I scored what amounts to a $20 Predicta Debutante with an original Philco 17DAP4 CRT that has an open heater.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8640/28378709660_59b963bba2_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/KeJiFA)DSCN2002 (https://flic.kr/p/KeJiFA) by Tom Carlson (https://www.flickr.com/photos/137849736@N08/), on Flickr

I have about $25 in an Admiral I have in working order which has a 17DSP4 CRT that I believe would fit the Predicta.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/Admiral%20TV/th_DSCN0004_zpsz3j6aplp.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/Admiral%20TV/DSCN0004_zpsz3j6aplp.jpg.html) http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/Admiral%20TV/th_DSCN0050_zps2eq8k5sg.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/Admiral%20TV/DSCN0050_zps2eq8k5sg.jpg.html) http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/Admiral%20TV/th_DSCN0040_zpsmtuemuvt.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/Admiral%20TV/DSCN0040_zpsmtuemuvt.jpg.html) http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/Admiral%20TV/th_DSCN0031_zpsauofpwyi.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/Admiral%20TV/DSCN0031_zpsauofpwyi.jpg.html)

This Admiral ain't exactly rare (I've seen at least 2-3 others), or valuable.
Do I kill it to get the Predicta to live?

I also have a potential source of a good used and or NOS CRTs for it, but odds are it is going to cost me ~$60-200 (need to talk with the seller more) for one. Should I pursue that instead?

There also is potion C: pop the admiral CRT in the philco, make the philco work (if it can), then (if successful) get a new jug for the philco and return the admiral CRT to it's original set.

What say you?

Nice Admiral TV! And a nice Philco! In my opinion, I would see first about getting the other CRT that you said was available. If not, and you really want to get that Predicta rolling, I would take the CRT out of the Admiral but don't scrap it. Maybe you can find another CRT for it later on. I always try to not scrap out something that is working, such as your Admiral is. Just my opinion on this. Good luck and nice haul!

well. Which one do YOU like better? Make that one work.

I would.

The 17DSP4 may not be the best chioce.
It has a 11 1/4" neck the original is 10 11/16"
You want to look for these
17DAP4, 17DEP4, 17DKP4, 17DRP4, 17DTP4, 17DXP4, 17DZP4.
I say leave the Admiral alone.
It works the Predicta doesn't.

I scored what amounts to a $20 Predicta Debutante with an original Philco 17DAP4 CRT that has an open heater.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8640/28378709660_59b963bba2_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/KeJiFA)DSCN2002 (https://flic.kr/p/KeJiFA) by Tom Carlson (https://www.flickr.com/photos/137849736@N08/), on Flickr

I have about $25 in an Admiral I have in working order which has a 17DSP4 CRT that I believe would fit the Predicta.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/Admiral%20TV/th_DSCN0004_zpsz3j6aplp.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/Admiral%20TV/DSCN0004_zpsz3j6aplp.jpg.html) http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/Admiral%20TV/th_DSCN0050_zps2eq8k5sg.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/Admiral%20TV/DSCN0050_zps2eq8k5sg.jpg.html) http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/Admiral%20TV/th_DSCN0040_zpsmtuemuvt.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/Admiral%20TV/DSCN0040_zpsmtuemuvt.jpg.html) http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/Admiral%20TV/th_DSCN0031_zpsauofpwyi.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/Admiral%20TV/DSCN0031_zpsauofpwyi.jpg.html)

This Admiral ain't exactly rare (I've seen at least 2-3 others), or valuable.
Do I kill it to get the Predicta to live?

I also have a potential source of a good used and or NOS CRTs for it, but odds are it is going to cost me ~$60-200 (need to talk with the seller more) for one. Should I pursue that instead?

There also is potion C: pop the admiral CRT in the philco, make the philco work (if it can), then (if successful) get a new jug for the philco and return the admiral CRT to it's original set.

What say you?

Hang loose for a little while. I'll see, if the 17" CRT I have in an RCA portable is good. It has the odd-ball 8.4 volt, 450ma heater, but that could be worked around.
BTW, the pin-out is different on the Philco CRT, vs the Admiral tube. :scratch2:

...

I've had some success repairing open heaters by zapping them with a high voltage source. A neon sign transformer seems to work well (60Hz iron type, not electronic). It has enough current to weld a small gap, but not nearly enough to burn out the heater. It often takes several tries before it will hold, so don't give up if it doesn't work at first.

I tried that using a Zenith color as a source. B+ nothing, 1+KV boost nothing, damper lead that killed a DMM I once touched to it by accident....That made a nice consistent blue arc inside the CRT, but nothing like a weld (even with banging on the neck)...That tube is toast.

Gents lets all remember that Toms debbie has a power transformer in it. So the RCA jug with the 8 volt heater is not going to work, a 17 inch jug from a kcs 126 will work with a little rewire, which I have done now with six Philco sets with the 10L43 chassis. All the the best, Tom J from Fla