RCA International Model 9QC94FMT

[Dave A]

Found this Fernseh made for RCA today at a yard sale. Model 9QC94FMT.
$30.

7 tubes and an EM34 eye tube (Weak. Anyone with a spare?). Tube chart shows American tubes but German tubes are in the sockets. A few Valvo subs. Can't decipher date codes on them. Cabinet clean but for a ding on the right side rear. Only other one on the web is from ARF about 8 years ago. No schematic I can find. Phono is DOA. Can't change speed below 45. Jammed. Will not spin. That is for later or someone else. An ID on the changer would help if you know.

Wall power up and it works! No hum unless you crank it up. AM sound good on its internal rod. FM is less than great but just sounds like a weak tube in its separate tuner. Internal FM loop wire works great. Nothing to be found on LW or SW. A quick tube socket cleaning with DeOxit helped. It says stereo but only has one speaker under the dome cover next to the phono. The dome has a rear exit also via the back cover. Stereo is by added speakers using the internal stereo amp and the stereo switch on the front to kick in the multiplex. That explains why the balance control does nothing until speakers are connected. Later. The rear speaker connections are curious with the instructions for half-plugged in or full-plugged in. Not sure what that is.

Usually I don't touch these but it was too good to pass up. I could get to liking this. And it seems to be rare and now worth thousands of $...in my dreams.

[Electronic M]

The changer looks a bit like the Collaro conquest changers Magnavox was rebadging in the late 50s early 60s.

[vortalexfan]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

The changer looks a bit like the Collaro conquest changers Magnavox was rebadging in the late 50s early 60s.

That's what I was thinking, a Collaro Record Changer, those are actually very easy to work on, I had one of those in an old Magnavox Console I had gotten from Goodwill years ago that the changer didn't work right and all I had to do was clean the old grease out of the changer mechanism and relubed the mechanism and put it back together and it worked again.

These Collaro Changers are actually much gentler on your records than your V-M record changers because they actually stop the turntable platter when changing the records and then starts the platter again after dropping the record but before dropping the tone arm, and its able to do that because it has 2 idler tires, one that rotates the platter and one that operates the changer mechanism.

Hope this helps.

[DavGoodlin]

This set is about as odd a 1958 M.Y. RCA Victor 14" metal portable made by Sylvania, which I have two of. The model and chassis numbers did not follow RCA conventions and this is even more interesting, as Fernseh (far-see) did more television than radio.

Did RCA have a production shortage in this range of compact consoles as they phased out the Orthophonic line? These are well-fused, multi-volt and possibly sold in military PX for those missing RCA, homesick and serving overseas. LW band was usually not found on any set, even German, sold in US. There has to be someone here who knows about it and THAT would be a great story.

Dave- It is indeed unique, more the size of an EMUD 915 I found. I don't want to jump on your thread. I found one nearby on CL but quite different, also made by Fernseh and paid $40 also quite fair. I have not tried it at all but plan to restore for at least one of the kids, who don't seem to want more than single-ended power, and are used to their "devices" puny outputs.

Its a standard compact German set. I hope its not too much of a bear to get the record player going. I have several other Collaro changers to service, leading up to it at least. My changer is labeled RCA but very obviously Collaro-era that Magnavox used. It also has an EV-26 ceramic cartridge, not unusual at all and Gary at V-M has subs are available in case yours has a hardened compliance.

Several issues come to mind for longevity of German sets, any and all.

First, these have a transformer and full-wave rectifier bridge that is supposedly selenium. This is usually wired with really thin stuff that seems to be OK though 22 ga. at best. I advise replacement with at least a 400 PRV replacement bridge and 1 amp is plenty. I don't have a schematic but I would have no problem checking it out for you next month's event at Kutztown.

Second, Wax paper caps are probably leaky, nearly open, or both. I have confirmed this via testing on the last Grundig and Nordmende sets I repaired from (1960 models). If it works now, this may not become an issue. But if you do anything, replace the caps feeding to/from both 6BQ5 grid and plates (de-emphasis feedback). I have also had these in screen grid circuits of IF tubes cause reception issues. There are probably caps that feed the electrostatic tweets right off those 6BQ5 plates too!

Third, believe it or not the electrolytics passed ESR-Capacitance on my new Peak 70 and breakdown tests on my EICO 950 but I replaced them anyway. Yours obviously re-formed if they were dormant.

[Telecolor 3007]

To be honest, that's a very intresting looking radio. If the brand wasn't mentioned I could swear it was Europeanen.