This is a picture taken in the radio and TV service area of a small town furniture store in 1949. It shows a 1949 Motorola TV and the store owner, his son, and the service/delivery men.

Thanks for sharing the great photo. That's a Moto VT-107 and it looks like they were well stocked with tubes :)

The picture on the TV looks like a cutout piece of paper stuck on the safety glass to give the impression that the set is on.

You are right. There was no TV reception during daytime when the picture was made for the newspaper. That is a magazine picture taped on the tube. I am not sure if station was on the air during daytime hours. Also they needed good atmosphere conditions for reception. There was always fade outs. Think 25 foot pipe with a single channel yagi and station 100 miles away.

Notice the photographer must be on top of the cleared-off workbench in the foreground, and the bench is covered with printed linoleum like Grandma would have had on her kitchen floor. That made a good work surface and it was cheap and easy to replace if needed. You may have seen that a lot of kitchens in older houses had their wooden counter tops covered with the stuff and the edges bound with aluminum or stainless trim made for the purpose.

What I noticed were the white shirts and ties.

What I noticed were the white shirts and ties.

Exactly. Professionals, one and all.

A lost era in America, for sure.:smoke:

What I noticed were the white shirts and ties.

And they all got the memo: "Don't forget to wear a dress shirt & tie tomorrow for the newspaper photo." Fant, Do you know where this store was located?

-Steve D.

The lab coat and ties were worn 6 days a week, 7:30 am til 6:00 pm.

Is the funnel effect of the TV just an illusion or is the cabinet wider in the back than the front ?

What are those test instruments behind the set, Meter with 2 rows of pushbuttons or is that a reflection ?

Well stocked with many brands of tubes.

rrrhre2s

I believe that TV has an angled front:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=motorola+vt-107&qpvt=motorola+vt-107&FORM=IGRE#a

Perhaps the test instrument is a volt-ohmmeter. That would be a good candidate to build into a workbench. The "second row" of pushbuttons looks like a reflection in top of the TV cabinet.

Phil Nelson

The VT-107 has an angled front too.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/VINTAGE-1940S-MOTOROLA-TELEVISION-TV-MODEL-VT-107-L-K-/00/s/NDQ1WDUwOA==/z/nzIAAOxy-gBR90N7/$%28KGrHqVHJCUFHTPk,wqQBR90N64UbQ~~60_35.JPG http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vintage-Motorola-Golden-Voice-Television-Operating-Instructions-Late-1940s-VT107-/00/s/MTYwMFgxMTk1/z/qiIAAMXQWzNSiMQb/$_35.JPG

The test instrument is a Jackson Model 640 test oscillator (sig gen). It covers 100 kc to 32 mc with 400 cycle modulation. There is just one row of buttons.

It shows a 1949 Motorola TV and the store owner, his son, and the service/delivery men.

Yup!

It shows a 1949 Motorola TV,the store owner, his son, the service/delivery men, and the expired flashbulb that the photographer used for the first attempt!

It is on the right side of the service bench.

Jas.

Before I opened my own shop I worked at one that was started in 53. We wore lab coats too, but didn't have to wear the shirt and tie thankfully. We had a back parts room set up exactly like the shelves in the pic. We still worked on some older tube sets in those days believe it or not? This was the late 80s through early 90s.. I miss those days. With today's flat screens and modular repairs you really only need a screwdriver and meter to repair sets. Until i started with vintage electronics my O-scope sat idle for at least 5 years.

Who wouldn't love a tube collection like that in their workshop? I know I would!

What my workshop needs is for those dudes to come and spend a day helping me out. Bet they could clear up my backlogged projects in no time!

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html