Philco 50-T1403...good starting point?

[Tim R.]

Hey all,

I recently picked up a very nice Philco 50-T1403 at an auction. I'm not well-versed in the workings of antique TV's, and I think this would be a great set to cut my teeth on.

I know there's a wide range of opinions on powering these up unrestored, but I figured cautiously doing so would at least give me a baseline of the set's condition.

The set was connected to a dim bulb tester and Kill-a-Watt, and monitored closely as I gradually increased the wattage. Everything seemed to stabilize quickly and current draw was reasonable, so after an hour I switched over to a variac and Kill-a-Watt. I slowly ramped the voltage up, staying alert for anything unusual, and reached 120v uneventfully.

At full power, the set partially came to life. I have hum-free audio and was able to tune in a couple radio stations near channel 6. However, there is no picture and I can't hear the whine from the flyback. It looks like all tubes are present and lighting up, including the CRT.

So where would a good starting point be for this set? I don't have a lot of test equipment (yet) and am reluctant to tear into it until I can establish the CRT is good. At a minimum I'd like to try and get some sort of picture on the screen. I'll start by testing the tubes, but beyond that any guidance is appreciated!


Thanks,

Tim