Show us your vintage color sets!

[jshorva65]

The Zenith model 5315 (chassis 24MC32) from the New York score proved to be in the worst shape of the three. It's in a badly-scratched cabinet with a faux finish which will be quite difficult to save. Something had obviously clobbered the back cover, also, as is fairly obvious from breaks in the Masonite and a large hole in the neck shield. I glued what was left of the shield back together with epoxy to protect the usable 21FBP22 inside while the set is in storage. That set will be put aside pending my decision to attempt saving the cabinet. For now, its p/n 95-2263 Chroma Injection transformer was transplanted into my Zenith model 5415 (also a 24MC32 chassis) shown here, since the original Chroma transformer was broken beyond repair before I acquired the set. This set's cabinet is in much better condition.

This set holds special significance for me, in the form of childhood memories. As I've posted here before, my grandparents owned several Zenith "roundie" sets years ago. Somewhere in photo albums at my parents' house are some photos of me at about my grandson's age, taken at my grandparents' house with one of their Zenith "roundie" sets clearly visible in the background. Next time my grandson visits, I'm sure there will be a snapshot taken of him either by me or my parents where this set will be in the background. Family tradition? As some already know, "Lost in Space" is my all-time favorite TV series. Since the first time I had seen one of the 54 color episodes of "Lost in Space" on a color set was at my grandparents' house on their Zenith roundie, my choice of DVD's to play for these pics was obvious. This was the third-season episode where the Robinsons finally return to Earth, only to discover that their having exceeded the speed of light has carried them back in time to 1947, to a small town in Michigan where no one has even seen a television yet except in a Popular Mechanics article.

One of my favorite features of this and similar Zenith sets is the "rear projection channel dial" where the dial lamp projects the image of the selected channel number into the indicator window at the center of the knob.

[jshorva65]

Here are the promised pics of the NY Road Trip scores. In addition to the cracked back cover and broken neckguard, the model 5315 (24MC32) is also missing its metal service-access cover from the bottom of its cabinet. The 27KC20 and 25LC30 sets I scored have their cover plates, however, and it appears that all of the "roundie" models from the "K-series" to at least the "M-series" used identical access panels. If I decide to restore this model 5315 despite its rough cabinet, I'll just have my local metal fabrication consultant make a repro from one of the other sets' bottom plates. Scoring a replacement neckguard or having a repro made will be substantially more difficult, since I'm not aware of any plastics companies where it can be done economically (without an outrageously high minimum quantity and/or mold-making fee). The legs of all three sets are present, but stored in a box temporarily. The VHF knob for the 5315 is also present, but on the bench waiting for epoxy to dry after repair of its cracked knob skirt. All three sets are blessed with good CRT's (21FBP22's, thus immune from cataracts). The 25LC30 has a genuine wood veneer finish, so it can be refinished in the usual manner. The 27KC20 and 24MC32 are another story, as the faux finish will be next to impossible to save. About the only way is to refinish the moldings, cut replacement panels from 1/8" cabinet-grade plywood, and finish the panels to match. Here are the two CRT's also. I'll be double-boxing the used 21GVP22 and its support box in a replacement outer box, since the outer box we used to protect it on the trip home sustained some rain damage when the tarps shifted and that box had to be trashed when we unloaded the truck. It's packed with large styrofoam blocks supporting the bell of the tube inside the Zenith TV box. A suitable outer box and cardboard/foam inserts will be used to protect the neck as we did on the trip home.

Now, all I need to score are a 29JC20 and a 25NC33 to have an all-series'-represented Zenith roundie collection (featuring at least one model from each "roundie" series from "J-series" to "N-series"). Getting there! I'm sure Doug must already have reached that milestone with his collection. I think he has the largest collection of Zenith roundie sets of anyone I've met, unless someone else from the Conventions has a larger collection.

I also have a delaminated 21FJP22 (not pictured here) that I planned to install in the Sylvania 31C304M. I'll still be installing that tube in the Sylvania set, but not for my personal collection. It seems Todd regrets trading his 31C606MU after all, and will be arranging a trade for my delaminated 21FJP22 since it is now identical to a 21FBP22. I'll probably also be recapping that set for him, since he hasn't recapped a color set yet. We'll probably arrange for this to be a teaching opportunity, since he's eager to build upon his experience with radios toward becoming proficient with the more-advanced techniques required for TV and the ultra-advanced demands of color set restoration.

[veg-o-matic]

Wow, I think that 5315 is the same model I have. I know for sure the chassis is 24MC32. In fact, I think it might even have been yours at one time!

veg

[jshorva65]

It seems that my "road trip" scores, in addition to the rare 27KC20, also included a rarely-seen version of the 25LC30. In addition to the genuine wood veneer on its cabinet, the example I scored features an unexpected production variation in its chassis layout. Normally, as shown in the Sams folder for this model/chassis (#722-4), a two-section 80uF/475V+160uF/250V is employed, with its sections arranged as the +410V Filter and lower half of the Doubler respectively. In my example, model 5119 coded 66B26, two separate single-section cans are used with appropriate cutouts provided on the chassis and clearly as a factory-original variation. This discovery was made during setup for routine reforming and performance testing of the set's existing electrolytic capacitor complement.

Incidentally, is anyone familiar with the significance of the five-character codes printed in black ink on the rear covers of these sets and typically consisting of a two-digit number, a letter, and another two-digit number? As stated, this set is coded 66B26. My 5315/24MC32 is coded 67B08, my 5415/24MC32 bears the code 65D12. No code was found on the rear cover of the 5025/27KC20. Until encountering the code on the 5119 which does not fit my initial hypothesis, I had presumed these codes to identify the week of manufacture (65D12 as 4th week of December, 1965; 67B08 as second week of August, 1967). Not only does 66B26 not fit this pattern, but a manufacture date in 1966 for a VHF-only set does not appear to comply with the "All-Channel" requirement which became effective as of April, 1964. Since the set was purchased near the Canadian border, however, it might be possible for the set to have been produced for sale in Canada and thus exempt from rules which were applied only to sets which were to be distributed to American vendors. Such was the case with certain G.E. PortaColor sets manufactured for Canadian markets and only equipped with VHF tuners.

[drh4683]

This is in a interesting observation. I'm going to look at various zenith sets of mine and see if I can come up with some kind of logical pattern for that sequence.

[jshorva65]

The code might also indicate Year/Day/Week such as 66B26 indicating Tuesday of the 26th work week in 1966, again presuming this set was to be shipped to a Canadian dealer, due to the "All Channel" restriction effective April, 1964 for U.S. markets. That explanation also conflicts with the presence of a Service decal bearing the name of a shop with a New York address, however, unless the set was subsequently resold as a "used" item to an American household by its original Canadian owner and eventually serviced at the shop in New York whose label was affixed to the back.

Incidentally, I'm still searching for a Zenith roundie model equipped with Space Command. So far, the only remote-equipped "vintage" set I've ever personally owned was an RCA from the XL-100 era, a CTC-68 chassis, as I remember, that I bought used in the late 80s with its transistorized ultrasonic remote transmitter.

[drh4683]

After checking a few sets, I believe its purly coincidental that the numbers appear close to the approximate assembly year of the TV. I checked a '66 Zenith roundie I have, the back was written "Purchased 9-1-66" and the code reads 68G16.

I have a '69 Zenith, the code is 16A14, its a metal cabinet color set, the date stamp inside the set indicates 1-7-69 and the back of the set was written "Installed 1-25-69", incidently that set was hot off the line when it was bought!

As of now, the best way to determine assembly is by original tubes, or if you're lucky, sometimes they have the actual date stamp on the inside of the cabinet. Another way is the filter cans sometimes have date codes as does the 3.58 crystal. Later zeniths have the actual month and day date printed on the delay line.