Haven't gotten a reply yet, but I inquired about this TV I found on my local CL:

http://images.craigslist.org/5Y65X25R53n43me3p6bc5325f506c0bf61901.jpg

"Beautiful wood cabinet with non-functioning Pilot TV Perfect for do-it-yourselfer, decorators who seek modern retro 1960s look, craftsmen who like cabinets.
--Pilot floor TV with hinged doors circa 1969. Remove the TV and replace with your own. Or perfect as-is TV cabinet to support your widescreen TV. Under 4 feet wide, 2 feet deep."

Does anyone know anything about Pilot TVs in the 60's? Was is just a name by then, slapped on by a discount house?

Curiousity got me so I looked it up in Sams; I only saw a couple color chassis' listed, with most of the models being in 873-3 (1967). The cover photo shows a combo, and not too bad looking. The chassis? A surprise as I expected to see a clone. It uses the late 60s Emerson chassis, the one that is 'L' shaped. In the Sams photos you can even read "DuMont-Emerson" on the tubes. The stereo receiver chassis (all solid state, of course) looks fairly decent, but I'm not expert there.

I wonder...did National Union/Emerson-DuMont buy the Pilot name, or did they just sell Pilot the TV chassis?

I thought Pilot wound up owned by one of the Asian companies in the late '70s. I remember cheap stereos and boom boxes saying "PILOT RADIO CORP" about that time, and a cheap 19" color TV (same TV also seen with Capehart and DuMont badges in the early 80s).

Charles

Well, we know how "beautiful wood cabinets" can turn out to be beautiful contact paper on pressboard. Nonetheless, I plan to take a look at it Saturday. Good excuse to take a drive out in the country.

I figure I can fit the thing in the back of the Saab unless it's a roundie, which I really doubt.

Well, it's a DuMont Pilot 25" color set from 1967. Will post pictures later.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/P1050018.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/P1050019.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/P1050010.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050021.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050021.jpg)http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050022.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050022.jpg)http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050011.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050011.jpg)http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050012.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050012.jpg)http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050013.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050013.jpg)http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050014.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050014.jpg)http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050015.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050015.jpg)http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050017.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050017.jpg)http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/th_P1050016.jpg (http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s252/audubon5425/?action=view&current=P1050016.jpg)

Classy! Thats not one you see very often. The cabinet looks fairly heavy duty. Plug it in and give us a report.

It looks like the 66meg resistor is just laying back behind the flyback, could just be the picture. It looks very RCAish, used the 6GF7 vert and many of the other parts look RCA.

Brought it up slow, drew 3 amps, have HV but no sound or raster. Have a horizontal line in the service position. CRT may be weak - have yet to test it.

The set I have with that chassis had 2 or 3 bad pots which messed up the vertical deflection. There was also an intermittent video caused by a resistor (or was it a cap?) on the upright section that was just barely shorting against an IF shield. Took a long time to find that one.

Well, the CRT is weak. Wednesday night I cooked it for an hour at nine volts and it came up to midway on the scale, but today it was back down. So I rejuvenated it and all three guns came up into the green.

So I can see a raster now - was wondering why the screen was half blue, half green until I realized it was the cateract :) I think my first problem is in the tuner - still no sound or snow.

Definitely an Emerson chassis... And I see that someone replaced the aux control door with one off a DuMont badged set. Very nice find, and I think this is the first Pilot-badged set of this high-end console that I've seen!

Charles

I never even considered the door may have been a replacement. I'll leave it as is - not that something like that would ever turn up!

The man I purchased the set from had advertised it as a good cabinet; he must have checked up on me a bit, for when I looked it over he half-asked "so you collect TVs." He then said his father would have been very happy to see someone getting the set working again. I gathered the man must have got a lot of enjoyment out of this TV.

And truthfully, it being a "Pilot" is the only reason I brought it home and squeezed it in. I need another console like I need a hole in my head.

The HO tube in the set is a 6LQ6, while the tube chart calls for a 6JE6. Also, there's an electrolytic near the 3rd IF tube that has leaked/overheated and lost its coating, making it unidentifiable. Time to find a Sams for her.

6LQ6 is the improved replacement for 6JE6...some types of tubes ID as 6LQ6/6JE6C. RCA tubes often just say 6LQ6.

And I see that someone replaced the aux control door with one off a DuMont badged set.

I thought that control panel cover looked mighty familiar - Then I realised that it's the same as the one from the 1967 DuMont colour console Doug recently found... :smoke:

http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=262520

Chris

You should send the previous owner a link (if he hasn't already found it). Must be weird to see people get worked up over the "guts" that 99% of the public would trash.

I bet that control door could be fabbed with a metal brake (like for siding) and a piece of aluminum. Since the top part has the Pilot emblem, the door is probably very simple (just need a pic).

Cool save!

I like it! Pretty neat to find a rare brand like that. Keep us updated.