Show us your vintage B&W sets!

[captainmoody]

Here's a Dumont I picked up today from my ad in the paper.
It even has a matching wood stand. Someone put handles on both sides! Does anyone know the year of this beast? From what I was able to get off the label on the back it says that it is the model RA-306 "Warren" Was thinking maybe 1952 or 1953?

[ChuckA]

The RA-306 shows up in Riders Vol 13, so should be 1953


Chuck

[jshorva65]

Here's my RCA 8-T-241. I had it moved to the display room and set up just in time for the two customers who dropped off their Crosley TV and Zenith Cobramatic radio phono for restoration to see it work. Both this one and the Fada TV30 could use IF alignment, but I prefer to set up my custom-calibrated B&K 415 to do that. The unit is on its way. Until I get the equipment ready, I still need to fire these up periodically to keep them in good shape. The display room seems like the most logical place.

[jshorva65]

Here's my Fada TV30. This set is "the groupie" that has been passed around from one collector to the next over the years. I had it moved to the display room and set up just in time for the two customers who dropped off their Crosley TV and Zenith Cobramatic radio phono for restoration to see it work. For both these sets, I ended up cutting pieces of rubber to the proper size and attaching them with hot glue to the CRT brackets since I couldn't find any 1"x3/8" rubber bands to exactly match the originals.

[captainmoody]

Thanks Chuck,
I thought it was around that year. Would you believe that tv works great still, When I looked at it at the old womans home all I got was sound.
After getting it home, I found the brightness all the way down as well as the contrast and vert hold.
It has a suprisingly clear picture with excellent brightness still, Has a replacement Dumont tube in it, Although I couldn't read the date (I'll disturb the dust later!)

Hello
I bought this at a flea market about 10 years ago for $20.00
It still kinda works a little, very faint sound and a picture
about the size of pin head!
I'm actually taking it today to get looked at by a TV repairman
who has been in the business for a long time.

If any one has any info on the Sentinel company let me know.

Thank You
Mike Caldwell

[Marlin Mackley]

Mike, that is a good find! It is worth maybe $150 to $200 as is. I paid $165 for mine not working and missing two knobs.
Marlin

I knew it was too good to pass up!

Thanks
Mike Caldwell

I just purchased my first vintage tv, an RCA 9PC41, identical to the one pictured by Marlin Makley in his 9/25/02 post in this thread. I know nothing about it and would appreciate any information anyone can give me on it. And does anyone know someone in the Rio Grande Valley (Harlingen, Brownsville, McAllen, etc.) who works on vintage tv?

Thanks for your help.

[Rob]

js,

Congratulations on your score! The series of RCA projection consoles that started in 1946 and ended in 1949 with your model (and mine) all share the same four chassis and optics. They all have Channel 1. Projection TV's are much more of a challenge to restore to reliable operation than the more common direct view receivers which we are more accustomed. You have chosen quite a challenge for your first foray into this interesting hobby.

I have two of these with plans to eventually restore one of them which is now on display in my home. It is one of those non-urgent future planned projects.

I know that there are a couple collectors who have restored these projectors who might be willing to give you some advice.
I'll contact one I know and see if he will agree to me giving out his contact info to you.

Quite good service and setup info on this set is published in the Rider TV books.

One thing you must really be cautious about is to never operate the set with deflection circuit problems as when the raster is not present the high energy of the electron beam operating at reduced or no deflection will easily and quickly burn a permanent mark (dead spot) into the delicate phosphor of the 5TP4 projection CRT, a tube that is now somewhat rare and difficult to obtain. Another CRT used in small theater projectors from the same era (yes they were doing 15x20 foot projected TV screens in those days!) is the 5AZP4 CRT. It can be successfully installed in these vintage RCA RPTV's. Another suitable projection tube, the newer version of the 5AZP4 is the 4820A. That one is a very bright CRT due to phosphor improvements. Always use the least amount of brightness from the control until you can verify that you have a proper scanned raster before turning up the brightness. Do this in a darkened room and look into the flat corrector plate lense surrounding the CRT with the light blocking sock removed. Once you have verified that the optical system is properly alighned you can trust what you see on the actual fresnel viewing screen up top.

Your major work will involve mindless replacement of very many wax-paper capacitors and testing tubes and replacing the bad ones. Do not tamper with any of the adjusting screws in the cans or coils! You may shoot cleaner/lube spray into the potentiometers and work them back and forth between their end stops to clean them up. Return them to where they were set or mid position if you don't know. They can be set properly once the set ius operational. I'm going from memory here but would advise not tampering with (don't try to clean) any of the pots in the High Voltage box. It will take proper steps by an experienced tech to restor those settings. This includes the Focus control which shouldn't be cleaned anyhow. This TV uses 28 kilovolts on the small picture tube. There is about 6 kV on the socket of the CRT for focus voltage as well. Keep fingers away from the tube while operating!

Best to find a fellow collector in your area with vintage TV restoration experience to at least work with you on this project which I suspect you will really enjoy.

Rob

Thanks for the info. My challenge will be to try to find someone down here who can work on it - I don't know a thing about them. Any idea of it's value?

[Rob]

Originally posted by jsjacobson
Thanks for the info. My challenge will be to try to find someone down here who can work on it - I don't know a thing about them. Any idea of it's value?

js,

Right now they seem to go for about $0.75 - $1.50 per pound unrestored depending on condition. A fully restored unit in good cosmetic condition SHOULD fetch $2.50+ per pound. With large consoles of anything it takes a special collector to want them. They are hard to handle (very heavy) and take up a lot of room. I predict that they will command significantly more someday when collectors awaken to the true value of these rare projection consoles.

Rob

[Marlin Mackley]

John, congrats on your find of the RCA projector! Mine was less than 5 miles from my home and had been there close to 20 years. A friend told the owner of me and the rest is history. I paid $100 for it. (40 cents per pound). Networking at its best! I have done nothing to mine yet except show it to anybody I can drag kicking and screaming into my studio. They are always impressed by the cabinet, novelty of its age and design, and that it has a remote control, of sorts. Anyway, enough babling on my part, and hope you have fun with your set.
Marlin

[Jeffhs]

Hi Rob -

I like the idea of hidden casters on TV consoles as well. The small wooden cart my living room TV is on (which in its previous life had been a microwave oven cart) has hidden casters, which makes it look better than if the casters were out in the open for all to see. (That's one thing I never liked about those metal TV carts that were so popular in the '60s and '70s, before entertainment centers became commonplace.)

Kind regards,

[Rob]

Jeff,

I have a cart similar to that too with built in casters for my system in the bedroom. BTW, that is a beautiful coffee table.

I gotta ask...you DO turn that window off at night right?

Rob