Help me identify this TV
 

I came across an old RCA tubed television at the local thrift shop. The only tubes I can recall were a 6BQ5 in the amplifier section and 1 5U4GB rectifier tube. I looked all over the damn thing for a model number but all I could find was a sticker on the rear labelled The Cumberland. Does this make any sense? Is that a model name? The set was in very nice condition with all the labelling intact, the RCA symbol on the front was there and the overall finish was great save a small portion of veneer on the top edge. Asking price was $14.99 CAN ( $11 US). Is it worth picking up? Does anyone need it or any parts from it? All the knobs were present and accounted for as well.


Mike

Hi Mike, any set old enough to use a 5U4 is probably worth $11!

"Cumberland" might be RCA's name for that model though I don't know what year it would be.

Eric

Ah screw it, I'm gonna go get it in case somebody needs something from it. Like I said, its in beautiful overall condition.


Mike

This must have been a b&w set? Even the early RCA color sets used SS LV rectifiers instead of 5U4's, correct?

Do you have any idea what size the screen was?

Was is round or rectangular?

Eric is right, if it has a 5U4, it's been around for a while and worth grabbing for that price!

Screen was rectangular and had to be around 17" or so. It closely resembled the floor standing sets I've seen at Tim's house and Rob's house. I don't know if this helps any but it had what I thought was an odd feature on the back. There's a switch to select stereo or not. Well if its still there I'll drag her home and shoot some pics. Do I need to worry at all about removing the back piece to get at the insides? I read something on the TV about a protective something or other that was supposedly to protect you from the high voltages present.

Mike

You must be speaking of the A/C Interlock. That's where the A/C line disconnects from the chassis when you remove the rear cover. That way you cannot turn it on with the rear cover off. Of course, you can by just making another line cord or removing the interlock from the rear cover.

I would doubt there is any high voltage left stored in that old set... unless someone has turned it on very recently. If it has been on lately, you would just need to use caution around the wire going to the bell of the CRT, and also use caution in the HV cage. Other than those areas, you should be OK. :)

Dunno when they switched but my CTC-7 uses dual 5U4's in the LV power supply.

I noticed too the initial voltage can surge to over 600 volts at turn on :eek: Don't know how the 500v caps survive that!?

Okay model number is 23TC413 and I called Kam about it before I spent any dough. He reckoned it was roughly circa 1957 and really wasn't worth dragging home even for $14 CAN. I took his advice and left it at the store. I'm sure it ain't going anywhere. Did I make the right call?

Mike