I had an epiphany this evening

[ohohyodafarted]

Hi Gang,

I had an epiphany this evening while tweeking the 21CT55. The picture is getting better with each itteration of tweeks, to the point that I am starting to be amazed at how wonderful a picture the set will produce.

So I started thinking about the men and women of 1954, many of whom have likely passed on, whose engineering brilliance created a miracle, with what is by todays standards, stone-age technology.

And then it came to me; something that I had never considered since I became active in this hobby. We start out as collectors, people who collect for the sake of amassing the biggest collection of the most imprortant and most valuable examples, just because we like this stuff. I think that is where I started in this hobby. I liked this stuff, and it is fun to collect and make it function again. But collecting is just a part of the bigger picture.

There is another side to collecting that has another whole aspect to it. I think the word "collector" fails to do justice to the person who has evolved beyond just collecting. The word conservator is probably more appropriate for this person. And I think my epiphany this evening has shown me a whole different side of collecting. Where before, I collected just for the fun and enjoyment of it, I now also collect because it is an important thing that I do. It's a means by which I, and other conservators like myself, pay homage and respect to those brilliant men and women of a bygone era, that contributed so much to the advancement of television.

In 1954, a properly set up 21CT55 must have seemed like a fantastic miracle, beyond the comprehension of the average guy on the street. And frankly it seems like a miracle to me, even to this day, how they accomplished something this wonderful, with stone age technology. Nothing short of fantastic. I am in awe of what they were able to do. It would have been so exciting to have worked for RCA during that era. Those guys really had their shit together.

That was a very proud time technologically for America. I feel proud and priveliged to be a caretaker of such an important artifact of American technology. I think I am now just beginning to understand what kind of mindset, a true collector, or more properly, a conservator of these old sets, has. I think I am now beginning to understand why many of you, who are true conservators of these important artifacts, do this. It is not only fun, but it's of like we are the keepers of a sacred shrine, honoring the brilliant men and women of the past whose genius created these miracuolus things.

The work we do is important. It preserves for all time to come, important tecnological milestones, of one of the most important developments in modern history. Television

So I guess I've graduated. I may not know anywhere near what many of you seasoned television veterans understand about how they work, but I am no longer just a collector of tv's. Now I am on a mission to save and restore important items of technology for generations who will come after me. Generations of people who never saw a vacuum tube or crt in actual opperation. Generations who will look at a 1954 RCA color tv, when it is 100 years old and wonder, "How were they able to do that 100 years ago with that old fashioned stuff"

I would love to hear comments from others of you, who at some point in time, came to their own realization, that they were no longer just collecting, but had graduated to conserving important pieces of history.

Bob G.

[Tomcomm]

I get that same "moment of enlighten" when my latest 21CT55 circuit or setup tweak produces a better picture quality. Those RCA guys were the greatest! You already have an outstanding cabinet/chassis restoration, what you need now is an outstanding picture to complement it. I consider myself neither a restorer nor a conservator but a proven re activator. I know what picture quality the 21CT55 can produce with a 21FBP22A and have the photos to demonstrate it. I suggest you bring your best small modern CTV alongside the 21CT55 and use the Digital Video Essential DVD thru a quality modulator feeding both to permit direct comparison during your final 21CT55 setup. Keep posting the screen shots as you progress. Lotsa luck....Tom

[Sandy G]

You fellers put into words what I've felt for a long time. We don't really "own" any of these marvels-We are merely "caretakers" of them for awhile. Imagine what they'll think of them in 4-500 years from now-Assuming our civilisation survives.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by ohohyodafarted

... So I started thinking about the men and women of 1954, many of whom have likely passed on, whose engineering brilliance created a miracle, with what is by todays standards, stone-age technology...

Sometimes I just can't shake the feeling that it's actually the technology of the 50s and 60s that was more advanced.

[Dan Starnes]

I can add nothing and could not have stated it better myself.
Dan

[jeyurkon]

I can sympathise with your Epiphany. I started out just wanted to get the old TV we used to have so I could watch it and go back to a simpler and more enjoyable time.

I then started worrying about the sets I saw on the bay and the list. I fear that they'll be discarded or transformed into litter boxes. I now feel the need to protect and guard them for posterity.

Yet our desire to preserve history is an emotional one. There is importance in knowing where we came from, but most today seem more interested in casting off the old and pursuing the new.

I worry about who will protect the sets that we have preserved once we pass on. Those who are tasked with removing the signs of our existence may not have much interest in protecting what we valued.

Adam, when I look at the old Sylvania I'm restoring I see things that amaze me. I wonder how they designed such a complicated surface for an injection molded bezel without having 3D CAD software. The circuits that have several levels of AGC and AFC that work in concert without fighting each other and going into oscillation amazes me; that they could do it without simulation software. The cleverness of the circuits.

John

[Sandy G]

...An' they "ciphered" all the calculations w/o computers, just w/those primitive desk calculators...Or maybe w/pencil 'n' paper..

[newhallone]

I posted on the local Freecycle yahoo group this week and saved a 58 GE. She said it would have gone to the dump most likely. She thought about keeping it for looks, but I guess her hubby didn't care for that. I have another email to check on. He said he had a BW console and a early Sears Color. It could be anything. When was the earliest for a sears color set? I will post some pics soon in another thread. My goal is to try and not spend a whole lot on a set but to save and find homes for as many as I can. Sure I could buy anything on Ebay but I think it's fun to see what chance brings me cheap or free. Though I would like to find a Zenith Porthole in the Upper Michigan Wis. area.

[bgadow]

newhallone, there were some Sears color sets in the fifites but quite rare. Could very well be a 60s roundie, though.

I often get a special feeling when using my CTC-5. I think of the engineers behind it. I envision them, their nice homes in the suburbs, the Chrysler 300's they drove! Few people think about that these days. Yesterday was the annual Hobby Fair in our town; I set up my usual display, including the porthole in my avatar. (that was where that photo was taken, a few years ago) What struck me was that the kids really couldn't care less about what I had, but I had some great conversations with folks from older generations. One gentleman is retired from the IRS where he worked with computers. Old enough to be my grandfather, who knows much more about them than I do. One of my displays features the progression from tubes like the 01A through miniature tubes, the Nuvistor, the transistor-and finally chips. Very few appreciate what it means that something the size of your thumbnail takes the place of millions and millions of those tubes. Some do get it, though.

[SolidSqual]

Well said. Collecting antique and vintage gear is one thing, knowing how to preserve it is the next level.

[old_tv_nut]

I get the same feeling, especially after a glass of wine - but seriously, I don't consider my work on this stuff to be good enough to qualify as "conservator" - I just like to see it work and marvel at how much was done, and recall the awe I felt as a kid seeing stuff at a distance and eventually in color too!

By the way, "conservators" like the Smithsonian are awe-inspiring in the way they restore things to original appearance (and usually original materials), but they often make no attempt to restore function. When it comes to that, I'm happy to be called "restorer" when I restore the function of an old set.

[zenith2134]

It's an amazing feeling when you realize how great a product can be WITHOUT the use of 3D-modeled computer apps and simulator circuits.

Simple designs, with innovative and well-thought-out implementation are a beautiful thing.

[zenithfan1]

I couldn't have said it better either. You nailed it Bob. That's what it's about. Very good read.