Heathkit GR-53A color TV

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by Ralph S

Ok, this is my last (?) message re the Heathkit GR-53A, it's also a reply to Kevin Kuehn who wanted to see the set in its cabinet.... Well here are two photos of the set in its cabinet with and without doors open. Where did that cabinet come from, Kevin? A plugged nickel to the first person to get it right.

CBS 205 color receiver?

-Steve D.

[Tomcomm]

Ralph...........Mighty fine group of big screen shots. Was the sourse over the air, or video recorder thru the tuner/IF? I think that Heathkit deserves a video monitor mode like my 21CT55. Should be fairly easy, just inject video directly into the 1st video tube grid.....Tom

[Ralph S]

Tom, shooting comp video into this set is a bit harder than you might think given that the sound and sync have a separate detector from video and chroma which are also split ahead of the first luma video stage. Take a look at the attached portion of the schematic and you'll see what I mean. Also, pay attention to the fact that both negative and positive sync are sent to the vertical integrator and horizontal osc.

[Electronic M]

Wow, that cabinet almost makes it look like a European set.

[Tomcomm]

Ah-Da.........The lastest roundy I seriously investigated was my Dad's CT4 in the late '50's. I was completely unaware of the evolution of tube color tv into the early '60's which your Heathkit seems to be. I agree with you, it ain't worth the effort. But you could go direct video into the video cathode follower, video delay line and presumably chroma demodutor and CRT drivers. You would leave the sound and sync circuitry driven off the tuner/IF as original, just a thought? By the way, what RCA is it a clone of?.........Tom

[wkand]

Cabinet = Heath?

There's my SWAG....

[Ralph S]

Alright, enough time has passed for guesses re the make of the cabinet. No, it's not from Heathkit, Stromberg, Hallicrafters or whatnot; it's from CBS and originally had a 19 inch picture tube and 2 chassis' of guts to make it work! This was CBS's answer to RCA's CT-100 with (at the time) a radically different method of producing the color CRT compared to the 15GP22's silkscreen method. The original owner ditched the guts of the CBS and put in the Heathkit. Many years later he very much wished he had kept the set as was given its extreme rarity today. For more information, check out ETF's website under early color sets and look for a CBS 205 for a good discussion and schematic.

Incidentally, Steve Dichter won the contest and will be awarded the plugged nickel when next I see him. Congratulations, Steve!