1956 RCA Personal Portable ad.
 

Cool ad for the little 8" portable.
Says it's available in three colors, but they came is four colors (Red, Black, Gray and Ivory) but maybe it was three originally.

https://youtu.be/maynGjv7Cgw?t=12

As with the telephones of that era, RCA Victor probably didn't consider black to be a color. So it came in three colors and black.

Oddly, the service data for these sets (1956 no.T2) dated 4/2/56, shows only the 8pt7030 (red), the 8pt7031 (gray) and the 8pt7034 (ivory)... the 8pt7032 (black) is not listed. Wonder what they had in mind for the other missing number in the sequence, 8pt7033?

jr

Edit add: Found a Television service tips page dated June 1 1956 that adds the black 8pt7032 to the list, and adds part numbers for the black case, antenna, handle and other black parts.

I ended-up with a black version on the tripod-stand. An excellent little hand-wired performer. Probably the best of the compact portable TV's.

They should have offered plaid... :D

Tubed or solid hybrid?

The 8" Emerson was a better performer. A little larger, but easier to work on and had the AM radio and a 6AQ5 output tube. :thmbsp:

All tube. I think the power supply rect was selenium though....

The thing was quite a packaging accomplishment for its day.

Phil Nelson did a resto on one of those. Or at least it looks to be the same.
http://www.antiqueradio.org/rca16.htm

Yes, I always heard that, but the RCA has a little more appeal. Two great compact little sets.

I wonder why they didn't drop one of those from a helicopter, hmmm...

Because they wern't up to the drop test standard of the average Zenith.:D