Ultimate TV Find

[bgadow]

I posted this story on the ARF and wanted to share it here as well. It was, for me, a pretty exciting find that hasn't fully sunk in yet.

Just before I was born in '72 my great-grandmother passed away. When the estate was settled, one of my great-aunts had inherited the house and contents. For various reasons she never did anything with any of it. I had heard stories about it but I really didn't think there could be much left in the old house. The other day I found out.

My great-aunt died a couple years ago and another family member got the house. As it is about to be turned over to the historical society, everything had to go. I had picked up one radio from a shed in the backyard (an early thirties Majestic) last year. I knew there was one more in the house. Last week I was invited in to take a look.

There were actually several radios in the house-a Philco 18 console, a spare chassis for the Majestic, and a little Sparton AA5. What you guys might find most interesting is the one item I really didn't expect. I never knew there was a TV in the house. I guess I figured that if my great-grandparents ever had a set it would have been something cheap from the sixties. Further, I figured it would have been taken by someone when the estate got settled. I was wrong on both counts. In truth the TV was a 1950 RCA, model 6-T-54. This is a 16" round tube with a metal cabinet, with a matching stand. I don't know if they bought it new or secondhand-from what I had gathered they were tight with their money so the idea that they would spring for a "big-screen" set in 1950 seems strange.

I was concerned, of course, about the 16GP4. I know their reputation isn't so hot. This one is a Clearmont rebuild. I hooked up the tester and it took some time for the needle to move...but it finally did, into the green. Whew! So, yes, this set will live again. Somebody has tinkered with this set at some point as several tubes are pulled and rattling around in the back. I don't know if this was done while she was still living, or maybe one of my cousins (who I think might have been in the house at one point) had fooled with it. Either way, at some point I'll give this a full recap and go from there. Probably the only way to top this would be to somehow find our old GE color console from when I was a kid!

[jonman]

Cool!!

[Dan Starnes]

Great story. Looking forward to seeing the set working.
Dan

[Tubejunke]

Now theres a fantasy!! To be able to rummage through a home that has been virtually undisturbed since 1972. On top of that to discover that the folks living there were still using a 1950 RCA TV. I remember being a kid in the 70's and there were still a lot of 50's sets in common use. Maybe thats what sparked my interest..

This is a pretty easy chassis to work with. I have two. I must warn you to replace ALL of the power supply electrolytics before ANY attempt at trying to see what the set will do as is, if any. I say this as both of my sets had bad power supply problems and one cost me a power transformer. You DONT want that to happen.......

[pallophotophone]

Please be careful around the exposed metal CRT shell. High Voltage

It will have a fantastic picture when you finish it !!