A black and white RCA ad in US News and World Report, April 2, 1954, touting the compatibility of the new color TV system.

http://www.bretl.com/tvarticles/rcarainbowbwusnwr02apr54.pdf

RCA points out the historic nature of what was happening then. When you think about that, it points up the importance of preserving and restoring those early sets and their imperfect design and manufacturing marvel - the 15GP22 and those who are working on that today.

Wonderful ad :)

Of course, the picture is a fake... the shadows on the ground and under the roof overhang indicate that the sun was almost directly overhead, and could not have produced a rainbow in the position shown. :no:
Other than that, the ad is way cool! :thmbsp: The stacked conical antennas are classic!

jr

That's onehelluva lightening rod on top of that house.

That's onehelluva lightening rod on top of that house.

I don't like to mount masts directly on the roof myself. We always used mounting methods attached to the wall of the house. Dont want to punch holes in teh roof and let the rain in...

That antenna looks pretty big, for channel 1, but channel 1 was dead long before color was being talked about...

That ad brought back memories for me. As a kid growing up in suburban Cleveland, I remember my next-door neighbors having just such a dual conical TV antenna arrangement on their chimney as late as the late '60s into the early seventies, long before cable arrived in our neighborhood.

As to such an antenna being a "lightning rod", I would say there might be a considerable risk of lightning being attracted to an antenna the height of the one in the ad, but most home TV antennas had (or should have had) lightning arrestors installed--in fact, I think it was (and may still be, for outdoor OTA digital television and ham radio antenna systems) a requirement of the National Electrical Code that such arrestors must be incorporated in such systems.

BTW, I am amazed at how many broken-down, worthless old conical TV antennas are still mounted on chimneys in my neighborhood; in fact, there is one antenna on a house a street or so over from me that has seen better days. It is an all-channel, high-power far-suburban to fringe area antenna and was probably top-of-the-line when new (my area is a near-fringe area for Cleveland television, so most homes around here had very large, high-power antennas back in the day, before cable), but it looks like a horror now. I'd say there are about three elements missing, one flapping around in the wind and looking like it will blow off any day--not to mention the leadin line (300-ohm twinlead, not coax) having broken loose from a standoff months ago (!) and waving around as well. I see this antenna turning in strong winds (it does not have a rotor) when I walk past it on the way to the local supermarket, so the antenna must not be anchored to the mast very well anymore either. I'm half expecting to see that antenna on the ground before too long.

I don't think anyone really cares what happens to the antenna at this point, however, as the house has been on the market for well over a year. My best guess is that whomever finally buys the place will remove the antenna and will have either cable or satellite installed; there is a junction box mounted to the side of the house belonging to the cable company, so the home's former owners probably gave up on the antenna years or decades ago when they got cable service.

Antenna must be a graphic creation (seems to be as wide as garage door) but does evoke the dawn of television. Attic windows like Amityville house.

Antenna must be a graphic creation (seems to be as wide as garage door) but does evoke the dawn of television. Attic windows like Amityville house. That's exactly waht I was thinking.. sure is a huge antenna, or a small house! There's a similar (but appropriately sized) antenna like that still up on a '53-built house 5 doors down from me.