http://catalog.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/articles/11175710.005951/1.jpeg

"Gift to girls--Boys of the radio-television class at Bay Ridge High School [located at 4th Avenue and 67th Street] present a television set to girls of the school. The boys made the set under the direction of Peter T. Vitale, their instructor. The smiling students, left to right, are Robert McLaughlin of 277 Dahlgren Place, Edward Lundin of 402 75th St., Leonard Swenson of 433 78th St., Marilyn Knudsen of 455 64th St., Carolyn Vertucci of 387 Clinton St. and Zelda Simen of 271 61st St., president, treasurer and secretary, respectively, of the high school's General Organization."

Is that really a homebrew?

http://catalog.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/articles/11175710.005951/1.jpeg

"Gift to girls--Boys of the radio-television class at Bay Ridge High School [located at 4th Avenue and 67th Street] present a television set to girls of the school. The boys made the set under the direction of Peter T. Vitale, their instructor. The smiling students, left to right, are Robert McLaughlin of 277 Dahlgren Place, Edward Lundin of 402 75th St., Leonard Swenson of 433 78th St., Marilyn Knudsen of 455 64th St., Carolyn Vertucci of 387 Clinton St. and Zelda Simen of 271 61st St., president, treasurer and secretary, respectively, of the high school's General Organization."

Is that really a homebrew?

It may well be, but it looks surprisingly like an RCA 630TS from the '40s. If this set is homebrew, the builder could have run into copyright and/or patent infringement issues due to its striking likeness to RCA's TVs of that era.

Transvision kit.

I'd love to build a TV kit someday....old OR new even. It's a bit much for me to hope Heathkit's rebirth might mean a TV kit of any kind, especially a CRT analog

I'd love to build a TV kit someday....old OR new even. It's a bit much for me to hope Heathkit's rebirth might mean a TV kit of any kind, especially a CRT analog

"Ask and ye shall spend" ...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPER-RARE-COMPLETE-HEATHKIT-GR-2501-UNBUILT-COLOR-TELEVISION-TV-KIT-/300929066735?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4610c526ef

an unbelievably low price

Doug McDonald

It's a bit too much "spend" right now....and an awful lot of kit for me as well, that will net a very large TV compared to anything I have.

I did see this the other day...and another one somewhere else that was a much older kit by some other outfit (and likely B/W). I wish I remember WHERE I saw that so I could post it.

If that's a joke, it totally went over my head. "He who laughs last... didn't get the joke". I have zero knowledge of what unbuilt TV kits are worth.

Besides, it's a bit too big for our resident pet.

Oops, I was too slow on the reply. Post above didn't appear to me until I submitted mine.

It may well be, but it looks surprisingly like an RCA 630TS from the '40s.

Actually, not so much.
Apparently being a tech geek could impress the ladies back then.

http://antiqueradio.org/art/RCA630TS35.jpg

Seems to me the guy in the center probably built the TV, the other two are just presenting it to the gals. Typical High School group effort. :)

Am I seeing things, or is there a headless body in that picture?

Am I seeing things, or is there a headless body in that picture?

It appears there might have been another guy behind the one twiddling the knob, you can see part of his coat but not his head.
It also appears that something was airbrushed out of the area behind the first guys head, this might have been done to make it more symmetrical or perhaps you couldn't see all of the missing man so they just erased him, except for part of his jacket.

The arrow points to part of a tweed looking jacket that doesn't belong to either of the guys in the picture.

If that's a joke, it totally went over my head. "He who laughs last... didn't get the joke". I have zero knowledge of what unbuilt TV kits are worth.


The value of an unbuilt kit is what the highest bidder would pay.

I would pay that much if it were the 19 inch table model with
cabinet and the CRT were good. I built one
of those and used it for many many years, and stupidly
let it get thrown away. Without a good
CRT, no, as the CRT very quickly became very very rare, as
it was a common size but has a special small dot pitch. There
likely is a regular replacement that would work, but
would not satisfy the nostalgia factor.

...and another one somewhere else that was a much older kit by some other outfit (and likely B/W). I wish I remember WHERE I saw that so I could post it.

Perhaps this B&W kit using a 16TP4 ? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1950s-CRT-Cathode-Ray-Tube-16TP4-TV-kit-not-assembled-/231012357096

Yup!....THAT was the one!

I think I ran across it during my usual "Portable TV" and then "Vintage TV" ebay searches when bored.

The value of an unbuilt kit is what the highest bidder would pay.

I would pay that much if it were the 19 inch table model with
cabinet and the CRT were good. I built one
of those and used it for many many years, and stupidly
let it get thrown away. Without a good
CRT, no, as the CRT very quickly became very very rare, as
it was a common size but has a special small dot pitch. There
likely is a regular replacement that would work, but
would not satisfy the nostalgia factor.
Nostalgia is one reason I have the TVs I have, lots of that vintage were around when I was a kid. Fortunately they're recent enough that I got all but one of them free. Same sort of reason I have my pretty useless (at the moment) CATV converter box. Lots of them in use back in "my" day.

An RCA remote with color adjustments, from sometime in the 60s, recently went for $59 on eBay. It looked a bit dirty and scratched too.

The 16TP4 kit looks intriguing, and the price isn't bad at all.

Looks pretty complete, except for one minor item--the ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS.

Finding a suitable manual for an orphan like that would be MUCH harder than for a Heathkit.

I would love to have the space to display an unbuilt TV kit just about as it is in that Ebay auction.

The Arkay Tv kit is progressing well waiting on new caps from
Mr.Mark Oppat will post pictures ASAP of it coming together

Somebody please get that 1950's Tv kit for me,I will build it
And show here in stages coming up from start to a working Tv
Of course all of the original caps will diffenetly have to be replaced
I found that using several pieces of styrofoam to organize the new
resistors in correct order helps a great deal,no fumbling around for the
Correct values it allows to test them as you install into the Tv

I'm 100% disabled on tiny monthly check,and would put this kit together just to know how to do it! I will inquire about it the action ends this morning with no takers as of yet!
If it sell on ebay,I'll make a cheaper offer and go get it myself
It too presious and rare to send it any way else just a little over 400 miles north of me
To not let the "Samsonite Gorilla" get near it...come on guys!! help a fellow collector out!! Chip in!!
And save another piece of Tv kit history!!

I'll posted it on here as a featured project as well as the Arkay kit doing together
Will be fun and the new folks just joining up and not too familiar with the vintage Tv hobby..and would like to learn how a antique Tv works and I show others how
In the building of both sets...
What a opportunity to "as our motto"help preserved and protect our Tv past..as well teach others how its is my validate point!!

An excellent educational opportunity to instruct others how to restore
And to preserve in how to save these early sets!!

I would take bare chassis frame and have it soda blasted because as see in the first photo of it
It's dry rusted, do all of the metal parts and then at the same location have it powder coated in a aluminum or a blue color and photo it with my new iPhone ;just a idea!!
And go up from there?? Any suggestions.? Please

Place the only bid just a moment ago for what the kit was selling for
The auction is over in less than an hour...that kit was too rare to pass on

I would love to have the space to display an unbuilt TV kit just about as it is in that Ebay auction.

Couldn't agree more. On my want list in the "No Way In Hell" category is an un-built 7" Transvision kit to display next to the one I have that is built to show how the set arrived at your home. I always tell people it arrived as a pile-o-parts, but actually having the pile-o in question would be great.

As long as your doing the "no way in hell" category how about an un-built 5" Andrea prewar kit. I have the original build book for the Andrea and often dreamed of getting a chassis laser cut and finding prewar parts.

I do have a 1948 NRI 2" kit which I thought about disassembling and putting back together again.

Well while I wait on a reply from the seller of this Tv kit for I ask her NOT
To ship I would drive up and get it myself 1st week of August have plenty
Of funds to retrieve the set I just hope she calls me and works with me on this
TV kit..keep ya posted!

I don't think she would have a problem with that. Easier on her.

As long as your doing the "no way in hell" category how about an un-built 5" Andrea prewar kit. I have the original build book for the Andrea and often dreamed of getting a chassis laser cut and finding prewar parts.

In that same category for me is a Sony Betamax SL-HF2100.

I have had sellers "God Luv em" get mad when i talk to them about sending a money order
Flat refused me and hang up on me when trying to work a deal on items in question
From eBay

Still waiting...wish she would call me!!

I have had sellers "God Luv em" get mad when i talk to them about sending a money order
Flat refused me and hang up on me when trying to work a deal on items in question
From eBay
Ugh, so many unreasonable morons out there. As long as the money order is issued by the post office, it's guaranteed to be good if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah it's just they wanted money right then I don't use a credit nor debit card
Like this Yery couple that just got off the phone with about the
50's Tv kit they like what I wanted to with;but were in a hurry and to raise money for a trip to Myrtle Beach,SC with they're 4 kids I explain to the man on the line;he couldn't do
What I wanted to them to do send a small binders fee and them the rest when came got the Tv Kit;..you think?; but more interested going the Beach than helping man out..they're relisting the kit back on eBay if it don't sell I have the 1st dibbs of again of getting it again and they'll hold for me if it don't sell by July 20th it's mine!! Impatient twits

Somebody PLEASE SPOT ME THE MONEY to retrieve this Yery rare Tv kit
Excuse my RANT,momentary anxiety fit!!LOL just don't fish tanker to get it!

If they're so fussy, perhaps you can get around the problem by using a pre-loaded "credit card" through PayPal.

Well don't have one,and don't have all of the $200 bucks ether until first week of August
I explained to him I could send a small binders fee of $40 and the balance of the rest upon getting there he stated he couldn't wait he'd have to have the full for the
Beach trip...but if hasn't sold by the 20th of July I could get it when I got paid
On the 3rd$ both sounded kinda young!!"screaming little ones in the background

Am I seeing things, or is there a headless body in that picture?

It appears there might have been another guy behind the one twiddling the knob, you can see part of his coat but not his head.
It also appears that something was airbrushed out of the area behind the first guys head . . . . .


OKay, folks -- Back to the photo that started this thread.

Apparently the "invisible" person managed to get behind the boy on the left and the background of the picture was too cluttered, so they retouched the negative.

This looks to me like a large format negative, probably a 4 x 5 inch.

Airbrush took too long, as it first required a print, and then making a copy negative from that print.

For speed, newspaper pictures of this era, usually painted directly on the original camera negative!

Blow up the image in the first post in this thread to double size and you will notice an outline above all the people in the picture. Someone made that outline with a very fine camel's hair brush and ink (probably a fast drying thick red ink for visibility) and outlined the people. They then took a blunt brush and painted-out the cluttered background from the newly-drawn line to the edge of the picture and removed the partial head. Look outside the editor's crop marks and you can clearly see the brush strokes.

We had photo retouching a long time before photoshop!

Oh, and hope you get that Arkay! Back in the early 1950's, I built an Arkay radio as my first kit after completing the Progressive Edu-Kit course, similar to this:

http://www.ohio.edu/people/postr/bapix/edukit.htm

My Arkay was purchased through Progressive EduKit.
James

I already have the Arkay is under construction as we speak!,
And waiting on Mr.Mark Oppat to send me the style caps for which
I didn't use the originals "File 13" them kept a few for display,I'm keeping a photologs of
It as it comes together... For reference, and to show how its put together!
It is a1964 model same age as me! I was born in April of '64, Tv kit was issued in June '64 I was 2 months old when it was new!! Big Lols!!

Transvision kit.

Philmore also offered a 630 kit. I've got the paper work for it.

I love the listing of all the addresses in the picture caption...kinda doubt you'd see that today:D