I bought a Sony 5-305UW on the ebay...mostly just from curiosity, and because I was looking around for finding just another of those funny 4-conductor power cords for these old Sony sets. I know...buying another WHOLE set probly didn't REALLY solve that problem, but my 8-301W did not come with one....and I am using the one from my 5-303 to run the 8-301W.

So now...I guess I have THREE of these old sets...and only two power cables.

Here is the question though...and why I got this set anyway just on a whim (it was also only $31 "buy it now"..unknown condition)

I do know that the 307 was the followup to the 303...but with the UHF sort of "slid in" between the CRT and the rest of the knobs instead of the addon module. I had NEVER seen a 305...and I did look CLOSELY at the pics, and indeed this is an "5-305UW". This set ALSO does appear to have the UHF dial in the same place as the 307....but 307 is generrally regarded as being the first UHF set from Sony (and I WAS assuming 307 was their THIRD set if you go by how I THOUGHT these model numbers go...which WOULD leave a "305" as a mystery in the "three-oh-odd" scheme). My logic with their model numbers makes me think the 305 is before the 307.

Any one KNOW what is up with this model...and if it is at ALL different than 307?

I'm looking forward to having it right next to my 301 and 303....and of course find myself now STILL looking for a third power cable. If I ever FIND these for sale, gonna hafta get TWO...because I think I will likely run into a 307 without the damn thing as well :-P

Here is the auction I "won" (even though it was just a buy-it-now). and yes, I know he has like NO feedback, but giving him the benefit of the doubt since ALL the feedback he does have is steller.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251076625862?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648

Just kept THINKING I might be passing up something "rare" between the 303 and 307...since I had not heard of a 305 yet.

UPDATE: So far, all I seem to notice is the 305 is black (IMO...more handsome). 307 looks to be the same set, but is "beige" or "silver" like my 303.

And YES.....I'm aware that having to HAVE all the "threes" sounds worthy of an intervention of some sort.....but I really like all the little Sony "Tummy TVs" (even though I wouldn't really call a 301 a tummy TV).

It'll REALLY be time for an intervention if I then feel I HAVE to have all the Watchmans. There are ALOT of those little Watchmans even if you ONLY concentrate on the lollipop CRTs :-P

I do have couple of those already

I read that the 305's (or was it the 303?) with the silver face were a give away when you bought a new Mercedes or something back in the 60's, I read it on eBay so it must be true.

I'm aware that at least some model of the Sony tummy TVs was also a Mercedes car television. I had run into one MANY years ago at a classic car swap meet here in San Diego, and recognized it as "looks like the same TV dad gave me" (which is a 303).

For all I know...THIS little 305 could have been it. Ten years ago, I would have thought ANY of the Sony tummy TVs were the same model. I've had the one Dad gave me around fifteen years now...and was the very first micro TV in my collection...if I don't count the little Unisonic briefcase thing I've had since a teenager in 1982. Had the little 303 since before I was even THINKING of "collection". That set he gave me is from a very small collection my dad had of TV sets. I had this one already...and then acquired a few more when I lost Dad about six months ago.

THAT is when I started collecting MORE sets.

My reading Nelson's recap thread on a Sony 301...and then RECOGNIZING the same set at a swap meet...led me to the little Sony collection.

I saw this 305 listing for a week or so...and kept WONDERING about it, and why this wasn't a 307. Jumped on it's "buy-it-now" today for fear I'd NEVER find out why the weird model number. It's very possible the BLACK color theme could maybe been meant to work in a car's interior for all I know. I did just shoot the seller a question about if this has a whole antenna or not. This isn't in the description, and the pics just show the antenna going up and out of the picture. Doesn't matter I guess...since I bought it already, but my 303 does have the end of the antenna gone...and MOST of them seem to.

I wish I could find a place that just sells these antennae...because ALOT of micro sets have broken antennas since they were by deffinition portable. I usually look IMMEDIATELY at the antenna...but won't usually let that deter me from buying a set if the price is hard to pass up.