It is amazing how many vintage CRT'S are still great!!

[jr_tech]

If only these old TVs could talk! I bet that many would have interesting stories about how they survived. I always *try* to get the background story behind each set that I collect, but actually find very few with a known history.

jr

[zeno]

I think on average jugs from the late 60's til late 80's
are lasting a long time. B&W's from abt 1960 on also.
New displays are super complex & delicate. CRTs are
simple & have a long history of improvements.
If you make a CRT to last an average of 10 yrs many
will have to last 20yrs and more to accomplish it.
When a set got replaced it was usually 8 yrs old
& still had a good jug, it got patched up & put
in another room. When it crapped out again it ofter
went into the cellar or garage.
So the TV sees 8 yrs hard use, 5 yrs low use then
sits for years idle. Some do hard time. I had a
top-o-line M-line Zenith 19" about 1981. I sold it a
few yrs later. He ran it til mid 90's & gave it away.
Abt 3 yrs ago it got junked still working fine. I know
it isnt a rare thing............

73 Zeno

[Zenith26kc20]

Like was said, use em for noise! I have many customers that say they can't sleep unless there is a TV on in their bedroom. Years ago I had a couple that had a big box projo that stayed on 24 hours a day. They couldn't believe they needed CRT's replaced every year because the phosphor was dead.

[wkand]

My story on roundie CRT's is the Zenith 25MC33 chassis combo I grew up with. TV was "on" from about 9 AM to Midnight 5 days most weeks, and every other Saturday. Sunday, not so much during the day , but we never missed Wild Kingdom, Disney and whatever western was on. 1st CRT lasted from 1965 to 1970. Second lasted 1970 to 71 then 73 to 74 with a new Hi Lite tube (2 years total). Was replaced again in 1976 with a worn rejuv'd 21FJP22 from and old RCA set by me in High School. The constant on condition was not noise. One of us 4 was watching at all times, between evening shows, sports, soaps, game and talk shows.

The chassis still ran after that but with lots of snapping and popping. Very lightly used after that till about 1981. So 5 years and 2 years each on 2 tubes with average 12 hours daily use, combined with other minor chassis repairs.

Compare with a Sampo 19" CRT set from a discount store purchased in 1982 or 83, that lasted until 2003 with only a jungle IC replacement 1 year after purchase. Also, my parents had another cheap set, a Portland brand 19" "off the truck" in a parking lot that ran about 15 years, with no repairs. The cost of both was about the same as the first CRT replacement in the Zenith (other chassis repairs had to be done at the same time). Both of those sets developed focus problems late in their lives and were discarded. Both sets ran 10-20 hours a day, 7 days a week. I'd say that's fair service, and a big improvement over the roundie, much as I like the old Zeniths.