Olympic TV Console... Late 50's??

[Magnavox300]

Picked up this nice looking Olympic console today...
I think it's my favorite set so far.
Has all the styling you would want from a 50's console.

Has what looks like a 21" tube, along with a radio, and phono.
Everything is original, and still in very nice condition.
Only missing one knob, hopefully I can find one someday...

Turned it on, and some expected hum, and a bright line across the screen,
so hopefully I can get this set back up and running soon!

Came with the 4 legs too.

Not sure what year this is, my guess is '57-'58?

There was a half of a tag on the back that read KA2...
I haven't had a chance to open the back up yet.

Anyone familiar with this set?

[StellarTV]

Very nice! For some reason that record changer screams '55-'56.

I'm working on a similar Olympic... a '58 model, has that same iconic late 50s geometry:

[Eric H]

I would guess 58-60, It says Stereophonic and Stereo records weren't introduced until 1958.

[StellarTV]

Good point. Some '57 models had that weird 'stereo option' where the second channel was sort of an add-on second amplifier. More like "stereo ready." I've seen this on Silvertone and Westinghouse phonos; television combos aside.

[Jeffhs]

Your console will be a fine addition to your collection once you get it working as it should. The hum is almost certainly caused by bad filter capacitors; I wouldn't run the set too long without replacing them, as shorted filters can damage the power transformer and/or the rectifier tube(s), if the B+ supply is not fused.

The bright horizontal line across the center of the CRT screen means there is no vertical sweep, and is likely caused by either a defective vertical oscillator or output tube or an open vertical output transformer. Do not operate the TV with just this line on the screen, as it will burn a permanent mark across the center of the CRT. If you must operate the set for testing purposes, turn the brightness control all the way down so the line is not visible.

I would replace the vertical tube first, as defective tubes account for eighty percent of all problems in tube-type televisions. In the unlikely event that this does not restore the sweep, use an ohmmeter to test the windings of the vertical output transformer; odds are one winding or the other is open. There is also a chance that the vertical height and/or linearity controls may be open or intermittent. I'd clean every variable potentiometer in the set, and the tuner, with Deoxit; this may well be the first good cleaning these controls have had in the set's entire life.

Good luck, and enjoy your Olympic console once you get it working at peak performance. I salute you for taking an interest in restoring this old set, and saving it from certain death in a landfill, although these days I'm not sure it's even legal to simply put out old electronics in the trash. Some states, notably California, actually impose a charge for disposal of what that state calls "e-waste" and probably does not allow the disposal of old technology simply by putting it out on the curb. In my area, a small town 35 miles east of Cleveland, I see very few old TVs on the curbs; the last one I saw was a Westinghouse-branded 24" flat screen behind my apartment last year.

[Magnavox300]

Originally Posted by StellarTV

Very nice! For some reason that record changer screams '55-'56.

I'm working on a similar Olympic... a '58 model, has that same iconic late 50s geometry:

That's a nice console!

[Magnavox300]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

Your console will be a fine addition to your collection once you get it working as it should. The hum is almost certainly caused by bad filter capacitors; I wouldn't run the set too long without replacing them, as shorted filters can damage the power transformer and/or the rectifier tube(s), if the B+ supply is not fused.

The bright horizontal line across the center of the CRT screen means there is no vertical sweep, and is likely caused by either a defective vertical oscillator or output tube or an open vertical output transformer. Do not operate the TV with just this line on the screen, as it will burn a permanent mark across the center of the CRT. If you must operate the set for testing purposes, turn the brightness control all the way down so the line is not visible.

I would replace the vertical tube first, as defective tubes account for eighty percent of all problems in tube-type televisions. In the unlikely event that this does not restore the sweep, use an ohmmeter to test the windings of the vertical output transformer; odds are one winding or the other is open. There is also a chance that the vertical height and/or linearity controls may be open or intermittent. I'd clean every variable potentiometer in the set, and the tuner, with Deoxit; this may well be the first good cleaning these controls have had in the set's entire life.

Good luck, and enjoy your Olympic console once you get it working at peak performance. I salute you for taking an interest in restoring this old set, and saving it from certain death in a landfill, although these days I'm not sure it's even legal to simply put out old electronics in the trash. Some states, notably California, actually impose a charge for disposal of what that state calls "e-waste" and probably does not allow the disposal of old technology simply by putting it out on the curb. In my area, a small town 35 miles east of Cleveland, I see very few old TVs on the curbs; the last one I saw was a Westinghouse-branded 24" flat screen behind my apartment last year.

Thanks for all the great advise Jeff,
and yes I definitely plan to recap and check all the tubes, use deoxit, etc... Once I'm finished with the Emerson that is...

[decojoe67]

I love it! Very nice set.
I always loved the late '50's Olympic and Muntz console TV's on spindle legs. Where they lack in quality, they make-up for it in their classic '50's styling.