What about those combo's

[droptop]

Purchased in 1990 for the princely sum of $75 and a trip from Chattanooga to Greenbelt, MD is my RCA Victor 648PV. The big surprise was arriving at the seller’s home to find it in “kit” form- a detail not mentioned in the negotiations or many Polaroid photos I looked at. It turned out to be complete and restoration began. Only after it was completed did a good friend find service literature for it but a happy ending was had by all.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by Tom Albrecht

Just one, but it's one of the biggest and baddest of all time: It's a DuMont RA-101 Westminster.

And it is a nice one, too. I see it at work every day.

[y2kbruce]

I only have 1 combo-a recently acquired 1948 RCA Berkshire in the very rare Blond cabinet.
All complete and from the Indy area originally.
Designed by Industrial Designer Edward Wormley with 33 tubes for the radio and 36 TV tubes for a total of 69.
Lots of spare parts were included with it.
My 2012 goal is to get the TV working again.

Includes BC/newer FM/7 SW bands and a 15" Olsen coax speaker.

A total of 247 Regency's were sold new at $3250 each.
Uses the 15 x 20 projection RCA guts. Weighs almost 600 lbs.

[radiotvnut]

I have only one combo left - a '49 Admiral with a 12" round CRT and AM/FM radio/3-speed turntable. Years ago, I had an early '60's all tube Magnavox B&W combo that I eventually sold to my neighbor for $20. They moved away and who knows what happened to it. I've had several Magnavox color combos from the late '60's-early '70's; but, they all got junked because they were in bad shape. I also had an early '60's Magnavox TV/phono combo that ended up getting parted out because the cabinet was not in great shape, the CRT was shot, and the record changer was torn up. Due to lack of room, I have no desire to own any more of these big monsters unless it's something special.

[Eric H]

Originally Posted by y2kbruce

I only have 1 combo-a recently acquired 1948 RCA Berkshire in the very rare Blond cabinet.
All complete and from the Indy area originally.
Designed by Industrial Designer Edward Wormley with 33 tubes for the radio and 36 TV tubes for a total of 69.
Lots of spare parts were included with it.
My 2012 goal is to get the TV working again.

Includes BC/newer FM/7 SW bands and a 15" Olsen coax speaker.

A total of 247 Regency's were sold new at $3250 each.
Uses the 15 x 20 projection RCA guts. Weighs almost 600 lbs.

Wow, that is a gorgeous set!

[Kevin Kuehn]

The radio dial on Bruce's set could easily be mistaken for something 70's, very modern for 49. My back pains just watching those two guys moving the set. I thought I was about finished just bringing my CTC-10 up out of the previous owners basement. Ouch!

[Electronic M]

Tip for moving heavy consoles remove chassis, CRT, and anything else that can easily be removed and reinstalled later.....It takes longer, but on their own most cabinets are fairly light, and even the heaviest chassis is easier to lift without the bulk of a large cabbinet to maneuver.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Tip for moving heavy consoles remove chassis, CRT, and anything else that can easily be removed and reinstalled later.....It takes longer, but on their own most cabinets are fairly light, and even the heaviest chassis is easier to lift without the bulk of a large cabbinet to maneuver.

I agree with you if the cabinet just houses a TV, but I can't see a cabinet in which a 3-way entertainment center resides being all that light -- after all, most of those cabinets are made of very heavy wood and must weigh the proverbial ton in their own right. For example, Magnavox's 25-inch 3-way color theater set from the 1960s is in a huge cabinet that must weigh at least 100 pounds if it weighs an ounce, even without the TV and stereo chassis. I would not attempt to move that cabinet -- yes, just the cabinet all by its lonesome, sans the guts except the CRT -- without at least four very strong men to help me. The CRT will add some weight to an already heavy cabinet, of course (I don't know how much a 25" rectangular tube weighs, but it must be 50 pounds easily), so the extra help is a must if you don't want to wreck your back.

However, there is an alternative if you find yourself in a situation where you must move such a cabinet yourself, without help. The solution is a product called Moving Men. These are placed under each corner of a heavy piece of furniture and will allow it to be moved just about anywhere in a room with ease. I don't know how they work -- small ball bearings in spring-loaded sockets mounted in rubber pads or what -- but I believe these things have probably, over the years, saved an awful lot of people from straining or otherwise injuring their backs while moving heavy furniture, be it a large console television or anything else. Nothing is worth possibly straining your back and being laid up for weeks or months.

[charokeeroad]

I have two right now. Both are restored. The Admiral just needs to be put back together.. Hope I can remember what goes where. The admiral is a 39X16B. The Westinghouse is a compact combo. The record player is in the lower portion. It's a H611C12. This unit has a unique feature. It has a mechanical shutter and associated electronics that changes the picture from a roundie to a double D. It's in the double D mode in the pic. Great picture quality on both. Electronic restoration by Tom Albrecht.