Three new Admirals on my porch - Videokarma.org TV - Video

bandersen · #1 07-23-2011, 12:37 AM

A friend dropped off a couple Admirals for restoration yesterday and I picked up this smashed 19A11 tonight.

The console is a 26R12 with a 16KP4 CRT. The tabletop has the same chassis only copper plated with an RCA Silverama CRT.
It appears to be a 17 incher - maybe a 17BP4 ? I'm not sure but it might have had an 16" CRT originally and this is a retrofit.

My friend also had a little bag with him. Inside I found the black knobs for the tabletop and the two damaged control doors. Considering how often they are missing, he's really lucky to have them in any condition.

Too bad the tabletop is missing the back. I also can't find a model # or tube chart. It's black bakelite as compared to the brown bakelite console.

Little casters have been added to the 26R12

Both CRTs test good. The 16KP4 took about 30 minutes to wake up, but the Silverama had good emissions immediately.

As for the sad little 19A11, I found it locally on craigslist. The parts - CRT shield, speaker, knobs, etc will help me restore the 19A11 I picked up at ARCI two years ago.
The 7JP4 tests very, very good

Here it is next to the very early VT71 I just picked up last week. It will be fun to compare them running side-by-side.

mstaton · #2 07-23-2011, 02:47 AM

Nice sets!. Too bad about the bakelite. Good for parts i suppose

MelodyMaster · #3 07-23-2011, 02:55 AM

I love the 19A11, it was not only my first antique TV, but the first TV I ever personally owned. When I was 14 years old I bought it for $1 (from my allowance) from a friend who was moving. Other than replacing the paper deflection capacitors with ceramics, and a filter cap, and eventually doing a needed alignment, that thing ran unmolested for the next 30 years. (just as my GE 802D is doing now, after owning it for, again, 30 years.) I sold it in the 90s for $50, still with a bright, sharp picture.

Glenz75 · #4 07-23-2011, 04:39 AM

I think you should be crowned the "Admiral King"

Some more great finds you have there!

Sandy G · #5 07-23-2011, 07:24 AM

The 19A11 was my 1st antique TV, too. There's just "Something" about them-I've always thought they're cuter than the proverbial Bug's Ear....

VintagePC · #6 07-23-2011, 09:21 AM

Argh... If you see anything green dripping down your screen, it is my envy....

Nice find... looks like we'll be reading your restore logs for the next little while...

MelodyMaster · #7 07-23-2011, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy G

The 19A11 was my 1st antique TV, too. There's just "Something" about them-I've always thought they're cuter than the proverbial Bug's Ear....

I wish I'd kept it. Other than a crack at the bottom (darn Bakelite!) the set was in fine condition.

Kevin Kuehn · #8 07-23-2011, 01:25 PM

My goodness. So many Admirals, and so little time.

I think you should patch the little hole in the 19A11, no point in parting out such a nice set.

***Eric H*** · #9 07-23-2011, 01:37 PM

I have an extra cabinet for that little Admiral.

bandersen · #10 07-23-2011, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenz75

I think you should be crowned the "Admiral King"

Some more great finds you have there!

Thanks! I can only take credit for the little smashed 19A11 though. My friend found the other two. I think they were the last bakelite sets Admiral made

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

My goodness. So many Admirals, and so little time.

I think you should patch the little hole in the 19A11, no point in parting out such a nice set.

At least this time someone is paying me to restore some TVs

Better yet these two have the same chassis as my 26X56. So I figure I'll do all 3 at the same time. That should save some time I hope.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric H

I have an extra cabinet for that little Admiral.

Hmmm. I suppose it could be saved, but I'd still need a speaker and CRT shield for the one on the right.

kvflyer · #11 07-23-2011, 05:44 PM

Bob,

I had a 26R12 as a kid and it got away. Later, I got another one and restored it. They are nice sets. The table model is most likely a 16R12 and is identical to the console. I have a few spare parts for them if you get into a bind. Both sets use the same CRT.

kvflyer · #12 07-23-2011, 05:56 PM

BTW, a kind member of ARF hooked me up with the correct color volume control since I took this picture.

kvflyer · #13 07-23-2011, 06:08 PM

And Bob, if you have three Admirals on the back porch, you had better stand at attention!!!

bandersen · #14 07-23-2011, 06:14 PM

Thanks for the pictures. Looks like a typical Admiral under that chassis - plenty of room to work

Here's the CRT in the tabletop. It looks to me like a 17 incher

Check out the rounded sides. The 16KP4 in the console has very flat sides.

I like the little spring loaded flyback trapdoor.

Phil Nelson · #15 07-23-2011, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

I think you should patch the little hole in the 19A11, no point in parting out such a nice set.

Hey, you joke, but to us Admiral-challenged collectors, that doesn't seem so crazy. It's a big hole, so you make a big patch. Then Bondo, primer, dark brown paint (on the whole cabinet), maybe one coat of clear, re-do the lettering, and you're home free.

Phil Nelson