[Jeffhs]

The seller said he cannot tell if the phonograph works because he does not have records to use to test it. He could have simply flicked the stylus with the unit on. If he heard noise in the speakers, the cartridge, the speakers and at least one amplifier are probably OK.

BTW, I think the phosphors are blown off the CRT screen, indicating, of course, that the neck was snapped off. I too had trouble even seeing the TV screen at first, until I increased my monitor brightness as high as it will go.

IMHO, whomever took that picture either did so without the flash or else tried to shoot it in semi- or total darkness, using only the flash. If he or she were using a cheap, small digital camera (or a cell phone cam) with an equally small flash tube, additional light will be required to get a decent picture, as the extremely small flash units in cameras such as the Radio Shack Flatfoto series are not nearly bright enough (or are timed not to stay on long enough) to illuminate the subject very well. There are no manual adjustments on these cameras for exposure or anything else--it is all automatic (typical point-and-shoot design), using what Radio Shack calls its "Autobrite" system. I have such a camera and have found that I need at least one other light on in the room in which I am taking a picture, in order to get a photo bright enough to see all the details and to prevent bright spots. This is especially important if, for example, I am taking a picture of my cat. She has green eyes; when the camera flash goes off, with no other light in the room it reflects off them, causing bright white spots where her eyes should be to show in the picture.