RCA 19" portable
 

What do I have here? The model tag is gone and I need the Sams. Educated guesses will do for now. I'm not ready to open the set to find the chassis #. The pic is a bit better than the CRT really shows. My dad bought it in the early 70's to have a second set for a Super Bowl party. The main set for the party was his late mothers CTC9.

I have never recapped it. It's running on the originals or service replacements. No hint of hum problems. I've had it 20 years and it fired up after 5 years or so under cover. Just tired needing tubes, a convergence, and a Beltron bump. It's running on my OTA ch 7 modulator. I want to get my Beltron back from repair before I try anything. It will be a tubetestfest to start.

It's possibly a CTC53. You should be able to see if it has a solid state IF strip.
It's probably best to remove the back and locate the chassis number. You don't want to spend the money for a Sams and find out you ordered the wrong one.:sigh:

RCA used that style for several model years. Could be a CTC-36, CTC-43, or CTC-53. Once inside, there may be another model/serial number sticker glued to the chassis.

Many of those models had the low voltage focus CRT's. When they got older you couldn't get proper focus no matter where you moved the focus jumper. Many VK members mentioned that a mild rejuvenation improves the focusing.

Yup find the CTC-## usually inked on chassis.
Some have the model ## on the bottom.
Also remember some had tags around the HV area.
And have a load of 'GH8' s ready !

73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

I'm curious, Zeno -- what was it about the CTC-19 RCA TVs that made them go through 6GH8 tubes so quickly? RCA, after all, was a pioneer in electronic television. I cannot believe they would even consider designing a TV, or any television they made in the '80s onward, for that matter, which would push tubes to their limits, and often beyond. Something must have happened to or with RCA in the last few years to cause their design team to cut corners like this.

Jeff OM
My theory is heat & sockets. All the plastic 14" & 18-19" had a great apatite
for low level tubes especially 5GH8 & 6GH8. Noisy sockets led to good
tubes getting changed & fixing things for a while. GH8's would be bad BUT work fine in another function. The trick was getting the set "fixed" good enuf
but not loading it up with tubes.. Challenging.!
Maybe tomorrow I will comment more on the subject, kinda tired after
much yard work today.

73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

I have a CTC-53 that looks exactly like it.

CTC22 had that exact set years ago

Sure looks like a 22, but the OP says 19 inch... the 22 I had was only a 15”. :scratch2:

jr

Yeah, the 22 was a one-off design and used a ss damper diode that was very problematic.

The CTC-43 also used that damper diode

Was sure it was a CTC22 but I'll stand corrected.

I had a CTC22 and it had a damper diode, that failed. The RCA replacement was two of the same diodes strapped together. It also had some kind of a HV regulator tube.
I had the set for about a year and then sold it. Before I sold it, I tested all the tubes and found three 5GH8's weak. Replaced them and sent it on it's way.
The 19" model CTC36 was similar, but used a damper tube.

Guess they got a clue with the diode

Here is my CTC-22

https://i.ibb.co/gTYjf0K/DD8-AB860-7...DA6-ECCB16.jpg

Nice.:thmbsp:
I briefly had that same model out of a VERY moldy basement. They're one of the worst sets serviceability wise...I took mine apart to wash the mold out and couldn't believe how difficult the fasteners that hold the chassis and tuner in are to access even with sockets and extensions...It's like they didn't want these to be serviced.
I still kinda regret selling mine before getting it to make a raster, but the mold kinda helped me decide to let it go.

This is what we used "back in the day". Easy to get out, but, unless you magnetized the tips, hard to get back in.

Yes indeed the serviceability is atrocious on this set. About on the level of a predicta. In a way even worse because all of the plastic joinery to the chassis and CRT. It’s real art to get the anode cap on while replacing the chassis. The chassis and boards all flex and short and go intermittent too.

Dittos
A real SOB to work on. It was one of those good enuf, dont dig too deep ,
get it OUT the door. Probibly half the reason they need so much work.
Add in the brutal heat inside.
They can work quite nice though....

73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

Oh, that brings back memories of the shop I helped out in during Jr. High! The red handle was 1/4" as I recall.

Yup the red handled exlite #8. I had all sizes from stubbies to 3 footers.
Still got a stubby & the 3 foot magnetic. You will have to pry
them out of my cold dead hands !

73 Zeno
LFOD !