Travler portable tv - Videokarma.org TV - Video

Radiotronman · #1 01-22-2016, 08:46 AM

I decided I would start restoration on my Travler portable tv I got recently while I wait in parts for my RCA projection set. I like the colors and it should be a simple restoration. It's missing the back and two side control knobs, but in otherwise nice condition. Anyone else seen many of these?

decojoe67 · #2 01-22-2016, 09:08 AM

VERY cool '50's portable TV. I was close to getting the same exact set from a collector friend a while back. The two-tone red, square-ish shape, round speaker opening, and "bulging-eye" look make it a classic "mid-century" piece. Having the "Trav-ler" adds to the uniqueness. They don't show-up often at all, but these metals sets still only have a mild desirability.

dieseljeep · #3 01-22-2016, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radiotronman

I decided I would start restoration on my Travler portable tv I got recently while I wait in parts for my RCA projection set. I like the colors and it should be a simple restoration. It's missing the back and two side control knobs, but in otherwise nice condition. Anyone else seen many of these?

I worked on a lot of them. There was a $5 down, easy terms furniture store in the neighborhood, where I first lived that sold a lot of them. Priced at around $120 with UHF. Standard Coil tuner.
For a very inexpensive set, they were rather trouble free. A lot better than the Philco's the same store sold.

Radiotronman · #4 01-31-2016, 08:35 PM

Finished this set today and it was a pretty simple restoration. The picture is pretty good and may become my daily watcher in my shop. It's missing a couple of white knobs on the side, but I've got a couple similar knobs that will pass for now.

old_coot88 · #5 01-31-2016, 08:56 PM

Nice! The only 'Trav-ler' I ever remember seein' was just like this one, but the cabinet was all a single color, a brownish bronze (or bronzish-brown).

ISawItOnTV · #6 01-31-2016, 10:49 PM

Looks great. Two-tone really adds another dimension.

Radiotronman · #7 01-31-2016, 11:01 PM

The only other Travler tv I have is a 1949-50 16" pushbutton console.

dieseljeep · #8 02-01-2016, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radiotronman

Finished this set today and it was a pretty simple restoration. The picture is pretty good and may become my daily watcher in my shop. It's missing a couple of white knobs on the side, but I've got a couple similar knobs that will pass for now.

That's probably the last model of the "boxey" style cabinet. The tuner was lower on the older models and the knobs were different. I didn't see too many of those.

***Eric H*** · #9 02-01-2016, 02:05 PM

Great looking set! Also nice to have something that's not a GE or an RCA though they are great looking too.

I love the metal portables from the late 50's, they were orignally the main focus of my collecting when I started out. It was really a very short period when such sets were made, 57-59 mostly, that pretty much applies to cars of the era too.