In my grandmother's basement, there is an OLD Zenith Tube TV. IT has a Zenith $ervice $aver chassis. It works perfectly. Is there anything I should be worried about with maintenance and such? It was my Great-Grandmother's. I did not have a camera to take pics or anything to write on/with. Next time I am there, I will get all of the numbers.

Anyone know anything about these sets?
It's very pretty, and the tuner still tunes perfectly.

LOVE that quote!!

LOVE that quote!! Me too :banana:
If you want to use the set daily , a recap would be a good idea . How old is it .

I don't know. I believe that it is from the Fifties. I wanted to maybe convince my mother to put it into the living room. It looks like one of the nicer models. I could barely lift it off the floor, and I believe that it is a 20 inch picture tube (best guess). Only gets used during storms, and I put another small TV down there that my grandmother can move and use when needed. I know audio, but I'm now to TV's, so for any maintenance, I will need some help.

Well your at the right place for vintage TV advice .
I'd love to see some picture of it .
I might have the schematics for it , im not sure .
Find out the model # and then somone here will know the year .
I would say a recap would keep this set up and running for a long time .
the main things that die on a TV are the caps especially in the vertical and horizontal circiuts . sometimes old electrolitics will short out a and this could damage the power transformer and the rectifier . the same thing can happen in the high voltage section . A recap is alot cheaper and easier than doing a transformer , if you can find one .
These TV's are pretty straight forward to service .
Does this set have a remote ?

No remote, and I do not think that there was ever a provision for one.
One interesting thing to me is that it takes an inordinate amount of fiddling to get it to turn on, between the front pull switch/volume control and back silver pull switch. Can anyone tell me what does what? I use this thing so infrequently that I can never remember.

The back switch sounds interesting. Some of the remote models had similiar arrangements. Remember that Zenith had wireless remote as early as about 56. Those are usually borderline when it comes to caps. Many of them still work but if it is going to see regular use then replace the paper caps and the electrolytics. They want kidding when they called them $ervice $aver. Very reliable sets. I have not had such good luck with their picture tubes, though.

Yeah-My grandad had a "300" series Zenith table model B&W w/about a 21" screen that was VERY "1956" looking. It had this funky remote that had tuning bars (?) that when struck, activated a motor inside the tuner that made the channel go up or down..."Ker-Chunk, Ker-Chunk, Ker-Chunk..." IIRC, it would also turn the set on or off, but that was about it. You had to aim the damthing right directly at the TV, unless you were RIGHT at the correct angle & distance, it wouldn't work. I got yelled at LOTS of times for "Playing" w/it-"You're gonna tear the damthing up, & then I'm gonna Bust yer Behind !!" (grin)

Color or B/W?

B/w

I have two $ervice $aver Zeniths, a 1964 B/W and a 1965 color. Both still work on original components. I don't know when the term first appeared.

OK, well, I went to my grandmothers house last night, and I copied down all the numbers I could find.

Zenith SA2031W
Chassis 1SL23
L7A

ALSO, there is a Chromacolor 2 that is pretty messed up in the tuner section. #'s off that are:
6060183
SF1960K

That's all I found. Any info on these?

Bump

The b/w zenith is a 1964 model. The chassis is a 15L23 and uses 23ECP4 crt. The chormacolor II is a 1975 model with a 19FC45 chassis. Hang onto both of those. That chormacolor II should have space command 600Z remote control. The chroma II also has the vertical indicator varactor tuner. Nice sets. What exactly is wrong with it? (btw, thats a great quote!)

Does the older Zenith have a second chassis in there, and a motor on the tuner? That'd make it a remote set :)

Those older Zeniths were great, they don't need much work to be kept in good, safe condition for a long time. Once you learn how to handle a CRT safely, you might want to dust the set out inside, especially the HV box, which tends to be tiny in Zeniths. I've never had luck with 'em dirty.

Mostly, it'll need a cap check (if you've got the newer types, they're generally good, the 'Black Beauty' types are always bad), cleaning, and some careful checking. Nothing difficult. If you can use a multimeter, you're 90% of the way there :)

Chromacolor has a remote that works, although I have to hook up the antenna in the set for it to work. Also, the RF connector is broken on that RF wire that comes out the back. I can't seem to get any stations when I adjust each individual channels inside the tuner. I might get a channel one night, and the next one, it's gone. I can do this between hours, too. I have not opened up either Zenith, but I will open up the old one to check. Might be a remote set, after all.

Nope, your 15L23 set is a basic set with out space command.

I'd like to see some pictures of those sets. The Chromacolor sounds like the very first color TV I ever fixed. Mine had the four button "clicker" remote. Those sets have darn nice pictures when they are working and adjusted properly. You'll need to fix that broken RF cable before any decent reception will take place. In the '90's, I got a few B&W Zenith consoles here and there. They all either worked or didn't need much to get them working. Try to hang on to those sets if you can. No TV made today can measure up to the build quality of those old Zenith's!

I had a chromacolor in my day. Same model as the one forest gump jr is watching in the movie. Someone gave it to me with a blown tripler. Put a brand new one in it and enjoyed it for years. It had the slider for changing channels. Ive had a few of them chromacolors. Nothing left these days but spare parts. I miss those sets, they were great:thmbsp:

Steve

Next time I am over there, I will bring my camera and snap some pics. They sure are nice sets. Anyone know how much a Chromacolor II weighs? I can barely move the one at my Grandmothers.

How much a Chromacolor weighs? A TON!!! That thing is built on a metal chassis and there's a power transformer in there that is HUGE. Wait until you find the 23" or 25" metal cabinet version of one of those sets. Those big RCA metal cabinet Lyceum classroom TV's were about the heaviest table model sets I've seen in the 25" category.

Ya know, I think that the chromacolor might be 23".....but maybe not, I just don't know.

That would explain why is has taken me until I turned 15 to barely lift it.

My grandmother wants them THROWN AWAY I think. Unless they are worth anything. The OLD one is MINT, but I really never looked at the newer one too closely. Do they have any value? I don't want to sell, but I would like them kept.

no real value to these old sets. I like the 60's-early 70's sets myself and they really do not bring in any considerable amount of money if you were to sell them on ebay. Honestly, your lucky to get $40 a piece for those sets. I cant even give them away locally.
Hopefully you can save them for yourself. Its always neat to have your familys OLD tv sets. Sounds like you are in the same predicament I was in when I was 15. I wanted to save the TVs and the family said NO way. I lost out on my great uncles 19" 4 tube hybrid because of that, but I was only 9. If I remember correct, it was a space command 500 model too as it didnt work unless the remote was used (little did I know of the bypass switch on the back). We though it was broken, but I still wanted it badly. I remember that TV was left all by itself on the floor of his apartment in chicago after we cleaned it out when he passed away back in '92. I have a few family sets myself and they are important to keep.

To the average person, old TV's are the epitome of junk and you could not give an older set to them. They all want the most modern TV's with all the latest features. All of my "peers" in my age group think they must have the most modern of everything. They would probably need a course in changing the channels on older TV's, LOL! I have a 1977 RCA XL-100 color set that has a better picture than a lot of newer models; but, I can't give it away because it's TOO OLD! About the only luck you will have selling most vintage TV's would be to a collector; and, not for very much money. Like Doug said, about $40 a piece if you're lucky. Try to keep them and use them yourself if you can. You will be pleased with the results. I remember when I was a kid (not that long ago) that I often caught flack from my parents for bringing more junk home. It really got bad when supper time rolled around and I had a TV or radio torn apart on the kitchen table.

I guess the best advice as far as value would be "what's it worth to you." If you enjoy collecting radio's & TV's (like I do) then go for it. A lot of my stuff wouldn't be worth two cents (even to collectors) but I enjoy fixing it and I enjoy getting use out of it. And, to me, that's all that matters.

WOW! I forgot all about this!

going to grandma's house tonight, and pix forthcoming!

Pix as promised so long ago....

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/vinyldavid/Photo_060808_005.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/vinyldavid/Photo_060808_006.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/vinyldavid/Photo_060808_007.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/vinyldavid/Photo_060808_008.jpg

I have one like that in the shop. Mine belonged to my uncle. I got it when he passed away in '01. In 7 years it's always worked fine, which is typical of Zenith.

Yes, you've got a good B&W set there. The main trouble they gave were weak or shorted tubes and dirty tuners/controls. Those are good DX sets when working properly.

Yes, you've got a good B&W set there. The main trouble they gave were weak or shorted tubes and dirty tuners/controls. Those are good DX sets when working properly.

Sad that I will no longer be able to use the tuner in it after 2009. :tears:

Always worked perfectly.

I'd say snag it--but reject the extended warranty pkg. I never take up on those meself! :tongue:

J/K...

I had a late '50s Zenith table model as a kid--16E21 chassis, Rauland CRT in the set that originally called for a 21CXP4. I used to use it as a loaner as a teenager when folks would let me take in their color sets for repair. They liked the set so much that they were almost reluctant to take their color sets back over that lovely B&W! It was as sensitive as a bum tooth, and seemed to pull channels in favorably over competing sets of its time or later... Figure that one out....

I never did much with that set except to watch it....There were minor hum bars in the picture that could be nulled with the contrast control. While I was curious as to why this was happening I never pursued it; the set worked well enough with the contrast control arranged at the null-point, and I was too busy buying parts to build amplifiers and radios to be concerned about such a minor issue.

Go figure....

I'd say snag it--but reject the extended warranty pkg. I never take up on those meself! :tongue:

J/K...

I had a late '50s Zenith table model as a kid--16E21 chassis, Rauland CRT in the set that originally called for a 21CXP4. I used to use it as a loaner as a teenager when folks would let me take in their color sets for repair. They liked the set so much that they were almost reluctant to take their color sets back over that lovely B&W! It was as sensitive as a bum tooth, and seemed to pull channels in favorably over competing sets of its time or later... Figure that one out....

I never did much with that set except to watch it....There were minor hum bars in the picture that could be nulled with the contrast control. While I was curious as to why this was happening I never pursued it; the set worked well enough with the contrast control arranged at the null-point, and I was too busy buying parts to build amplifiers and radios to be concerned about such a minor issue.

Go figure....

My grandmother still wants that one.....since it as her mother's.....but it's NOT going ANYWHERE anytime soon......

When I have room, I'll ask for it....my father'll prolly blow a gasket, though. :D

He thinks that I have too much equipment now. And he thinks that old TV's are worthless junk....just like MOST of the rest of the human population. :D

Sad that I will no longer be able to use the tuner in it after 2009. :tears:

Always worked perfectly.

All is not lost. If you want to use the Zenith TV for TV DX, you can always put a DTV converter box ahead of the set's own tuner and use the TV with an antenna. The only thing you'll have to get used to is the "all or nothing" nature of digital TV, i.e. you will either get a picture or you won't; there is no in-between as there is with analog. Since digital TV signals are presently somewhat weaker than analog ones (however, this may change once DTV has been around a few years), the signal from a distant DTV station will have to be fairly strong to make a picture. Also, you will need a good high-power outdoor TV antenna, on a rotator if possible, for the best results with snagging distant DTV stations, especially those on UHF channels.

All is not lost. If you want to use the Zenith TV for TV DX, you can always put a DTV converter box ahead of the set's own tuner and use the TV with an antenna. The only thing you'll have to get used to is the "all or nothing" nature of digital TV, i.e. you will either get a picture or you won't; there is no in-between as there is with analog. Since digital TV signals are presently somewhat weaker than analog ones (however, this may change once DTV has been around a few years), the signal from a distant DTV station will have to be fairly strong to make a picture. Also, you will need a good high-power outdoor TV antenna, on a rotator if possible, for the best results with snagging distant DTV stations, especially those on UHF channels.

How does one put a converter box ahead of the tuner?

Just take th converter's RF output, plug it into the antenna, and set the TV to channel 3 :)

Just like a VCR or videogame

Just take th converter's RF output, plug it into the antenna, and set the TV to channel 3 :)

Just like a VCR or videogame

Oh. I thought he was refrencing something else. I thought he was talking about putting a all channel RF output into the tuner ofthe Zenith.....

I have a digital TV converter box (Zenith brand) and it works fine using an indoor amplified "rabbit ear" antenna from Radio Shack.

This website has info about the $40 discount coupon program for converter boxes.

https://www.dtv2009.gov/

The popular boxes are priced around $50 or $60, so with the coupon, a box costs $10 or $20.

I wouldn't assume that you need to invest in a huge outdoor antenna. This site can generate a map showing the locations and distances of TV transmitters within a certain radius of your house.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

If you can receive all of the stations within a reasonable distance using rabbit ears, you're home free.

One advantage of using a converter box now is that more stations are available, since one station can broadcast more than one digital signal. In my area, there is one public TV station (channel 9) on analog broadcasts. If you use the digital converter, you can choose from four public TV broadcasts -- channel 9-1, 9-2, and so on.

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

I have a digital TV converter box (Zenith brand) and it works fine using an indoor amplified "rabbit ear" antenna from Radio Shack.

This website has info about the $40 discount coupon program for converter boxes.

https://www.dtv2009.gov/

The popular boxes are priced around $50 or $60, so with the coupon, a box costs $10 or $20.

I wouldn't assume that you need to invest in a huge outdoor antenna. This site can generate a map showing the locations and distances of TV transmitters within a certain radius of your house.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

If you can receive all of the stations within a reasonable distance using rabbit ears, you're home free.

One advantage of using a converter box now is that more stations are available, since one station can broadcast more than one digital signal. In my area, there is one public TV station (channel 9) on analog broadcasts. If you use the digital converter, you can choose from four public TV broadcasts -- channel 9-1, 9-2, and so on.

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

I have the worst reception around here...in a valley with buildings on all sides above me.....amplified antenna only works SOMETIMES, and even then I get a fuzzy picture......BTW, channel 9 is also my public station....

Now that I hear that the digital signals are WEAKER, i seriously doubt that I could get any sort of decent reception.....but I do have a 25' RF cable around here...

You will need to ensure a good strong signal from the transmitter for reliable digital reception. Based on my experience in my rural setting, if the analog picture is moderately to very snowy then the digital receiver will likely not be able to even initialize the digital "channels" on setup. If it does manage to initialize, and produce veiwable program, tiling and dropout will occur if the signal is not reliably strong and steady. Sometimes with fluctuating signal the receiver will "crash"--meaning that it needs to be unplugged and "rebooted" much like a computer, and the whole initialization process repeated.

I now know that I need to ascend the roof here and have a closer look at the antenna system I installed about 25 years ago. :(

You will need to ensure a good strong signal from the transmitter for reliable digital reception. Based on my experience in my rural setting, if the analog picture is moderately to very snowy then the digital receiver will likely not be able to even initialize the digital "channels" on setup. If it does manage to initialize, and produce veiwable program, tiling and dropout will occur if the signal is not reliably strong and steady. Sometimes with fluctuating signal the receiver will "crash"--meaning that it needs to be unplugged and "rebooted" much like a computer, and the whole initialization process repeated.

I now know that I need to ascend the roof here and have a closer look at the antenna system I installed about 25 years ago. :(

I know that I aneed to get a better viewing solution.......I barely get ANYTHING with my current setup.......and I live in an apartment, so I cnanot put an antenna on the roof, nice as that may be.......

My mother has albo broken every single antenna (3 on purpose, not accident.....), and she would prefer me to be without TV permanently....I don't especially LIKE TV, but it is useful and occasionally entertaining.....

Anyone know a good amplified antenna that's REALLY sensitive?