View Full Version : Tradiovision


Eric H
11-01-2008, 11:45 PM
This projection set has to be pretty rare.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Television-Big-Screen-Antique-Tradiovision_W0QQitemZ180303632563QQcmdZViewItem?h ash=item180303632563&_trkparms=39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A10|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Konrad Schiecke
11-02-2008, 09:04 AM
Yes this is a rare set. The company who made it,Trad, specialized in large screen closed circuit televisions for movie theatres in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The set used Schmidt type reflective optics and the 5TP4 CRT.
The theatre version used 40,000volts on the crt but this model probably only used 30,000v. The system is simular to the early RCA projection set.
konrad

kx250rider
11-02-2008, 11:30 AM
That is rare! Never seen/heard of one. And all the other 3rd party projection sets I've seen used the Norelco Protelgram unit. This one looks like an RCA drum, and as Konrad points out, the 5TP4 would confirm the RCA.

Charles

MRX37
11-02-2008, 01:25 PM
An early big screen TV... It's nice to know that big screens were around even back in the black and white days. That thing must have cost a fortune when it was new...

kbmuri
11-02-2008, 05:46 PM
I don't think I want it, but I'll be in that neighborhood on business Thursday or Friday & could probably take a look at it. Could easily bring the Beltron along to check the CRT. If nobody else really wants it maybe I could save it from the dumpster.

What's the wrinkled screen made out of? Is it easily stretched back flat, or is it melted/decomposed? Is it replaceable with anything modern, or what?

Are there usually mirror issues in these sets? Resilvering optics isn't cheap. How would I know if it's ok?

Any other advice?

Carmine
11-02-2008, 06:49 PM
http://i18.ebayimg.com/05/i/001/18/cb/f724_1.JPG

...because much like alcohol makes an ugly woman more appealing; blind-stinking-drunk is the best way to watch TV!

cbenham
11-02-2008, 07:17 PM
[QUOTE=drunk is the best way to watch TV![/QUOTE]

If it's a blurry, dim, 3X4 ft. rear screen B&W TV it wouldn't hurt. #;^)

edison64
11-02-2008, 10:08 PM
You know, its big and kinda ugly but I have just the place for it, might be a real restoration though,:tears: whatcha think, I may bid as its located about 2 hrs away, whats that old saying " a fool and his money" :D:D:D

edison64
11-02-2008, 10:11 PM
Ok, I just noticed something where is the tuner located????? Or is this a remote closed circuit setup????

kbmuri
11-03-2008, 10:51 AM
The speaker panel must flip down. The HV chassis must have controls sticking thru the front of the set, behind the grille cloth.

Much as I would love to tinker with it, I don't have just the place for it (at all). Logistics of hauling it back to Indiana would be pretty tough too. Edison64, if you're biddig, I don't want to bid against you.

edison64
11-03-2008, 12:34 PM
Go for It,:thmbsp: I did, :yes:thats whats so fun about finding old sets, some times you win some times ya lose:D:D:D if I dont win, at least I know if one of us gets it it will have a good home:banana: by the way: wouldnt a pilot 37 look interesting sitting on top...:scratch2:

jeyurkon
11-03-2008, 08:25 PM
I'm glad you're going for it. I'm fairly close, but have absolutely no room for it. If you win and in the end you decide it's too much of a monster I bet earlytelevision.org would have some interest.

John

edison64
11-04-2008, 09:54 AM
Ok after looking and researching, I came across some news about this set, It seems that it has or had a remote unit with an aux speaker and tuner, :tears: dollars to donuts says its missing:tears: still in the running, who ever wins it shure hope you dont need the remote to operate it if so, we are all outa luck.

jeyurkon
11-04-2008, 10:59 AM
At least it comes with a wiring diagram so the remote might not be an issue.
Has anyone here seen the set in person?

The one set that I saw in my youth that was an early 50's vintage that had a remote control had a huge solenoid driven tuner. You'd click the channel and the kachuncking would shake the floor. If it's anything like that you should be able to do a work-around.

John

edison64
11-08-2008, 09:29 PM
Well
Its over, I was outbid, but thats ok, I think Steve from ETF won it, Did ya??

Steve McVoy
11-09-2008, 08:26 AM
Yes, I got it. I thought it was a unique set, and we have a little space left in our projection set area.

Is there any AK member that is near Grand Rapids that could pick the set up and hold it until mid December? I'd be willing to pay for gas.

jeyurkon
11-09-2008, 11:42 AM
Yes, I got it. I thought it was a unique set, and we have a little space left in our projection set area.

Is there any AK member that is near Grand Rapids that could pick the set up and hold it until mid December? I'd be willing to pay for gas.

Hopefully someone will have a better solution than my "maybe." How soon does it need to be picked up? I'm in Bath, Michigan but I don't have a vehicle that could transport it. One of my neighbors restores vintage telephones and travels a lot. He recently offered to pick up another set I was interested in bidding on so he might be willing to help with this.

Another issue is that neither of us have space to store it. I believe I could find someone willing to do that though. It might be close, or it might be as far as Laingsburg, MI.

As I said, hopefully someone has a better solution.

John Y.

Steve McVoy
12-13-2008, 11:20 AM
I did win it, and I picked it up yesterday. The tuner unit was there, too, though I had to pay extra for it.

The screen is a very thin flexible plastic.

There will be pictures on the website soon.

jeyurkon
12-13-2008, 12:25 PM
Yay!

Doesn't seem fair though that you had to pay extra for the tuner. What would anyone else do with it?

John

Phil Nelson
12-13-2008, 12:27 PM
Still a pretty good deal for $56.99!

Phil Nelson

Steve McVoy
12-13-2008, 01:10 PM
I figured I got a good price on the set, and the Ebay description didn't mention the tuner, so I paid a little extra. Still a good price, since I don't know of any other surviving Tradiovisions.

jeyurkon
12-13-2008, 02:39 PM
One certainly can't complain about the price for the set. It's great that the tuner was still there.

I assumethat since you got the tuner that you'll be restoring the set?

Is the screen still in good shape? I might have some frosted mylar if you need to replace it. I'll have to check and see if we still have any.

John

Steve McVoy
12-14-2008, 04:21 PM
Here are photos of the set and some advertising material that came with it. More will be posted later:

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

Eric H
12-14-2008, 05:53 PM
Very interesting set, you can see it's history in the Nicotine goo that's all over the tuner unit, it must have been near the Bar area and exposed to a lot of smoke!

newhallone
12-14-2008, 07:08 PM
I am unfamiliar with these type of sets....how does that projection unit work? What are we looking at? It's one awesome set!

Phil Nelson
12-16-2008, 11:54 AM
Awesome. I love the testimonial letters. Dempsey's traded in their $2500 (!) DuMont to step up to a Tradiovision.

Is that a Lucite box around the HV section? Five 1B3 tubes giving you 27KV. Keep your rubber gloves on :)

Phil Nelson