I'm new here. Looking for advice.

[bgadow]

A vacuum tube chassis color tv is a fascinating device & something of a wonder. It's amazing that they worked when new, and to have them work today is incredible. I've been tinkering with old radios and TV's since I was about 12-over 30 years now! The resources we have available today make this hobby much, much easier.

Lots of good advice above. I'd agree with starting with a radio; anything fairly simple from the 30's-60's would be okay. Get a schematic (Riders for earlier models, Sams for later) and study it. Recapping it will teach you some simple yet valuable skills. When you move up to a TV, get the Sams Photofact for it (often available cheap or free if you ask.) There were lots of good TV repair books put out in the 50's-60's. Even the simple ones, with titles like "TV Repair at Home in 10 Minutes" can be helpful when you're starting out. When you move up to color, look for a copy of the RCA Color TV Pict-O-Guide; they show up on ebay regularly.

Oh, and I'm a fan of the CTC-5...but it's a different animal than what followed, for sure.