Very early Motorola VT71 scored

[mbates14]

Originally Posted by bandersen

If you're wondering why the remote controls to the right are upside down - it's so they don't scratch my vintage coffee table

LOL and here you are working with a TV on top of it. lol.

[bandersen]

True, but I do have a towel under it Plus I'm not really doing much work on it in this room - it's just a good area to take photos.
Those plastic remotes banging down on the table again and again and sliding around are really rough on the lacquer finish.

[miniman82]

Ask me how I know you're never gonna have kids, Bob.

[kvflyer]

Originally Posted by bandersen

...

If you're wondering why the remote controls to the right are upside down - it's so they don't scratch my vintage coffee table

Bob,

Looks great. I have used water to get that nasty old gasket off too. I found that info a few years ago either here or on ARF. You have more tenacity than I.

As as to the remotes, I do the same thing whilst they are sitting on the bed so that the buttons do not get pushed by the cats...

[TheNixer]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

Wonder if anyone at Motorola, Admiral, et al ever thought people would STILL be "Fussin'" over these things 65 years later ?!?

My answer is a big NO. I nearly stalked the relatives of Ross Siragusa (Admiral) for some history and even some old photos. I think they were happy to have the interest in the beginning but other than a PDF of Siragusa's life there wasn't much else. Including interest. Craftsmanship and design in the 40's blows away today's standards but the motive was the same. If they didn't make money they wouldn't survive tomorrow. There didn't seem to be much sentimentality to it. Models were always changing and everything moved along at a fantastic pace.

I'd love to know what within us makes us appreciate these old sets. I'm the only person I know in my day to day life that prefers and enjoys my '49 Motorola over an LG 52" HD TV.

[old_coot88]

Originally Posted by TheNixer

I'd love to know what within us makes us appreciate these old sets. I'm the only person I know in my day to day life that prefers and enjoys my '49 Motorola over an LG 52" HD TV.

It's a touchstone to something intrinsically and quintessentially American, designed and created by Americans, representing America at the zenith of her greatness. I get the same feeling you describe looking through the 'Popular Science'/'Popular Mechanics' genre of magazines from that era of when i was a kid.
Bill(oc)

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by americanrestoration

Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 3
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[kx250rider]

Wait a minute: How'd my reply go in the wrong thread?

[kvflyer]

Originally Posted by kx250rider

Wait a minute: How'd my reply go in the wrong thread?

I dunno!

Anyway, why do I have 5 of these sets? Well, I remember one being in basement when I was a kid. Dad worked on sets and I just remembered how cute it was! Fast forward, One of the ones that I have is now restored and works well. I still have 4 in queue. One is a blonde cabinet and one has channel 1. So, I guess I am like the rest of us that just wants these little guys...

http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/...p?f=3&t=144209

[Eric H]

Originally Posted by kx250rider

Wait a minute: How'd my reply go in the wrong thread?

Possibly because I deleted that post as SPAM?

[KentTeffeteller]

Sandy G,

If I recall correctly, the first TV station you could easily receive was WBTV in Charlotte, NC. Which signed on before the debut of WJHL-TV in 1953. The difficulty of reception and the expense of the early TV sets limited their acceptance when the VT 71 was first built.

[bandersen]

I was rearranging my VT71s and took the opportunity to snap some photos of all three side by side. The blonde is a work in progress and it's logo and CRT have been removed.

Left-to-right: Very early version with walnut cabinet, mahogany and blonde

[ChrisW6ATV]

Bob-

Here are my serial numbers and dates of my two VT-71s. The older one is not marked TS-4D after all.

Walnut
#5782
January 30, 1948
Steel chassis

Blond
TS-4D
#24874
March 30, 1948
Copper chassis

On both of mine, the bottom control with the metal cap is called "audio adjust".

I am going to start restoring the walnut one now. It does have the round discs on the lower sides near the front. (I thought it was mahogany until I looked at your three pictures. I am very poor at recognizing wood types.) I had bought a restored VT-71 cabinet on Ebay a number of years ago, and it is definitely mahogany, comparing to your three sets. Now, I guess I have an excuse to find a third one of these (one of each finish).

[ChrisW6ATV]

My walnut set's cabinet shows the 7F8 tube, but the chassis itself does not have one, it appears, but rather a miniature tube (another 6AG5?).

I am going to restore the blond TS-4D now instead, I decided. Its cabinet is in very nice condition with good decals, so maybe its CRT will be strong if I am lucky. Around 1980, I had it partially working, but that was before I knew I needed to replace every paper capacitor. I remember that I put 6000V disc capacitors in it; those will be replaced again with some ASCs that I already bought.

[bandersen]

That should be a 12AT7 tube. Should like you might have a mismatched cabinet and chassis.

I'm curious to see of photo of that walnut cabinet. I've only seen two ever in walnut - mine and the TS-4B on ebay. Neither have the side plugs.