View Full Version : RCA CTC-20 Acquisition


pendulum
04-17-2016, 08:58 PM
Went on an hour and a half drive up to a small village called Mayville near Saginaw to meet with a guy selling a bunch of tvs. He had bought a farm house and the previous owners had kept just about every set they had ever owned. The sets ranged from early 50's b/w up to an rca colortrak. I also found some letters and service manuals for a 40's tele-king set and a Midwest metal cone set. I didn't grab the early b/w rectangular sets or the later ss sets, but I did grab this nice RCA ctc-20, a few boxes of pulled tubes, some radio chassis, and a spare silvertone branded 21fbp22. The 21fbp22 was literally a barn find! There was a rusted out ctc 15 chassis next to it. Amazingly it only has a few minor scratches and tests good, though not super strong. The ctc-20 has its original '66 Hi-lite crt and also tests good but on the weak side. Set has a few changed tubes and a service note from '72 about changing the horizontal linearity control but otherwise looks good. Will probably start working on it in the next few weeks, first I need to air out the dusty barn smell. :).

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll246/eviljoebob/IMG_2450.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/eviljoebob/media/IMG_2450.jpg.html)

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll246/eviljoebob/IMG_2451.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/eviljoebob/media/IMG_2451.jpg.html)

TUD1
04-17-2016, 11:06 PM
Nooice! I would LOVE to find a set like this! I mean - you don't even know how bad I want a set like this! Awesome score!:thmbsp: If you decide you want to get rid of it, I'll be vacationing in Chicago and Wisconsin in June. I could easily swing by Michigan and take it off your hands for ya. :yes:

benman94
04-18-2016, 08:07 AM
I had an uncle that lived in Mayville for the longest time. I'm surprised that a color set that old would be up that way. That said, a CT-100 was found near Snover, which is Michigan's Amish country, so I suppose sets have been found in stranger places.
In any case, nice score! :)

dieseljeep
04-18-2016, 09:13 AM
It looks like you might have to replace the horizontal output tube! :D
Maybe, that's all that's wrong with it, along with the HV rectifier. Hopefully, it isn't the flyback, they're not that common.
I see it has the CTC16E front bezel. Great find! :thmbsp:

andy
04-18-2016, 11:35 AM
...

MRX37
04-18-2016, 12:41 PM
Nice! Plan on fixing the faceplate? Looks like that glue is pretty far gone.

pendulum
04-18-2016, 12:56 PM
It looks like you might have to replace the horizontal output tube! :D
Maybe, that's all that's wrong with it, along with the HV rectifier. Hopefully, it isn't the flyback, they're not that common.
I see it has the CTC16E front bezel. Great find! :thmbsp:

Haha, I noticed that too, I have a spare so I may try just slowly powering the set up. Pretty much all of the high voltage tubes have been replaced, but I see no signs of damage or melting in the flyback area, so fingers crossed!

Nice! Plan on fixing the faceplate? Looks like that glue is pretty far gone.

Yep, I've done it before on a tube with better glue than this one, so I don't think I will have any problem fixing up this tube.

TUD1
04-18-2016, 01:43 PM
That is a seriously nice TV. Enjoy it. I don't have a roundie - they are non existent in the Bammy-Ville.

pendulum
04-19-2016, 10:06 AM
I replaced the horizontal output tube and did a slow powerup with a variac and the results were promising. I was able to tune in a signal with my signal generator and get sound. The image isn't perfect though and I have no color. I did not run the set for too long, as one of the electrolytics was feeling a little warm. Will probably replace all of them before I use the set for an extended time period. A promising start though!

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll246/eviljoebob/IMG_2454.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/eviljoebob/media/IMG_2454.jpg.html)

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll246/eviljoebob/IMG_2455.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/eviljoebob/media/IMG_2455.jpg.html)

MRX37
04-19-2016, 10:31 AM
Indeed. Quite promising.

BigDavesTV
04-19-2016, 11:23 AM
Congratulations on an excellent score! Who'd a thought that nice set would be in a barn up in Mayville!? You just never can tell! That'll be an easy restoration, replace all electrolytics, likely the color oscillator crystal, and a 6GH8, or three:), and cataract removal. The nice metal cabinet looks great, looks like it might be a little better than the black metal cabinet of my CTC-10A! Keep us posted and with pictures:0.

RCAkid
03-07-2018, 11:49 PM
Does anyone know what the part number is for the fly?

Is it the same fly that the 16 uses? It would be great if it was.
I’ve got a couple of them tho my new ctc-20 has a good fly but
It is the original.

old_coot88
03-08-2018, 09:53 AM
Nice find. Hopefully you have a backup supply of 6GH8s, though.

dieseljeep
03-08-2018, 11:19 AM
Does anyone know what the part number is for the fly?

Is it the same fly that the 16 uses? It would be great if it was.
I’ve got a couple of them tho my new ctc-20 has a good fly but
It is the original.
RCA stock # 117426.

rcaman
03-08-2018, 08:42 PM
i may have a nos flyback i will check

dieseljeep
03-09-2018, 09:35 AM
i may have a nos flyback i will check
The last time I replaced one on a CTC20, the big RCA distributor didn't have one in stock. It had to be ordered and that was in the early seventies!

old_coot88
03-09-2018, 12:41 PM
When the CTC-20 first came out, the first runs had weak vertical sync. RCA put out a field mod that involved changing two half-watt resistors in the sync separator. They were high value, something like 270K and 680K. Anybody remember this, or ever run into a '20 with weak V sync?