Ad for RCA 630TS TV?

[Phil Nelson]

Does anyone have a magazine ad for the RCA 630TS television?

I'm completing a restoration article about mine, and it would be a nice
thing to include.

I flipped through my late 1940s mags, but they are mostly Radio News, not
the place where RCA advertised TVs.

If you happen to have a scan, you could email it to me via
http://antiqueradio.org/contact.htm .

I'll even give you credit in the article!

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[rld-tv01]

I don't have a scan but found this link of magazine adds for sale which had a RCA 630. Maybe someone old here in AudioKarma will recognise the add when they see it and scan a copy for you.

http://www.paperboynews.com/inventor...?number=1q5748

[Whirled One]

Here's what I'd do:

Find a local library that has a decent periodical section. University libraries are usually much better than public libraries for this, at least in my experience. If at all possible, you want a library that still has old periodicals in printed form (typically in large bound volumes), not just microfilm/microfiche, especially when browsing for old ads (which are often in color and won't be reproduced well on B&W copy film used for microfilm)

Either bring a digital camera or some money for the copy machine. (Or, you can go all out and bring a laptop computer and scanner, but that's only feasible in some situations, and many scanners are really too loud for library use anyway)

Browse the racks for Life magazine for late 1946. Not only because that TV wasn't introduced until late in the year, but because this would also be during the Christmas shopping season.

Now flip through until you find an RCA ad for the 630TS. In the meantime, marvel at all the rest that 1946 had to offer in Life magazine. If you fail to find such an ad in the first bound volume you grabbed, pull the next volume and continue through 1947 until you find one. I'm sure RCA had an ad for the 630TS somewhere in Life magazine.

Once you've found one, take a nice high-res photo of the ad or copy it on the library photocopier. If you go with the latter, though, keep in mind that Life magazine has an oversize format, so full-page ads are hard to copy unless the library has a large-format copier.

See, wasn't that fun?

I dunno about the rest of you, but I think it's a lot of fun to browse the periodical stacks at a decent (university) library. I usually go with stuff from the 1940's through 60's. Life is great for this, along with Consumer Reports and similar magazines. Also Popular Science and its ilk, though you aren't as likely to see a lot of more specialized hobbyist magazines (such as electronics-related magazines) at most libraries.

[Tony V]

Hi Phil,
I just sent you a scan of a RCA 630 ad that i had saved. Its not the best but hopefully it will be of some use until you get a better scan.
-Tony

[Phil Nelson]

Thanks, Tony. I will use that scan for the time being.

The library is a good idea. I'll call around and see if any of ours have such things.

[Phil Nelson]

I spent a couple of hours visiting a local used book store and a nearby library.

The bookstore had 3 issues of 1947 National Geographic (at $1 per issue) with ads showing the 630TS.

Two issues of December, 1946 Life mag had ads along the same lines. I would have taken photos, had I not left the memory card for my digi-camera in the reader back in my computer at home.

These early ads are really technology promos, more than product ads per se. They picture the 630TS, but without any pricing or availability information. The TV is shown in a larger context, such as "Hey, we're a leader in TV tube technology!" or "Soon you'll be able to watch baseball games live as they happen!", and so on.

Pretty cool stuff, anyhow. And it is fun to leaf through those old mags if you have the time. When was the last time you saw a full-page color ad boasting, "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette!" :-)

Phil

[Dave S]

Phil,

If you're still looking, here's a few:

RCA TV Ads

RCA TV photos

--Dave