70's Zenith

What a fantabulous set Charles. Huggy Bear would be super proud to own such a pimpin' TV as that.....diamond in the back, sunroof top......diggin the scene with my gangster lean....

Anthony

[Chad Hauris]

Regarding CRT interchangeability, I think that the sets that have 31 or 32 kv on the delta-gun CRT (like the RCA CTC-68) should only be replaced with tubes that can safely handle the higher voltage. The CRT's used with tube type sets are generally rated for a 25 kv anode supply.

[Carmine]

Ok now that I've seen all the cool consoles (Damn I wish I had a bigger house!!!) Here's my 19" Zenith. It's aready in my 70s-style computer room, complete with purple walls & purple sculpted shag carpet.

I must add that the photo does not do justice to the picture quality on this 25-year-old set. It gives up NOTHING to a modern set in terms of sharpness, black level or color quality.

[Carmine]

... I couldn't resist throwing in a picture of the Transoceanic 7000-Y that lives near the TV. I got it from Ebay a few months ago. Since most everything sucks on TV and top-40 radio, I figured I'd get an 11-band shortwave set.

[Sandy G]

Fine radio, Carmine. You need one of its Tooob older brothers to go in yr '50s room...-Sandy G.

Gorgeous radio, Carmine. Do you find that the sound quality of the older units beat the current ones? I sure as heck do (don't have a Zenith Trans-Oceanic, though).

I have a similar chromacolor II but probably just a a year or two older. Same white pedestal base etc. The picture and sound are great but the color is all messed up. I am new at this so please be understanding.

What can I do to fix up the color?

1. Most of the time it is greenish.

2. Sometimes some of the colors come in

3. None of the picture or color adjustments on the front or back of the television do anything.

4. I love the television and would like to keep using it.

Thanks

[Charles Vesser]

Hi,
Sounds as though the yoke has slipped from it orginal setting on the picture tube.
The yoke is the big plastic thing that slides over the "neck" end of the picture tube (the back of the tube).
Look and see if the rubber wedges are in place from the tube to the yoke. If the yoke has slid back or the wedges are gone you will see the print where they were on the back of the tube.
If this isn't the problem then I would try replaceing the color board or "chroma" bord. Sometimes just cleaning the connectors will do the job.
Hope this helps.
Chas.

[Jeffhs]

Originally posted by Eric C
Gorgeous radio, Carmine. Do you find that the sound quality of the older units beat the current ones? I sure as heck do (don't have a Zenith Trans-Oceanic, though).

I have a Zenith K-731 AM/FM table model radio from 1963 (an ebay find last year) that sounds better than any table radio I've seen or heard in years. It sounds like a console and even looks it (it's in a large, heavy walnut table-model cabinet). In some ways, it sounds even better than my Aiwa CX-NA888 bookshelf stereo.

Thanks Charles,

I took the back off and reset the yolk and things are working great again. Where are the chromacolor boards? I shipped the set from LA to Nashville and then drove it down to Texas so it must have come loose. This site is great. Thanks for the advice.

Mark

Thanks for the people that have helped with my zenith chromacolor. I sometimes get normal color. Picture is always sharp but most of the time color is just yellow, sometimes things that are suppose to be red are actually blue. But most of the time there is no real color. When the color is normal it is great. I have taken the advice and have reset the end of the tube but nothing helped. What else can I do. I love the set and would like to get consistant normal color. Help. Mark

[jstout66]

Mark, Welcome to AK!!!!!!!! My story is about the same as yours. I worked on sets in a shop as a kid (my Uncles) He was a Zenith dealer right up until the time Zenith went down the tubes. Those Chromacolor 2's are great sets when they are working but can be a pain in the ass to fix when they start screwing up. Contact points and stuff are a real bitch. When they are working correctly tho you will not find a set with a better picture. (even new sets in my opinion) Does your set have a normal black and white picture? If it does, my guess would be a bad chroma module? I have some Zenith modules and will send them to you if I have any you need. Just send me a list of the ones your set has. It's gonna be a 9- something. I wish I had the first new tv I ever had. It was a Zenith 19" System 3 tabletop, in a solid wood cabinet with Space Phone! Anyway... give a hollar if I can help, and good luck!

[jstout66]

Sorry Mark, I was getting you confused with the new member Punk Rock Dude (in case you were wondering what I was talking about in my post) Offer still stands though, Hollar if you need any modules. Also Doug is pretty with it in figuring stuff out, so any advice he gives will be one to pay attention to!

Mark (atomicpunk),
Hello, I am Jeff (also called here PUNK ROCK DUDE). I'm gonna get sidetracked just a second. I see punk in your user name. Are you a punk rocker or does it mean something else? OK. I was studying on the color problem with your Chromacolor (II?) Zenith. The problem sounds like it is intermittent from the way you describe it. Do you have the older flat solid state chassis, the flat 4 tube hybrid chassis, or do you have the newer vertical fold down type chassis? There is one thing common to all 3 of these chassis- the Chromacolor switch on the front of the set. The Chromacolor switch has male terminals and a female plug that it connects to. This isn't real apparent until you take the tuner assembly out. Anyway, a problem I have run across frequently on these sets is that the male terminals on the Chromacolor switch get tarnished and dirty (black looking). When this happens it can cause the front panel controls (color,tint,etc.) to not work at all or maybe intermittently work. If the Chromacolor switch terminals are dirty take a soft white pencil eraser and gently run it over them until they look clean. Once they are clean a light application of silicone spray helps to keep them from getting dirty again. If that doesn't seem to be the trouble you might try using the handle end of a small screwdriver and lightly tap on the chroma modules while watching the screen for any changes. All the flat chassis whether hybrid or solid state have 2 seperate modules that pertain to color. These modules have IC's mounted on them. One thing I have had happen to these modules is bad solder connections on the IC's. Hope this helps you out with your set- good luck. Let me know what happens.

Jeff (PUNK ROCK DUDE)

[old tv guy]

Hi
I also have a Zenith Avanti that I've had since about 1975. I am thinning my collection, gettin old ya know, and I will be selling it on Ebay. Anyone know if there is much interest in this set or am I wasting my time.