13 channel Hallicrafters T-506 WITHOUT the familiar rectangular bezel ?

I have a 13 channel Hallicrafters T-506 WITHOUT the familiar rectangular bezel common on the 12 channel units.

Does anyone know if they actually built the 13 channel Hallicrafters T-506 (or early T-54's) WITHOUT the familiar rectangular bezel?


Murray

[Eric H]

Hi Murray,

What does it have if not the rectangular bezel? Is it round?
I've seen some with a porthole looking bezel but I just thought they had been modified.

Eric

Yes, it's a round brown/black plastic bezel.

Steve Kissinger just finished restoring it and it produces a great image that does not fill the entire round CRT.

Either it was serviced and the rectangular bezel was removed/lost/parted out, or, they built some early sets in a straight porthole design.

I wonder which it true?


Murray

[grayga]

Note "as found" picture. That looks original to me.
http://www.earlytelevision.org/hallicrafters_t54.html

Mine's square and I looked at it to see if it is two pieces - no, molded as one piece with the round outside and square inside.

[Steve McVoy]

I'm pretty sure my Hallicrafters originally had the mask.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/hallicrafters_t54.html