Westinghouse K840CK15 Restoration

[jhalphen]

Hi Marshall,

Wow, 15 minutes of pure bliss ! and beautiful photography.

Love the tiny Standard Radio AM/FM "Micronic Ruby", have one myself.

To complete your World Class collection, i would add to the "wish list" :
- a Philco Apple tube beam index color set
- the Sanyo 30CTV1 3" color beam index WatchMan
- a Sony 19" Chromatron
- a Sony analog HDTV studio monitor, 1125/60, 16/9 ratio*

*can be found, often quite cheap, but weighs 150/300 lbs depending on screen size. Resolution is jaw-dropping for a CRT based monitor.
Saw these here in Paris when new (1986) at Captain Video, the TV production house set up by US entrepreneur David Niles who had obtained on loan from Sony Broadcast Japan a full HD studio including 3 cameras & 3 VTRs*.

The resolution was so incredible that you could see the upper lip "fuzz" on a young blonde framed as a news anchor. Today's 4K and maybe 8K doesn't achieve the same.

*VTRs : modified SMPTE 1 inch/Type C machines had 30 MHz Y bandwith !

Best Regards
jhalphen
Paris/France

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by jhalphen

Hi Marshall,

Wow, 15 minutes of pure bliss ! and beautiful photography.

Love the tiny Standard Radio AM/FM "Micronic Ruby", have one myself.

To complete your World Class collection, i would add to the "wish list" :
- a Philco Apple tube beam index color set
- the Sanyo 30CTV1 3" color beam index WatchMan
- a Sony 19" Chromatron
- a Sony analog HDTV studio monitor, 1125/60, 16/9 ratio*

*can be found, often quite cheap, but weighs 150/300 lbs depending on screen size. Resolution is jaw-dropping for a CRT based monitor.
Saw these here in Paris when new (1986) at Captain Video, the TV production house set up by US entrepreneur David Niles who had obtained on loan from Sony Broadcast Japan a full HD studio including 3 cameras & 3 VTRs*.

The resolution was so incredible that you could see the upper lip "fuzz" on a young blonde framed as a news anchor. Today's 4K and maybe 8K doesn't achieve the same.

*VTRs : modified SMPTE 1 inch/Type C machines had 30 MHz Y bandwith !

Best Regards
jhalphen
Paris/France

You know of a surviving Philco Apple CRT set? I thought there were no known survivors...

[etype2]

Much appreciated Steve D.

Jerome, thank you. Yes indeed, every one on your list. The analog Sony studio monitor is easily obtainable. I’ve thought about getting one.

[etype2]

Rumor has it that one (1) exists.

[etype2]

Larry, I agree, but being there as you were, my memories were of compromised color akin to the restored tape of “An Evening With Fred Astaire”. I saw my first color TV in 1956. The technology of the broadcast color chain back then could not exploit the capability of color TV receivers. Today we pop on a DVD or watch HD on our restored roundies and they look great, but they didn’t look that way to me back then, so I was prejudiced. When I got my first color set on my own in 1966 I saw big improvements, but again when I rewatch old episodes from the 60’s I can see the difference from what we have today.

When folks got their color sets, we tended to over saturate and over time, we set the color back. The problem was that the average consumer didn’t know what good color was supposed to look like. Radio and TV were my hobbies going back to the mid 50’s and I read all the books and magazines I could get my hands on. I considered myself an “educated consumer” regarding color TV.

John McCullough came to Milwaukee’s WTMJ as a weekend reporter and fill in anchor. He distinguished himself during the Milwaukee racial riots. He anchored 24/7 until the situation was in control. He had the presence of a big city news anchor like Huntley, Brinkley, Concrite. Very balanced politically and reported without bias. I wish we had more like him today. He had offers from the big markets but loved Wisconsin. He retired to my neck of the woods and recently passed away.

[JohnCT]

Originally Posted by etype2

Larry, I agree, but being there as you were, my memories were of compromised color akin to the restored tape of “An Evening With Fred Astaire”. I saw my first color TV in 1956. The technology of the broadcast color chain back then could not exploit the capability of color TV receivers.

Not completely related, but I'm going to retell a story my dad used to tell. Back in 1959, my dad bought an Admiral 21" color TV. Admiral built the cabinet, but it was an RCA supplied CTC11 and CRT.

My dad had a customer interested in buying a color TV, and since there was no color broadcast during regular hours or weekdays, dad invited him to our house on Sunday night to watch NBC (Walt Disney I believe it was).

The man sat quietly for an hour and when the show was over, stood up and told my dad that he came to laugh at the color TV. He never expected to see something so beautiful as what he saw that night.

I don't recall if the man bought a color TV or not (dad is gone now almost 20 years so I can't ask him), but I always got a kick out of that story.

John

[etype2]

Originally Posted by JohnCT

Not completely related, but I'm going to retell a story my dad used to tell. Back in 1959, my dad bought an Admiral 21" color TV. Admiral built the cabinet, but it was an RCA supplied CTC11 and CRT.

My dad had a customer interested in buying a color TV, and since there was no color broadcast during regular hours or weekdays, dad invited him to our house on Sunday night to watch NBC (Walt Disney I believe it was).

The man sat quietly for an hour and when the show was over, stood up and told my dad that he came to laugh at the color TV. He never expected to see something so beautiful as what he saw that night.

I don't recall if the man bought a color TV or not (dad is gone now almost 20 years so I can't ask him), but I always got a kick out of that story.

John

Great story! Seeing a color TV for the first time will have that effect. Similar experience for me at my Uncle’s house. I told this story before. He invited the family over for dinner, Sat or Sunday. He had it planned, after dinner we all gathered around his new pride and joy, a color television! It was Summer, 1956, I was 9. He turned it on and my jaw dropped. A Special was on.

Was your Dad a tech or good with electronics?

[JohnCT]

Originally Posted by etype2

Was your Dad a tech or good with electronics?

My father was a staff sergeant in WWII (Third Armored), and one of his duties was to take care of the radios and other wired communications. After the war, dad took radio and TV courses through the GI bill and opened up the family business which I still run. Dad was a very good tech, but he was smart enough to have 5 sons..

Here's another true story. My older brother is truly gifted and brilliant. Electronics is a hobby for him. His career was as a research chemist. He holds a patent on plated through hole chemistry. Anyway, my dad used to take him to TV service seminars when he was 12 or so. During one of the service seminars (Motorola I believe it was), the presentation was color theory followed by questions from the Motorola engineer. My brother kept sticking his hand up to answer. The Motorola engineer's assistant came over to my dad and told him to keep the kid quiet as he was embarrassing the other seasoned techs who were struggling with the new technology.

By the time he was in high school, my brother was my dad's bench tech. By the time my brother got a full time job for a large chemical corp, I was at the age and took over.

But my father was thorough and taught us a lot about TV and life in general. He had more common sense than any person I ever met. If I could spend just one more day with my father, I'd pick a day when I worked with him.

John

[etype2]

Originally Posted by JohnCT

My father was a staff sergeant in WWII (Third Armored), and one of his duties was to take care of the radios and other wired communications. After the war, dad took radio and TV courses through the GI bill and opened up the family business which I still run. Dad was a very good tech, but he was smart enough to have 5 sons..

Here's another true story. My older brother is truly gifted and brilliant. Electronics is a hobby for him. His career was as a research chemist. He holds a patent on plated through hole chemistry. Anyway, my dad used to take him to TV service seminars when he was 12 or so. During one of the service seminars (Motorola I believe it was), the presentation was color theory followed by questions from the Motorola engineer. My brother kept sticking his hand up to answer. The Motorola engineer's assistant came over to my dad and told him to keep the kid quiet as he was embarrassing the other seasoned techs who were struggling with the new technology.

By the time he was in high school, my brother was my dad's bench tech. By the time my brother got a full time job for a large chemical corp, I was at the age and took over.

But my father was thorough and taught us a lot about TV and life in general. He had more common sense than any person I ever met. If I could spend just one more day with my father, I'd pick a day when I worked with him.

John

I can feel the pride and love you have for your father. I asked the question, because that is why the color looked great on the Admiral.

[oldtvman]

Originally Posted by etype2

Larry, I agree, but being there as you were, my memories were of compromised color akin to the restored tape of “An Evening With Fred Astaire”. I saw my first color TV in 1956. The technology of the broadcast color chain back then could not exploit the capability of color TV receivers. Today we pop on a DVD or watch HD on our restored roundies and they look great, but they didn’t look that way to me back then, so I was prejudiced. When I got my first color set on my own in 1966 I saw big improvements, but again when I rewatch old episodes from the 60’s I can see the difference from what we have today.

When folks got their color sets, we tended to over saturate and over time, we set the color back. The problem was that the average consumer didn’t know what good color was supposed to look like. Radio and TV were my hobbies going back to the mid 50’s and I read all the books and magazines I could get my hands on. I considered myself an “educated consumer” regarding color TV.

John McCullough came to Milwaukee’s WTMJ as a weekend reporter and fill in anchor. He distinguished himself during the Milwaukee racial riots. He anchored 24/7 until the situation was in control. He had the presence of a big city news anchor like Huntley, Brinkley, Concrite. Very balanced politically and reported without bias. I wish we had more like him today. He had offers from the big markets but loved Wisconsin. He retired to my neck of the woods and recently passed away.

Totally agree, while any of us would have taken the time to provide the set with a good signal and set up the controls as they should be, it was my experience then when we went into a customers home, and looked at the way they had to tv's set up, they may have been better off with B & W. Why else do you think the tv manufacturers added all the auto settings? If they would have left the status quo, I doubt they would have sold many sets. I really miss those days.

[Electronic M]

I forget who it was, but your dad's story reminds me of someone who I think may have been a kid at the time. Sometime in the 50s when color TV was new the person went to a department store and a there was a crowd to see the color set but it's picture looked bad the person who I heard this from walked up and turned the tint control to the correct setting and the crowd started oohing and ahhing.

When there was only one color show a day the sales people neglecting to properly adjust a set often was to blame for bad sets on sales floors, but once more than 1 show a day was on the stations were as much to blame...Live, network, tape and film often all looked different and color quality would vary from channel to channel. If sales staff didn't keep sets adjusted from show to show things could go downhill fast.

[etype2]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I forget who it was, but your dad's story reminds me of someone who I think may have been a kid at the time. Sometime in the 50s when color TV was new the person went to a department store and a there was a crowd to see the color set but it's picture looked bad the person who I heard this from walked up and turned the tint control to the correct setting and the crowd started oohing and ahhing.

When there was only one color show a day the sales people neglecting to properly adjust a set often was to blame for bad sets on sales floors, but once more than 1 show a day was on the stations were as much to blame...Live, network, tape and film often all looked different and color quality would vary from channel to channel. If sales staff didn't keep sets adjusted from show to show things could go downhill fast.

So true and nothing has really changed in 65 years. Go into a big box store and you see an array of misadjusted color sets.

[Dave A]

Down the WTMJ path again. Do you remember one Chuck Faber on air? He distinguished himself by wearing a black eye patch on air. He left there in 1965 to be a news director at my first station WCEE in Rockford, IL...minus the eye patch. A miracle. I directed the news back then and he was a piece of work but a great news director. Ownership changed and he ended up in FL selling condos. Now passed. I miss him.

I hope you don't mind a few diversions from the original thread but this trip down memory lane is fun. And the collection video is even better. Keep up the good work.

[etype2]

Originally Posted by Dave A

Down the WTMJ path again. Do you remember one Chuck Faber on air? He distinguished himself by wearing a black eye patch on air. He left there in 1965 to be a news director at my first station WCEE in Rockford, IL...minus the eye patch. A miracle. I directed the news back then and he was a piece of work but a great news director. Ownership changed and he ended up in FL selling condos. Now passed. I miss him.

I hope you don't mind a few diversions from the original thread but this trip down memory lane is fun. And the collection video is even better. Keep up the good work.

Yes I do remember Chuck Faber. I think he was the sports director at WTMJ. I remember he had a Sunday night show.

Don’t mind going down memory lane. I hope I can still keep mine. :-)

Ah, the golden age of television.

Edit: I think he was at WTMJ prior to Earl Gillespie. Maybe Chuck was not the sports director, but I remember him having an “important” role at the station and that Sunday night show.

[Titan1a]

My dad did Air Force teletype repair during the Korean War. I passed him up. I miss him!