Belated Xmas Gift - Raytheon Porthole M1101
 

When was the last time you got something like an nice OLD TV under the Christmas tree? Well if you're like me, probably never. :naughty: :nono:
So Sunday afternoon I decided I might like to get myself a belated Christmas present.:D And as it so happens, I'd been eyeing this Raytheon set on the Minneapolis Craigslist for a long, long, time. Most recently it was listed at $79 OBO. So I called the guy and we talked. It turned out it was his folks set, and it was pretty cool hearing him reminisce about watching it as a youngster. And after talking to him for a while, he offered it to me for $60, including the swivel stand and rabbit ears, which I thought was an OK deal. So yesterday, at about noon, I blasted out for Hanover Mn, and I needed to beat the apparently incoming snow blizzard. I arrived back home at 5:15 and it had been a 217 mile round trip. Looking over the set, the top of the cabinet is kind of messed up, likely from some distant leaky flower pot, and that part should probably be refinished. But otherwise I think it'll pass with a few touch ups. The owner told me it had been stored in his folks finished basement after being retired from everyday use. He had continued to keep it indoors over the years. I don't see any signs of rust or rodent damage above the chassis. The built in antenna's have been mangled by being repositioned from thier normal inside cabinet location, but I think they'll bend back where they belong. I have not peeked under the chassis yet, maybe later tonight. Anyhow, here's a few pictures I took this morning.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4453/3...2b08a593_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4493/3...f66e256a_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4453/3...7abbb4ff_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4475/3...b18d6e3d_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4448/3...95b81d82_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4468/2...c83bc6ab_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4496/3...f89f6de6_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4487/3...f88034c0_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4511/3...447c322f_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4495/3...0dc4db19_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4460/3...c2696974_b.jpg

Very nice set...and you got the stand too! I've always wanted a Raytheon porthole.

very nice

Thanks. It's kind of odd that I'm unable to edit my thread title. So it says Belated, instead of Blated. :scratch2:

A classic vintage porthole TV for sure. I like the continuous tuners on these too. The price was very fair, especially with the stand. It would've been three times that here on the east coast. Good luck with it!

Yeah, it continues to amaze me how these vintage TV sets sit on Minneapolis CL for months on end. You'd think there would be a decently sized pool of collectors around such a largely populated area. Although this fellow had listed it as a T.V. with the periods, so it probably didn't show when doing the classic TV search. :dunno:

Nice set!

I fixed the title for you.

Very cool set. Raytheons aren't that easy of a set to find, specially with the stand. I think their portholes are every bit as cool as the zeniths!

Thanks Tom!

What's interesting is that this Raytheon set shares a very common Belmont built chassis. They must have used it in several brands for close to 5 years. Notice the likeness to the outer knobs on this Coronado console that I posted the CL link to a while back. I noticed they were the same basic Belmont chassis when I researched the Coronado set.

http://videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=265941

http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/q...psr5nwzeiz.jpg

Merry Christmas indeed! That's a cool porthole, and getting the history from the original family of ownership is a really great bonus. Write that story down and save it for some future generation to read many years from now.

Congrats!

Well worth the drive, very nice set.

Thanks, guys. I cleaned up the knobs and they're in very nice shape.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4500/2...3cd56489_b.jpg

Behind the channel knob is what appears to be a fine tuning lever, but I can't find any reference to it in either Sams or Riders. What's worse is that I can't figure out how to remove it. It's either very stuck, or I'm missing what's holding it on the shaft. Seems like it and it's bushing should pull straight forward from the inner tuner shaft. I'm going to try a little soak in WD 40. It's the only thing keeping me from removing the chassis. Any idea's?

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4512/2...08322839_b.jpg

I have that same set your tv is in better shape than mine great find...Timothy

Very nice :thmbsp: Way better condition than my Airline with the same chassis. No fine tuning lever on mine. http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=265133

Looks like you have a fine not so common porthole ! Looks great inside too !
I got a 9T240 from a guy where it had been in the family since new, and
it is also in great shape, and I enjoyed hearing of it's history !
You have a special set !
Awesome Christmas present you got yourself ! !
I guess you won't be headed to the returns line with it !

Good Find, & Good luck restoring it !

.

I have a Truetone with that same chassis, that lever is the channel indicator, it has a continuous type tuner and the lever rotates around as you turn the center knob. The little lever on your is probably for rapidly tuning without having to crank the center knob a bunch of times.
If I remember right theres a switch in the tuner that flips from low to high band when you get to channel 7.

On mine it simply pulls off like any other knob, yours may just be stuck but don't overlook the possibility of a set screw, perhaps accessible from the bottom?

WD 40 finally did the trick.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4464/3...0b09d074_b.jpg

But I'm confused about how the lever is a channel indicator. This is an inductor tuner, but it has a clunk indent type mechanism in the front, so as you turn the channel knob it clunks directly to each channel, it's not a continuously variable tuning. Also the channel selector knob has a pointer on it? And notice that the outer brass shaft is cam shaped, so when you rotate that lever arm, it rocks the front end of the clunk mechanism off center, which in turn moves the inductor cores in and out about an 1/8" per each rotation of the arm. So the arm seems to be functioning as a fine tuning mechanism. But it's possible Belmont had a few variations on their basic design? The screws on the front of the clunk mech are the channel presets.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4501/3...132b780b_b.jpg

Your is different than mine, mine has a variable tuner with slugs and.coils, yours is the same tuner used in the 7 inch set and the 10DX24. Mine is a Truetone though and yours is an actual Raytheon

I was wondering if the set actually had the continuous tuner of the indent click type. I have seen examples with both types, more often the continuous type. Likely just early and late runs of the set. One thing that's great about yours too is that it has the VERY often missing front control door. They're usually busted-off and really ruin the look of the set. Not an easy part to find for sure.

I was JUST going to say, you got the control door too! Last one I had like that many years ago was missing.....

Here's a few pictures of the chassis after being removed from the cabinet. It's dirtier than my first impressions, and it's not just a dry layer of dust. That dust is very well adhered to the surface. Possibly it's a very old nicotine residue,although it does not in the least smell like a smokers set, and the guys house didn't have any hint that he was a smoker, but his parents may have been. :scratch2:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4474/3...2cc44c93_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4446/3...1d331a4e_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4503/3...05c38cb7_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4505/3...0d0ceb99_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4473/2...2e8affe8_b.jpg

That gunk comes off, but it's going to be a very slow process.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4466/3...aa701062_b.jpg

Great find, Kevin! It should be a fun resto. I love that swivel stand.

Have you checked the CRT yet?

Now, THAT is a Porthole... Me Likey... A LOT...(grin)

Hi Clark. The CRT is kind of tired, but it's at least into the good(green)on my B&K 466. But I do have a spare 12LP4. When I get a chance I'll pop the Raytheon CRT into my Admiral 20Z1 test chassis and see how it looks.

I decided to remove the tuner and mechanism for a more thorough cleaning. I noticed the tuner's solder connections were not factory, so I'm wondering if this tuner was a later upgrade to the fine tuning version. :scratch2:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4475/3...6e12d89d_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4513/3...8a77c55f_b.jpg

You need to take care to not lose the 4 little band switch contacts when you separate the tuner from it's mechanism. They set loose on it's top surface, only held in place by the activation mechanism. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of them when I had them removed for cleaning.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4489/3...e1c69d77_b.jpg

So what exactly does that lever do? All the sets I have with that tuner have a single knob and no fine tuning, the channel is set with those screws on the large rotating part. That tuner appears original to the chassis.

The outer shaft is bored off center. So when you rotate the fine tuning lever, it moves the inside shaft in an orbit around center. That in turn varies the pressure against the station preset screws(the screws on the large rotating part), which causes the tuner slugs to move up and down just enough to fine tune the frequency. Make sense?

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4448/2...8fcbdc3d_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4501/3...132b780b_b.jpg

I see, yes it makes perfect sense. the sets I have with this tuner don't have fine tuning, if it's not dead on you have to remove the knob and adjust the screw, it almost never is dead on after changing channels so this must be a later improvement.

I still haven't found a reference to this fine tuning version in Riders.

This is really odd, I have a Truetone branded set with a similar chassis, not exact but close, particularly on top, the actual tuner part is even identical but on the Truetone it uses a simple ramp system to move the slugs up and down in a smooth continuous motion, it's as easy as tuning a radio.

The tuner you have is rather difficult to turn and is usually in a set with a large X shaped channel selector knob (example: 10DX4), I would imagine it's a little difficult to turn with that relatively small and smooth knob?

Here's my chassis, some similarity underneath but the top side is much more similar.

Perhaps Rube Goldberg worked at Raytheon for a time?

2nd picture is of a Raytheon 10DX4 tuner, no fine tuning shaft.

Did Raytheon buy Belmont Radio, or what was the relationship there? All these chassis variations are under Belmont in Riders. :scratch2:

Ever see the tuner on a Raytheon Vu-Matic? Oye.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-smItbgbU8

Okay, that's just insane!
No wonder they didn't stay in the TV biz for long, no way was that cost effective.

Do you have the whole TV and is it working?

When I first started collecting I liked the early Raytheon-Belmont TV's, but a collector/repairman swayed me from them because of their crazy tuners. Still, I wish I would've acquired one or two then when they were easier to find.
I agree with the set in question that it's odd that the relatively smooth knob is used with a clicker tuner. It's designed for the continuous tuner. I have a radio though that has a smooth small knob (original and correct) for band selection that is basically useless. It needed some kind of a leverage bar like on the better sets. Even back then there was a good and bad engineering!

Yeah, that's just nuts. Apparently someone working at Raytheon had way too much time on their hands, and an open pocket book to boot.

BTW, what's making that clicking noise in your video's?

The only Raytheon Vu-matic I saw was one with the tuners on the back of the chassis and the set was a hot chassis, series-parallel arrangement.
I don't know of anyone that worked on them. They all told the customers to scrap them.
Their last sets had Standard Coil tuners in them.

I see the M-1101 at the ETF appears to have the same fine tuning lever, so I know mines not alone. But I kinda wonder if there was an upgrade tuner available later on. possibly to resolve an inconsistent tuning issue? And somehow it never made it into Riders. :scratch2:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/raytheon_m-1101.html

It's the stupid camera. I should probably just pony up for a new one but I'm too cheap when it comes to things like that :no:

I had a Truetone set with that chassis. The lever is for fine tuning.
Mine worked very well after a thorough restoration and was one of the most reliable sets I have had. I ended up donating it to the 20th Century Technology Museum in Wharton TX, run by a friend of mine and his wife. They have it on for several hours a day playing DVDs of 50s TV shows. It is a huge hit with almost everyone who sees it.