Cant find the Make or Model : BW portable.

[MustardMan]

Hello all,

I have searched all over for any information about the following TV set, but as yet have seen absolutely nothing!

I am trying to find/determine the manufacturer, so then I may dig a bit deeper and hopefully find the model. A picture is included.

I got this TV from my dad, who says it was used to watch the moon landings (hence, making it at least 1969), although his memory may be not as good these days. He picked it up second hand, and he can't recall anything about it - except it was *perhaps* made by Sharp.

It looks uncannily like the Sony TV8, but differs in many ways. For a start it doesn't have SONY plastered all over it like sony tends to do. It was transistor, and the only valves in it were the tube, and *possibly* the HV rectifier. The guts were completely stripped out - they had been subjected to so many repairs it was a worse mess than when it was made, back when PCBs were something new!

I would like to find out what it is so I can keep an eye out for another one, and hopefully to get something that works.

Cheers,
MM.


I got the following reply from Phil Nelson (a collector of radios)...

Yes, that's unusual. Perhaps another company made a knock-off of the Sony 8-301W. The gun-metal finish and hood are so distinctive that it's hard to imagine they came up with the design without ever having seen the Sony.

Here are a couple of TV collector forums where you could post your photo and ask for help identifying it:

http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=3

http://www.videokarma.org/

The collectors in those forums know a lot about collectible TVs, so perhaps one of them can help you.

You need to sign up as a member (it's free) before posting your first message in the forum.

If you are able to identify it, send me a note. The existence of a knock-off might make an interesting footnote to my 8-301W article.

Regards,

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios

Some further information I should have put in my email to Phil... it ran on both 12 vDC and 240vAC (Australia). Unlike the sony, the cover plate hinges down and covers the entire screen, and when up makes a 'sun shield'. The picture tube is 'Toshiba', but nothing inside or out about who made the TV itself.

It is about 11"Dx8"Wx7"H (8" diagonal screen, which looks remarkably white, but shows quite a good picture - at least when it was last running in the early 70's!)

Thanks!

[zeno]

Not much to go on but you could look for ANY numbers printed
on any parts & post them here. Often you can ID a set just by
the part number system. Example almost all Sharp part ##'s
end with CEZZ, TAZZ, WRKO etc. Everyone has a different
scheme. Other than that it does have the Sony look but I
doubt its a Sony. IMHO another early 60's Jap set & since it has
a Toshiba jug very possibly by them but anyone else from JA
possible. Good luck & let us know what you find.

73 Zeno

[WISCOJIM]

Mine is branded Channel Master, so it is probably made by Sanyo.

And yes, it does resemble the Sony, just a tad bulkier.

.

[MustardMan]

Thanks for the tips guys!

I like your collection Wiscojim. Seems like all the Jap companies started with "S"... just kidding, lots didn't. Your "8" looks like it is in excellent condition, quite a bit different from mine!

Any ideas whether they come up for sale often?

Cheers.

[Sandy G]

They show up on Ebay not too infrequently.

[WISCOJIM]

Originally Posted by MustardMan

Thanks for the tips guys!

I like your collection Wiscojim. Seems like all the Jap companies started with "S"... just kidding, lots didn't. Your "8" looks like it is in excellent condition, quite a bit different from mine!

Any ideas whether they come up for sale often?

Cheers.

Thanks. That's just one rack of the accumulation, there are plenty more TVs in the basement and in two rented 11 by 28 foot storage garages. Most of them are parts sets, or sets that still need work. Once finished, they usually go bye-bye.

The Sony 8-301 sets come up fairly often on eBay, probably 20 or so a year. The other Japanese brands of approximately the same age (tube or solid state) are hardly ever seen on eBay. I think I saw only 3 of the Channel Master 6565's over the last couple of years.

Most of those small sets I have came from antique radio meets around the Midwest over the last 25 years, or off Craigslist in the past 5 years or so. A lot of people know I collect them, so I get a lot of referrals from other collectors when they come across them.

.