Rca trk-12

[ChrisW6ATV]

Heck, I would FLY to Connecticut and drive a rented truck 3200 miles back home if I could buy this TV for $500! I hope you get it soon.

Really, though, if you do not want to keep the set and restore it/have it restored for yourself, putting it on Ebay is probably your best bet to offer it to the widest group of people who would want it. Offer to assist the buyer if they choose a company such as Craters and Freighters to pick it up, pack it, and have it shipped to their home.

[ChuckA]

Anybody else notice the missing decals on the TV control side board? Also it looks like the board is mahogany rather than the tight grained walnut normally used, possibly replaced when tuner mod happened.
With all the dust can't tell if the radio side board has labels.

Looks to be a TRK-12 rather than a TRK-120, radio appears to have an eye tube, and the bottom kick panel looks to have the center open.

Biggest unknown is going to be the CRT, they can be rebuilt ($1000+), but a verified good one would make the set a lot easier to sell.

I think if I came across this set, I'd be inclined to leave the tuner in it. It's part of its history, the owners thought the set was worth spending a bit of money to update it and continue using it possibly into the late 40's or early 50's.

If you do end up with this set, the most important thing to protect is the CRT. If you aren't comfortable removing it then make sure the set is transported straight up, DO NOT let it tip over as you risk breaking the neck of the tube. If you do decide to remove the CRT, be extremely careful removing the high voltage cable on the CRT bell, over time this connection corrodes and if you pull on it you can pull the HV terminal off and run the risk of cracking the glass.

Looks like you will be upgrading your audio system - BIG TIME

Good Luck

Chuck

[relaximus]

Does anyone have an idea as to what this monster weighs?

Dave

[tubesrule]

Originally Posted by relaximus

Does anyone have an idea as to what this monster weighs?

Dave

198 lbs.

Originally Posted by ChuckA

Anybody else notice the missing decals on the TV control side board? Also it looks like the board is mahogany rather than the tight grained walnut normally used, possibly replaced when tuner mod happened.

I think so as well. It also seems to be very thin as seen by the edge of the wood in the cutout. It's actually a pretty nice looking job.

[relaximus]

Originally Posted by ChuckA

... Biggest unknown is going to be the CRT, they can be rebuilt ($1000+), but a verified good one would make the set a lot easier to sell.

Having never dealt with this, just how does one test a CRT? I have a Hickok 750, but that ain't gonna help here. I'm okay with replacing capacitors and out-of-spec resistors and such, but this is a whole new world for me. I would imagine there's a whole host of unobtainium contained in this thing. For instance, I don't have the knowledge or equipment to rebuild/rewind a transformer. And the only real thing I know about CRTs is that I'm happy to not have one on my desk anymore. Upon his return from WWII, my dad helped form the Mobile Radio division at GE. A lot of my basic electrical knowledge was garnered from him as I studied Mech. Eng. and Comp. Sci. in college and have been writing CADD software for the last 27+ years. Most of my understanding of tube-based amp topologies has been learned from the generous offerings by the members of AudioKarma, who walked me through the refurbishment of my '63 Fisher Custom Electra (my first console).

Dave

[tubesrule]

Dave,
Pre-war crt's are made from Pyrex and are very tough, but should be treated as any crt, with care. The best way to test them is in operation. You can of course at least check for a good getter and filament. These crt's use a 2.5V filament.

The crt is not actually loose in the set but is held in place inside the cardboard sleeve which is held by braces at the top. The rubber mask on top and wood escutcheon holds the crt down. If you do want to remove it, take the center wood escutcheon off (screws in the back and wing nuts towards the front), very carefully remove the socket and HV lead, and lift the crt AND cardboard sleeve straight up and out of the cabinet. You will be lifting the crt neck out through the yoke, so be careful not to put any undue side force on the neck. Just lift straight up.

You can see what the 12AP4 crt and cardboard sleeve look like here:
http://www.myvintagetv.com/picture_tubes.htm

Darryl

[relaximus]

Thanks Darryl! Just how tight are those connections likely to be? I would imagine that there's going to be a fair bit of oxidation happening there. Is Deoxit of any value here to try and loosen the connections?

Dave

[tubesrule]

Originally Posted by relaximus

Thanks Darryl! Just how tight are those connections likely to be? I would imagine that there's going to be a fair bit of oxidation happening there. Is Deoxit of any value here to try and loosen the connections?

Dave

The socket should pull off easily. Just make sure to hold the crt base as you pull the socket so you don't stress the leads if the base is loose. As Chuck mentioned the biggest issue is with the HV lead. These tend to be very tight on their own, and can be corroded making things worse. If the button is stuck to the HV socket, you run the risk of breaking the lead off in the crt, or at the worst, cracking the glass in that area and ruining the tube. I have had these anywhere from very loose to extremely tight. It shouldn't scare you off, just be as careful as possible when removing that lead.

Originally Posted by relaximus

You wouldn't happen to have the pin configuration for this thing would ya?

Dave

The 12AP4 uses an early 6 pin base with no key, just two large pins and four small ones. The filament is on pins 1 and 6 which are the large pins.

Darryl

[relaximus]

Originally Posted by tubesrule

... The 12AP4 uses an early 6 pin base with no key, just two large pins and four small ones. The filament is on pins 1 and 6 which are the large pins.

Thanks again Darryl! That's what I needed to know.

Dave

[Dave S]

Originally Posted by tubesrule

If the button is stuck to the HV socket, you run the risk of breaking the lead off in the crt, or at the worst, cracking the glass in that area and ruining the tube.

.

[relaximus]

Originally Posted by tubesrule

... You can of course at least check for a good getter and filament. These crt's use a 2.5V filament.

You wouldn't happen to have the pin configuration for this thing would ya?

Dave

[relaximus]

Originally Posted by ChuckA

Anybody else notice the missing decals on the TV control side board? Also it looks like the board is mahogany rather than the tight grained walnut normally used, possibly replaced when tuner mod happened.
With all the dust can't tell if the radio side board has labels.

Well, as I haven't been able to catch up with the lady that's been living there, I got in touch with the owners of the house (she was renting, as the owners were xfered to France). The owners tell me that she is supposed to be out by the end of the month and if the TV is still there in July, it's mine for the taking. I took a stroll down this evening to check on it and it's still there. I can say that the decals on the Radio side are still there, yet very dark as though they were stained over. I was able to make-out the the word "Victrola" around one of the radio's selector knobs. The tuning indicator (needle) for the radio still moves in response to the knob! The panel on the TV side is indeed quite thin. Perhaps 1/8". The TV tuner reminds me a bit of a KLH 21 radio tuner in that the tuning knob turns at (perhaps) a 3 or 4 to 1 ratio in relationship to the tuning indicator (needle).

Dave

[relaximus]

Originally Posted by me (relaximus)

... I can say that the decals on the Radio side are still there, yet very dark as though they were stained over.

My guess is that when the TV tuner was replaced, its new panel was stained in-place and the radio side was hit at the same time to try and make them match.

Dave

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by relaximus

the garage is unlocked and I have permission from the home-owners) and it's still there.

If the lady is AWOL, I would contact the owners and politely offer to buy and install a sturdy padlock on their garage. Give them (or their local agent) all the keys, so they know you're not trying to pull something. Explain that you got your heart set on that funny old thing in the garage and it's worth the cost of a padlock to make sure it doesn't disappear from their property.

Phil Nelson

[Pielock373]

I am green with envy! If it was mine I would restore and never let it out of my sight. Don't sell it, keep it if you have the room for it. That is a once in a lifetime find, fate is trying to tell you something! If your lucky enough to end up with itKeep it, don't sell it! Just thinking about this set is making me light-headed. This is like winning the lottery, IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE, don't sell it! Keep it and polish it daily.

Steve P