View Full Version : Admiral 19" Color Console TV


jstout66
04-29-2012, 10:03 PM
Well... I've been talking about this set off and on, so thought I'd finally post some pix. I picked this up about 6 years ago, and it's been stored in a friends basement ever since.
It's a true 19" Console TV. I think it's a 67.
Cabinet is real wood, but pretty "plain jane". It IS a swivel set which is cool.
Other than this one, I haven't seen a 19" console in years. The set I grew up with was an RCA CTC19 Console, and I did see a Magnavox 19" console I passed on at an estate sale (wish I hadn't, but it didn't work)
This one has a great picture, but has tuner issues I think. After running for about 20 minutes, it goes to a blank raster. Also.. this is one of the sets that is free if anyone makes it to Omaha.

ctc17
04-29-2012, 11:58 PM
I have a table top with that chassis. It works fairly well. Didnt need much of anything to get it going. If you bring that set up on a varic you will damage it. The horizontal osc doesnt start till you hit 115 volts or so. Plug it in and let it rip.
Ditch the instant play thing.

I also have to ctc19s floating around here, both of them are dead. Havnt got to them yet. One 6gh8 filled chassis.

Jeffhs
04-30-2012, 11:26 AM
I have a table top with that chassis. If you bring that set up on a varic you will damage it. The horizontal osc doesnt start till you hit 115 volts or so. Plug it in and let it rip.
Ditch the instant play thing.


That's interesting, especially since soft-starting a vintage/antique TV through a Variac is ordinarily standard procedure. What will be damaged if this set is powered this way? You mention that the horizontal oscillator will not start until the line voltage reaches 115 or thereabouts; could that be one of the reasons not to power this chassis through a variable-voltage autotransformer? :scratch2:

I second your advice as to disabling the instant-on feature. I grew up in the '70s and saw quite a few of these instant-on sets; however, at the time I didn't realize the feature was shortening the life of the CRT, by virtue of leaving that tube's filament (and all others in the set) lit while the TV was supposedly off, nor did I realize that such an arrangement could have been a fire hazard. One thing I do remember about the instant-on feature of 1970s-vintage TVs is that, if the diode across the set's power switch shorts for any reason, the set will remain on even with the main AC switch in the off position. The only way to shut the TV off under these circumstances is to unplug the AC cord from the wall socket. Some people got so fed up with the instant-on feature, even when it was working, that they actually had a TV service person remove the diode the next time the set required service or repairs. Not to mention that the instant-on feature, by virtue of leaving the tube filaments on at low power (but lit nevertheless), consumed energy (albeit a small amount) even with the set "off", which was a no-no in the '70s because of the so-called "energy crisis" of that decade that had us turning our thermostats to 68 degrees and turning off all unnecessary lights and appliances.

The instant-on feature disappeared from TVs by the 1980s for just that reason, and even today's flat screens are for the most part Energy Star compliant to use as little electricity as possible, even in standby mode. My 19" Insignia flat screen, for example, uses just 25 watts when operating and well under one watt in standby; however, I read online just last night of a 50" plasma set that was a real power hog: it draws at least 500 watts when on! Hardly the kind of TV one would want if one wanted to conserve energy. That set reminded me of the three-way stereo combination consoles of the '50s through the '80s, and even standalone televisions of the '50s, that were rated for a power draw of 300+ watts (RCA's 1950s-vintage b&w consoles could draw as much as 325 watts).

Electronic M
04-30-2012, 12:04 PM
At a line voltage just below the H osc. starting there is enough juice for the HO tube to red plate(it will do that at full line voltage too if the H osc. never starts) which is not good for it or the flyback.

jstout66
04-30-2012, 12:11 PM
This Admiral has an on/off switch for the Instant-on.
IMO... Instant on gets a bad rap concerning picture tubes tho....
My Uncle was a repair tech, and who knows.. he could have been "full of it" but he always said instant on was BETTER for the CRT. He said the cold starts and power up was what shortened the life. If you go by this belief.. think about it a minute.... I've seen "specials" where someone talks about how a light bulb has been turned on for 50 years and is still going. It's the constant on/off that shortens the life. Then.. concerning computers... especially ones that are used in a work-place environment, there are some machines that never get turned off during their life cycle. Even some computer mags say it's better to leave them on 24/7, because it's the daily start up that will shorten component life. The only sets I've seen that had really bad CRTS are the ones that were fine when in use, but for some reason, got stored away, and much later.. u fire it up, and surprise.. dim CRT.
I have a Sony KV-17 series from 1975 that has instant on, and its CRT is fine. Most horizontal chassis Zenith Chromacolors were instant on, and rarely.. (I can think of 3 off-hand) have I ever seen a bad Chromacolor tube.

As for the slow power up.. I never bother with a set manufactured after 1967. It's not like early radios, or say a color set prior to the CTC-15 chassis. I'm not saying a cap could be out of tolerance and effect performance, but I think it's a waste of time on a later model set to start replacing caps, just for the worry that one will blow up......

bgadow
04-30-2012, 10:30 PM
If I were about 20 states closer, I'd have to come get that set :) I've long been a fan of Admirals.

I once cleaned out a bunch of stuff for a retired Admiral dealer. On the wall he had framed a newspaper ad from when he started his business and it showed a 19" Admiral console that they were giving away in a grand opening contest. It looked cheaper than this, though, with a crt way out of proportion to the cabinet. This one looks just right, though. I had a Sylvania one time like that, it looked just right with that smaller screen.

jstout66
07-07-2013, 07:59 PM
Bump! I forgot I had posted this before, as I was attempting to post it in classifieds.
Still available for free if anybody can afford Uship, or can drive to Omaha.