Duplicating my 16GP4 plea!!!
 

If anyone out there has any info on how I can get my hands on one of these...I've done the standard search alerts on FB Marketplace, local listings, eBay and got in touch with the ETF et al and I posted my same pleas on the Antique Radio Forum. Actually got a hit from someone who said he had one and local pickup would work but he couldn't have been further away from me on the other side of the USA.

Please think of me my VK friends! This is a project on a TV I absolutely love. I bought this RCA "Highland" model TV years ago from a single owner family. I tested the CRT at that time and it tested good for cutoff and emissions. I decided to delay restoration because I wanted to have the time to do it right and comprehensively. I did the restoration but, unfortunately, the 16GP4 had deteriorated over the 4 years I had it and...heartbreak. Lousy, weak picture. So another wait begins. If you happen to get a hint about one and don't particularly want it for yourself, please let me know.

If you really want to find one that bad, put up a ransom of several thousand dollars. I wouldn't be surprised if someone has one new in the box, but they're keeping quiet.

Did you test the CRT again? I know some give the metal tubes a bad rap, but if a 60 y-o tube tests good, then they should test the same 4 years later... Unless it was kept out in the barn...

Yes it has zero cutoff and emissions in the bad zone. I even gave it a shot with my Sencore Super Mack. Came back to life for a day or 2 but then back to very weak.

Hey I'd be willing to pay that if it tests like NOS.

What are you testing it with?

Sencore Super Mack but it’s in service in the tv. That’s my frame of reference for it being weak. It tests with low emissions and no cutoff on the Sencore.

There’s another KCS47 tv about 35 miles from my home but the seller doesn’t know if the tube is any good or anything about the TV. I’d need to buy the set. He’s asking $300 on FB Marketplace. Long drive just to test a CRT only to find it’s as bad or worse than my tv.

Oh wow you're kidding me, you wouldn't drive 70 miles round trip to test the CRT? That doesn't sound very dedicated. :D

I've driven at least 240 miles or so to test a crt in a zenith porthole

Long drive!?!? Seriously? Last year I drove 1900 miles in two days to pick up a set I'd spent decades searching for. I wish I could find more stuff that close. IMO it's well worth the gamble

I would keep putting out feelers. I find that members of our community list more items for sale this time of year, summer always seems like there's less listings for these sorts of hobbies.

And I thinking that I drive a lot for sets (my maximum was 590mi/950km).

My commute to work is over 25 miles one way! I put around 400 miles a week on my cars. I've driven from Milwaukee to Birmingham and from Milwaukee to Sheridan Wyoming (both became vacations with other stuff on the trip) for sets I want bad enough.
Twice a year I drive close to 1000 miles round trip to the ETF in Ohio... during the first meet after COVID I was forbidden from staying in a hotel so I left home 8 hours before the 8AM meet, stayed until early afternoon and drove 8 hours back home...Helped that dad was with me and we could alternate who was driving and who was napping.

OK OK OK I am sufficiently scolded and beg forgiveness! Trying to make arrangements with the seller for this weekend. All of you are correct...I can't voice desperation then be unwilling to take a few hours out of my weekend to check it out. Maybe my wife and I can hit New Hope PA on the way home!

Especially since this is one of the ones you linked me to. I feel many shames! :sigh::sigh::sigh:

Bottom line is you'll never know what you're missing if you don't check it out. And for what they're asking it had better include a decent testing CRT. A harsh reality is there's a minuscule market for this vintage of TV consoles. And after several weeks of no interest a smart seller would be willing to negotiate. But if it doesn't test good absolutely walk away. Or if you wanted it for the other parts you can make a low ball offer. Or tell them you'll take the innards for your time and effort of removing them from the cabinet. :D
The seller can then make a small fortune offering the empty cabinet to some repurposing artist. :thmbsp:

There's also the ETF swapmeet in a couple weeks. There was a 16GP4 there last year IIRC.

I drove 1400 miles nonstop (it wasn't about TV's)


not doing that again...


Unless someone has a prewar set!!

So..every time, every single time, I make a list of the picture tubes up in the attic...I lose it!

Finally, tonight, I climbed up there with my flashlight. Yes, I do indeed have a 16GP4! And it seeks a new home. Sitting here, safe and warm in Maryland.

I think Chris is in PA? if so, he may have finally found his tuby wooby

"every time, every single time, I make a list of the picture tubes up in the attic...I lose it! "
Perhaps it's time to call Mulder and Scully, or perhaps Dr Who, if you keep losing your attic like that, you seem to have a serious dimensional rift problem up there! :D:yes::scratch2:

Don't worry Brian we'll help you stay calm and same through humor...

Ha! Sometimes...I do wonder! And sometimes I feel like just installing a window in the attic and moving in there. You ought to see that place...

Does it test good?!! Depending on where it is in MD it's doable for me.

Maybe?????
:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

It's a fine looking TV...at least in the photos. I like the darker woods in the one I have so a tube swap isn't an issue for me.

Looks like Brian lives about 2 1/2 hours away. We routinely drive to Virginia Beach and this is about halfway there. I can do it with my eyes closed!

Another benefit of going for Brian's CRT is he can test it again before you make the long journey. If you plan to keep your prized RCA operation long into the future, you should consider keeping a spare, or two, 16GP4's on hand. You know good ones are only going to get more and more scarce over time. I suggest storing any desirable CRT's in a climate controlled area, versus some out of the way storage that experiences many temperature and humidity cycles. At least up here in the north country attics can be a hostile environment.

I have my spares behind the couch in the living room...much to my wife's chagrin!

I PMed Brian. Haven't heard anything yet

Just replied, Chris.

Yes, I'll test that tube again...I picked it up a few years ago from a collector who was short on space. Funny, I've now had 3 sets that use that tube and they've all been fine.

Thank you so much! I included my email in my return PM message and you’re welcome to send me an email.

Unfortunately it looks like Brian’s CRT didn’t wake up after some higher voltage cooking for several hours. So it seems the search is back on. I am going to take the drive to look at the tv Kevin pointed me to this weekend and we’ll see how that goes. Thanks for trying Brian! I just have absolutely dismal luck when it comes to vintage CRTs. I think I’ve had 2-3 decent tubes in about three dozen TVs I’ve worked on

Back to the old one again. Did you try running the filament at 8 volts and then test emission?

Yes I tried letting it cook for a while but it’s a very very tired tube.

The search is over!!!!!!!!!
 

The trip to Trenton NJ proved to be very fruitful. The 16GP4 tested very good.

Filament voltage set at 6.3 volts

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/JA1MgH.jpg

Cutoff as good as I've seen in any vintage tube in a while.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/tUUwpI.jpg

Emissions with cutoff not zeroed

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/5UMQXY.jpg

Emissions with cutoff zeroed

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/bPjLeF.jpg


I really can't expect much better than that. Thanks to everyone for your help and a special thanks to Bryan for his generosity and Kevin for his efforts in helping me find this and kicking me in the butt to go get it!!!

Really glad you found the good one! (Well, maybe there is another out there...somewhere!) I tried running mine all day at 6, then several hours at 8. Just won't get out of the "bad" range. I could have swore it tested decent previously. Maybe it's getting gassy? Maybe Nick Williams would want to play with it.

Did it ever show any cutoff? My Sencore has an auto-restore function that’s the most gentle of the rejuvenation settings. It pulses a 5 second shot of voltage 3 times and has definitely helped with a couple of my weak tubes. When I do visit I can bring it and if you so desire we can try it. The manual states with this function there’s no danger of damaging the filament. I think it just “cleans” but doesn’t boil off any of the surface metal.

Very glad to hear that went well. Can you tell if it's an original to the set RCA 16GP4A, or some later replacement?