1948 Magnavox combo console-should I get rid of it?

[ChrisW6ATV]

Hello-

I have a severe space problem here, and I am considering getting rid of an old Magnavox TV/radio/phono console I have had for years. Here is its story: I bought it from an antique store in 1980, and I did some work on it back then, but that was long before I learned of the need to replace all the caps in old sets. It has a 16" metal CRT, a 16AP4 that tested weak at first, and an AM/FM/shortwave radio with pushbutton tuning presets. The cabinet had been refinished with a fake-blond finish/paint job probably in the 50's, and I stripped all of that off back in about 1981 as well, so it still needs to be refinished if I ever got to it.

So... I have this huge but nice old unit, that needs refinishing and a recap job at least. I have been moving it with me, from Chicago to California and three more moves here, and I still never did anything more with it. Its chassis are not in the cabinet but are on shelves in my garage where they have been since 1989. My question is, is this unit even worth all the work it would take to restore? I also have a 1949 Zenith 12" TV/radio/phono combo that is in much better shape, and one big console is probably enough for me. It is the Embassy, with TV chassis CT246B. What do you all think?

[David Roper]

How about pics?

Also, didn't the 16AP4 start appearing in sets in 1949?

[ChrisW6ATV]

Maybe it is from 1949, then. I will try taking a few pictures and posting them here.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Here is a chassis picture:

[Sandy G]

Ooooooooh, I'd LOVE to have it...But gettin' it here to Hooterville from California would bankrupt Jay Gould, & the chances of it gettin' here anywhere approaching intact are slim & none...

[OvenMaster]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

Ooooooooh, I'd LOVE to have it...But gettin' it here to Hooterville from California would bankrupt Jay Gould, & the chances of it gettin' here anywhere approaching intact are slim & none...

...and how many recognize the name Jay Gould? Finally. My grade school US history classes prove useful.
Tom

[Tubejunke]

Man that one clean chassis. I wonder if the thing would still come alive with a slow warm..Man all of those metal ""AP4 crts must have been crap. Seems like they are always bad. I have only had one and it had a booster on it.

I'd hate to recap that monster. Looks like LYTIC city from the pic. There are 7 multi section cans in plain view...

[Bill Cahill]

Coming to Florida this winter? I'd give it a good home. And, I have a new 16AP4 for it, as well. I'd take it. I'll trade you for it, if you don't want it.
Can't go for it. Can't drive.....
It's a beuty! Please e mail!
Bill Cahill

[Tube TV]

the chassis is clean and it is definently worth restoring .
over all its in nice shape .

[ChrisW6ATV]

Sandy and Bill, as they say, "location is everything". I don't have any plans right now to travel east, but I would fly anyway, so that won't help you. I am open to any ideas.

[kbmuri]

Magnavox CT246. It's not something you see often. Probably not many left. Sams 93A-9 is from May 1950. Strongly suggests it's a spring 1950 TV. 16AP4 is reported (in the Sams sheet) as the only CRT used on this chassis, so yours is correct. Made here in Fort Wayne. The radio is a huge performer and tends to sell. So is the tube amp. Both would sell on that epay place if you part it out. Huge shame if you do, but better than a dumpster. I would take it in a sec if it were around The Fort. Way too heavy to ship cross-country.

TV chassis is real similar to my CT-220
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=76517
which was a fun one. One obvious difference is no P/S transformer on the chassis (and probably no audio out circuits either), as they're separate chassis items on the combo-console.

[ChrisW6ATV]

kbmuri-

That was an excellent restoration and report you did on your CT-220.

I think you all have convinced me not to let it go in pieces, and maybe to start looking into restoring it after all. The biggest concerns I have are with the CRT, and the cabinet refinishing. I have never once tried to stain, varnish, or finish anything, even though I have done many other types of home-repair, electronic, and mechanical projects successfully. Can any of you give me tips on that? I figure I could do the separate front panel of the TV chassis first, and if it comes out OK, I know I could do the rest of the cabinet. It was originally a dark, maybe mahogany color, like dark chocolate, because the back edges of the cabinet still have the original finish. Regarding the CRT, if it has a heater-to-cathode short, can I connect an isolation-only type of brightener inline and get a valid test result? (I own my own B&K 470 now but have not used it in a while.) I do know that other than being dim, this set had a great picture when I had it working in 1981-82, with great DC restoration (something I am not used to seeing on a B&W TV). Thank you all for your comments.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Oh, one other thing. I do have the Photofact manual for this console, but I remember a number something like G-2957 was the model number. The Photofact was a "preliminary" manual or somethng like that, and there was never a later "full" version. It may be schematics only. I do not remember if it is the 93A-9.

[dreyfoos]

Long time lurker, first time poster - if memory serves. Who wooda thunk that there's another person with a severe space problem in the Castro Valley vicinity? My own garage is to the rafters with 49-50ish roundies. Your Magnavox chassis looks so factory fresh. Makes me wonder why I ever accumulated so many former mouse motels. But then why did I save that picture tube rebuilding outfit from down in San Jose? Get in touch and we'll commiserate. Roger Dreyfoos, [email protected].

[bgadow]

Originally Posted by dreyfoos

But then why did I save that picture tube rebuilding outfit from down in San Jose?

Oh, Roger, you've gone and opened your mouth now! Look out!