What Is Your Favorite Set?

[Penthode]

I suppose my favorite TV(s) will remain the 1948 thru 1951 RCA designed TV's based first upon the KCS28 chassis. This was the first major revamp after the chassis used in the 630TS and the KCS28 has many notable features:

1) Full bandwidth 4 MHz with 4 video IF stages AND with two upper adjacent channel traps, two lower adjacent channel traps, two video IF sound traps and one video amplifier trap. Certainly this was overkill but the traps provide the KCS28's excellent DXing capability.

2) First set to use the full Synchroguide Horizontal AFC circuit which predominated in many brands for the next decade.

3) DC coupled video amplifier. RCA persisted with DC coupling up until about 1952. Elimination of the video amplifier coupling capacitor yielded a better low frequency response and eliminated the need for a separate DC restorer tube.

4) Excellent sync peak AGC. The 630TS had no AGC because of the need to develop a circuit to develop a consistently accurate gain control voltage. I believe the KCS28 was a breakthrough in this regard with the sync tip amplitude reference circuit it used. (The final breakthrough was he "Keyed AGC" circuit developed in the next couple of years).

My RCA 8T243 was assembled in Montreal Canada. It was apparently the first TV manufactured in Canada in 1949, three years before the establishment of the first broadcast station there in September 1952 (CBLT Toronto and CBMT Montreal).

I have owned and maintained this receiver for 42 years as a regularly used set. In this time, I have aligned the set three times and replaced a number of tubes. Most of the paper capacitors have been replaced but a few have not shown any leakage and have left them in place. All the electrolytics are original. And the CRT is original to the set.

The images below include reception of WPBT Miami and KRMA Denver and Tu Canal Monterey Mexico from my rooftop antenna from Southern Illinois on this set.

These RCA sets are well designed and built like tanks.