-470 module from circa 1988. I remember the CRT being weak; but, I rejuvenated it and sold the TV for cheap.

The "custom series" had the base models, and the step-up was the "Sentry II" models. IIRC, from there the Zenith line had "System 3", "Advanced System 3" and later on "Digital System 3".

I have a binder full of sales literature from the early to mid 90's. I need to dig through the garage and get it out. In fact, I'm sure I have the literature on the J0920X model.

If you find it, can you scan and upload it ?

Here is a scan from Zenith's full-line 1992 catalog.

There were actually 3 of those models in 1992.

The J0920X was the entry level model with no remote control. I wrote in the catalog that I retailed that model at $269.95

The SJ0923X looked to be the same except for coming with the SC3310 remote control. I retailed that model at $339.95

There was an AC/DC model (J0930Y) that retailed for $299.95 (without a remote control).

While browsing through the catalog, I found it odd that the little 9" sets were actually part of the "custom series". I was thinking they were higher up in the Zenith line. Of course, this is my weak mind trying to remember things from over 20 years ago.

You're right. My 1992 catalog shows a 19" model S1902S and a 13" model S1320S that has a volume control knob, a red LCD display, and is not cable ready. By 1992, all the cable-ready models (13" and larger) had on-screen display.

I was off a little bit on my recollection of the series names. In 1992, the Zenith line included (in ascending prices) the custom series, Sentry 2, System 3, Advanced System 3, a line of projection sets called "Digital", and the most expensive "Sound by Bose" line.

There was also, if memory serves me correctly, a line of Zenith color sets that had sound systems the company called "SEq". These were used in Zenith's higher-end color TVs and may have even been used in the firm's first projection sets.

BTW, I have a Zenith "Sentry 2" 19-inch color TV, now 18 years old and still working like new. (It should, as I only actively used it for four years in the mid-late 1990s until I moved and replaced it with an RCA CTC185, which I still have as well.) The only problem with it, if you want to call it a problem, is the gray paint on the cabinet is flaking off in spots, revealing the black cabinet beneath. The Sentry 2 sets were one step below System 3 and were, again if I remember correctly, some of the last sets made by Zenith of Chicago to use the original Zenith lightning-bolt logo as the first letter of the name "Zenith"; the name appeared just above the remote sensor on the vertical control panel to the right of the CRT, looking at the set from the front.

I also owned two Zenith 13" color portables, one of which was part of Zenith's "Custom Series" of portable televisions in the 1980s. My "Custom Series" set had one-knob varactor electronic tuning, as well as a faux woodgrain plastic cabinet and front panel; I purchased it in 1982. The other, my first new Zenith color set which I purchased new in 1979, was their model L1310C. This set was in a rather nondescript black cabinet, with silver color trim around the edge of the top of the set. I left both of these sets at my former home when I moved to an apartment 13 years ago; I have no idea what happened to them after I left the old house for the last time. The TVs were still working like new at this time, so if they were unceremoniously junked after I left town it would have been a shame; however, I wasn't even around when the house was being prepared for sale (long story and OT), so I have absolutely no clue what actually happened to the sets. For all I know they may well have been junked and sent to a landfill. :no:

I remember the SEQ stereo badge being on Zenith's from the bad CRT era.

During the '80's and early '90's, I remember my school having a bunch of 25" wooden cased Zenith table model "custom series" TV's that used a pushbutton electronic tuner with a green LED readout and a standard volume/power knob. Years ago, someone gave me one of these sets that they found by a dumpster at a school that used the 9-181 chassis. All that was wrong with it was a cold solder joint in the vertical circuit that caused intermittent vertical deflection. Several years later, a church gave me a similar set that would only groan and produce a moderate hiss from the speaker. All power supply sources were low and the culprit turned out to be a dead shorted low voltage electrolytic cap inside the tuner module. After the bad cap was replaced, the TV worked fine. It's been my experience that TV's that come from schools and churches are usually in decent shape with strong CRT's because those sets didn't see nearly as much use as TV's in the average home.

SEq stands for "Spatial Equalization". It their effort towards a simulated surround sound. I remember it did improve the sound. You could turn the option on and off in the menu.

SEq was found on any stereo model, regardless of the model line. Stereo sound and SEQ models were available in every line except for the custom series.

Just watched this sucker tonight. It has such an amazing picture on it !
I wish it had a remote though !

If you are using this TV with cable, the cable box will almost always have a remote, unless the cable connects directly to the antenna port at the back of the set. However, if you are watching the set using an OTA antenna (I don't know if Canada's DTV rules required all TV stations to convert to digital when that country converted to all-digital TV as did the US, or whether you still have NTSC OTA stations alongside the digital stations for standard definition on older CRT sets), you still must change channels, etc. at the set. Zenith did, however, make a version of this TV that had a remote, but the catch was there was no on-off button on the set itself on the remote models. If the remote went bad for any reason, one had to either use a switched AC outlet to turn the set on and off or physically plug/unplug the set from the AC wall socket.

Here's a video of the set

http://youtu.be/8pZXmriDt1U

updated pics

HEY!!

I see this is an OLD thread, but thought I would revive it to get some help on the EXACT same set. I was at a family member's house just for fun and hang out with them while they ran a little yard sale. The house NEXT door to them...was having an "Estate sale" that same day. A few of us wandered over there and I saw this same Zenith set (no remote....not AC/DC). It looked completely unmolested, and he hadn't run it for like ten years. I got it for five bucks without even any haggling.

Got it home, and does come on, tune, sound....BUT, appears to have a real bad focus issue. I did open it up (top and sides are just a few phillips screws..and then one phillips holding the little speaker assembly to that cover). Everything looked good...only a little dusty. I was able to get a "better" picture by fooling with the G2,focus and that hidden red Brightness Range pot next to Sharpness. It's a watchable picture....but the focus pot on the FB appears to JUST not do it enough to read any sort of text.

Of course I've likely completely dorked up it's HV by playing with the G2/brightness. Not a BAD thing...since I finally now have got an old Heathkit HV probe coming from eBay. I had been procrastinating on getting an actual HV probe...so now DO have one coming.

I have noticed twisting the Focus connection apart does make a huge difference (is their a rectifier in that white tube?). The focus becomes REAL bad and not adjustable....so I appear to HAVE focus (without JAMMING my finger in there to find out!)

I can't seem to find anything around on SETTING the HV back to where it should be once I get the HV probe....or any schematics and what I should be looking for as far as Focus HV. The board on the back of the CRT looks perfectly okay...and appears the focus only goes to the socket and to the CRT without even making it to the board itself.

This is a NEAT little TV, and would love to put it in my kitchen as a daily driver if I could. I "deleted" all the channels except channel 13 (just poke the "skip" button for unwanted channels...dunno how to add 'em). It'll come up to my inhouse transmitter simply by turning it on now, which I like ALOT for the kitchen (no fooling with stuff with wet hands...or mucking up the set's cabinet with cooking stuff)

Anyone found decent scans of any service stuff for this thing?