Hallicrafters T-54, 1948

[DavidGoncalv]

Got an old one here...

[Sandy G]

Need one of those to match my SX-62...(grin)

[DavidGoncalv]

So begins a restoration.

Just missing 1 large knob, and one pushbutton knob. Anybody have a junker with spare knobs? Else, we are going to learn how to cast in resin...

Also, the antenna cable was cut short, but seemed to exit out a slot in the back. How is that actually supposed to lead out?

[earlyfilm]

Originally Posted by DavidGoncalv

Also, the antenna cable was cut short, but seemed to exit out a slot in the back. How is that actually supposed to lead out?

Yup, it does!

I never thought about that before. My Hallicrafters-made United Motors Service TV has the same slot, but on the wooden cabinet, the back is made from fiberboard.

If the back on the metal cased set is metal, that sure could be a nice ghost generator back in the analog age.

James

[bandersen]

Nice find My T506 has the same 're-phased' sticker and final test tag. You can read about the restoration here: http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=246486

Good luck!

[n2bew]

Nice, Going to pick one up one just like it next week about 2 hours from me! I love the design of the case by Raymond Loewy. I am going to have to get the matching radio to go with it once I get the TV going.

[Phil Nelson]

Some day I'll get around to restoring my dusty T-54 and take a side by side photo with the SX-42. (BTW, the SX-62 mentioned earlier is electronically very similar to the SX-42 but it has a rectangular slide rule dial.)

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[n2bew]

Phil your restoration pages and the info on your SX-42 were my inspiration for wanting to get one once I get my T-54 and restore it. That SX-42 is a great looking radio but sounded like a very complicated restoration, and even more challenging then a TV. I had not seen the SX-62 before I will have to read up on it. But I have to admit I like the look of the 42 a lot more, the dial matches the CRT in the T-54.
There is a SX-43 on e bay now, but I would rather get the better made 42.

[DavidGoncalv]

Originally Posted by bandersen

Nice find My T506 has the same 're-phased' sticker and final test tag. You can read about the restoration here: http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=246486

Good luck!

Where did you end up getting a spare knob from?

My wife tells me to do this restoration publicly, so I can further refine my techniques. Can't disagree with that. Photos and commentary to follow...

[DavidGoncalv]

Originally Posted by earlyfilm

Yup, it does!

I never thought about that before. My Hallicrafters-made United Motors Service TV has the same slot, but on the wooden cabinet, the back is made from fiberboard.

If the back on the metal cased set is metal, that sure could be a nice ghost generator back in the analog age.

James

What did it terminate with? A terminal block? A pair of spades?

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by DavidGoncalv

Where did you end up getting a spare knob from?

Another forum member had a spare. Sorry, but I can't remember who.

[Sandy G]

I THINK the SX-62 was aimed at the "Casual" SW listener, it has no BFO, so you can't decode sideband/CW signals, & it has a more "Hi-Fi" sound. Actually, someday, I hope to have BOTH an SX-42, & the TV-54, to go w/my SX-62. Hallicrafters was trying to cover any/all of the postwar radio/TV/hi-fi market.

[Tim]

I have seen some initial promotional material for the T-54 that pictured it with SX-42 style knobs.

[Phil Nelson]

Wow, we should all be glad they didn't produce the TV with those stupid knobs. Very clumsy looking.

You might take that as evidence that Loewy designed the SX-42 but had no hand in the T-54. I can hear some cigar-chomping executive saying, "OK, let's make a TV that looks like that radio we paid the poofy guy to design, and use the same knobs to save money; we already ordered a million of them."

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[earlyfilm]

Originally Posted by DavidGoncalv

What did it terminate with? A terminal block? A pair of spades?

Rider apparently copied the original instructions and they show a 300 ohm twinline stub that was supposed to be soldered onto your antenna.

Go to the Early Television Foundation schematics page and see the second half of fold-out Hallicrafters TV-54 page 1-21, 22 for an illustration:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/tv_sc..._diagrams.html


On most of the sets that you see today, someone has cut an extra hole and added a normal-for-the-era two screw terminal.

My UMS set came with a cut and stripped vintage 300 ohm wire and no extra hole.

The first privately owned TV in west Tennessee was a Hallicrafters and it was purchased almost a year before WMCT then Channel 4 in Memphis came on the air on December 11, 1948. The owner hoped to pick up St Louis, MO, on a single channel yagi on a 18 foot tower on top of his two story house. He only saw a few ghost images, and was never able to lock in a picture except for a few moments and never could hear any sound.

Once WMCT came on the air, he received it very well. When I first saw his set in 1954, it had a small flat plastic fitting on the end of the 300 ohm antenna wire from the set. It has one pin and one socket and was shaped like and slightly wider than the twin lead. The house antenna had a matching pin and socket. The connector was slightly larger than the hole in the back. I assume that he added the connector, but I don't know if it came from Hallicrafters or not.

He said the factory had told him back when he was still attempting to pull in St Louis, that it was best to not splice the antenna and to bring his feed line into the set and then solder it directly to the tuner.


My serial number AB-125404 United Motor Service Delco says to your Hallicrafters,
"Howdy, assembly line neighbor! I was made one day later."

James.