My First Vintage TV.....

[krimney]

I finally got sucked into another black hole. The house is already full of audio gear...100+ sets of speakers, receivers, amps etc. All vintage. I have read a few posts about the vintage TV's and came across one today that followed me home. I'm not sure how I did, you guys tell me.

It is a Zenith, chassis 20CC50 , Z. the pic tube has a tag that says AG23VBAP22. It is a color unit, for it's age in excellent cosmetic condition. The thrift store just picked it up today from what is probably the original owner. The lady moved to a nursing home and sold her home in an old part of town for over a half million $. My guess is it's been a daily user for many years. Picture seems good.

What can you guys tell me about this unit, what should I need to know. I plan to use a VCR to get the rest of the cable channels, should work right?

Pics to come once I get it in the house.

ken

[Sandy G]

Roundie or rectangular? Ahh, hell, it don't matter. You're hooked, or will be shortly. There's something about an old one-eyed monster from the Forties or early fifties..or a roundie... that says"I wanna come home w/you, mister...Please?" and you know you can't resist...-Sandy G.

[krimney]

The unit had one of those little cylinders attached with the cable end on one end and two spade termainals on the other. The UHF strips were attached to the VHF antenna. There is also a UHF tuner terminal. I've got the cable running into my VHS. What now??

I also have a high pitched squeal that is just audible enough to be annoying. It seems to come and go.

It looks like the side panels are plastic so I guess the unit isn't that old.

Here are some pics.

[krimney]

with the back off. Lots of tubes all appear to be Zenith brand.

[colortrakker]

Can't quite tell from that angle, but it could be the EXACT model I remember from my first years. May have been from 1972, from what family said.

[krimney]

The VCR is working hooked up the the UHF strips. I had to connect them directly to the coaxial cable, the little adaptor doesn't seem to work.

I did some searches and it seems to date to the late 60's , early 70's.

Seems to be a bit of distortion in the pic in the top inch of the screen

[krimney]

Like many of us first saw him??

The high pitch squeal seems to have gone away after a while

[krimney]

All the controls for VH, red , blue , green etc are on the back. I also found a thread that mentioned the 20CC50 chassis is hard to find.

[krimney]

switched the tape off and cable is now running through the VCR

The distortion at the top of the screen also goes away on the cable so it must be the VCR or it's interaction with the TV.

[Sandy G]

Nice set, Ken !! Now you need a GE "Locomotive", a bakelite Admiral, or a T-54 Hallicrafters to sit on top of it. A porthole Zenith would be nice, too-kinda a son/father thing.<grin>..-Sandy G.

[bgadow]

A good set, glad you saved it. The cabinet might be half plastic but the chassis is solid, one of the last of the "real" tv chassis'. Many old sets have trouble with the output from a vcr. And the noise was a Zenith trait. Hmm... told you about all I know, enjoy!

Oh, I do know one other thing. The Sams photofact is #1238, dating this to 1972. Well, I'm a '72 model, too, so I'm partial when I say its a good tv!

[polaraman]

If you would like a photocopy of the SAMS, send me a PM with your address. Ya never will never know if you will need it.

Nice Set!!

polaraman

[Carmine]

The distortion at the top of the screen also goes away on the cable so it must be the VCR or it's interaction with the TV.

It is. That's a problem with all old TVs & VCRs, but not with DVDs.

As to the noise, it tends to be a tube-trait, but might be more of a Zenith problem. I think it's the horizontal oscilator, oscilating. Also could be a virbration in the HV cage.

As to the term "UHF STRIPS", it seems like Zenith kept using the same antenna connections LONG after UHF became standard. So ignore the term, doesn't apply to your set.

That set looks like 1970 to me... Might be a Chromacolor I?

We in the old TV word salute you sir for saving it.

[Chad Hauris]

It depends on the DVD...some dvd's work ok on the old sets, but some have Macrovision and you get the old bending syndrome or you get lines appearing and disappearing at the top of the picture.

[Charlie]

Nice Zenith! I recognize that model... two of my mother's sisters used to have one like it. I recall watching Forbidden Planet for the first time on one of those sets when I was a kid. There is also one of these sets in the local tv shop here. It will take me a lot of work to get to it because of all the crap that must be moved.

Looks like your set makes a pretty decent picture. Congrats! And, by the way... you'll be hooked now!