Olympic TV

[spudz64]

Hey can anyone share any insight on this old Olympic TV? It was around our house when I grew up in the 1960's, it didn't work by then though. I came across this old pic of it from the 1950's, while digging around in family old pics. It looked sharp, right?! I wish it was still around my folks house!

Thanks!

[Adam]

I had a similar set, the veneer on the cabinet was in really bad condition (it had been left out in the rain), and I painted the cabinet to make it look a little better. I eventually parted it out and junked the cabinet, I still have the crt.

[veg-o-matic]

That's the same model I gave to leadlike a year or so ago, though it was in a blonde finish. Got it from captainmoody.

Leadlike, did you ever get it going again?

[Sam Cogley]

I have an AM/FM radio head from an Olympic. Uses SE output tubes, I think they're 6BQ5s. I haven't found a picture of a cabinet with anything quite like it installed.

[leadlike]

To answer Veggie-

In a sad coincidence, I had to toss out the Olympic set last week. It really pained me to do it, as for all appearances, it looked nice. But that's about all it did. Every time I had it fixed, it would run for about an hour, and then die out. Typically, total failure of the hv. Moyer's no longer stocked the flyback that I needed, and that's ultimately what put it down.

I have saved the crt and put that into my RCA set, and it looks great! I have hung onto the chassis as it has almost entirely new components (vertical wouldn't seem to lock until I replaced all the caps and resistors in that circuit). So Troy (as the set is so named) will live on in many other sets for years to come.

This set used the Olympic HB chassis, which according to SAM's dates to something like 1958. My chassis has a provision for the radio, which is an empty tube socket. The cabinet on my set was almost entirely dead space, with a puny, Muntzed chassis to run the tv. This model tv had a pair of speakers, which was pretty nice. I still feel bad about ditching Troy, as these sets are getting rare, but I guess I can't save them all...I still have the SAM's if someone was curious about any specifics on that model.

[Charlie]

Man, I remember Troy... that was Veg's baby... Troy & Laura wasn't it. Troy was sharp. Too bad he was plagued with so many issues.

[leadlike]

Yeah, Laura was the Zenith roundie. I saw her running when I went to pick up Troy.

Troy had a long service history: before I got him, he had already been worked over, and among other issues, I found a miswired electrolytic cap and a backwards video detector diode. He also had a shorted yoke and a bad flyback. Replaced those, and he ran better, but horizontal hold wouldn't lock. Eventually replaced everything in the horizontal circuit, and since vertical was a bit twitchy, did that too. This got it to a point that it would run, but with the still occasional loss of horizontal lock. It would also occasionally lose hv, and dim down to nothing after running for a half hour or so. Never found the problem before the fly just went snap! and died. This was only the 3rd tv I had ever worked on, and I learned A LOT tearing Troy apart and putting him back together again. Given that the crt looked and tested new, but was still the original Olympic branded one, I'm gonna guess this set didn't run so hot when it was new.

[spudz64]

Thanks everyone! So, any idea what year its from? I know its bwt 1955 and 1960. I'm a Predicta fan but I really wish we still had this, it really was very '50's looking with the fabric insert!

[leadlike]

Spudz-here is the official word on the age of your set:

My Sam's dates to 1959 (set #438). The Olympic is the HB chassis.

The crt on my set dates to the 22nd week of 1959.

So let's just guess that this thing was on the floor for Christmas of '59, and possibly in your house by 1960 (if things moved as fast as possible).

Looking at your picture, I can tell you a little more about this set-there was originally an antenna strung around the back in a single loop, and it has now been torn off, and dangling free. I wouldn't be surprised if your parents didn't keep this set going too long, as my Olympic was such a headache. What was the tv you remember growing up with, while this one sat idle?

[Robert Grant]

Sad to see that set had to be ditched. Nice cabinet design. Its like my Emerson 1224, only cuter.

I wonder if, with so much room inside the set, if one of these would be a candidate for a "frankenset" with some other (and more reliable) brand of chassis from another set with a damaged or just ugly cabinet powering a 21" (or is it a 24") CRT that seems to be universal among black and white sets of the era?

[spudz64]

Originally Posted by leadlike

Spudz-here is the official word on the age of your set:

My Sam's dates to 1959 (set #438). The Olympic is the HB chassis.

The crt on my set dates to the 22nd week of 1959.

So let's just guess that this thing was on the floor for Christmas of '59, and possibly in your house by 1960 (if things moved as fast as possible).

Looking at your picture, I can tell you a little more about this set-there was originally an antenna strung around the back in a single loop, and it has now been torn off, and dangling free. I wouldn't be surprised if your parents didn't keep this set going too long, as my Olympic was such a headache. What was the tv you remember growing up with, while this one sat idle?

Thanks! That sounds about right, after talking to my folks this week. I was born in late 1964, and I never recall this TV working, just sitting there looking really cool and I used to poke around with it, turning the knobs, ect.....lol The TV I remember us using was a color set, no idea what brand though...

[Adam]

There's one of these Olympics on detroit cl: http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/clt/1487199148.html

[zenithfan1]

That's a cool lookin' tv Adam. I would like to find one someday....