1986 RCA Console TV Model G25343WK

[Console User]

I recently purchased this TV. It came from a 90 Year Old Couple who just upgraded to a Flat Screen TV. The TV comes on real good and clear and no colors are funky when it first powers on. The issue I am having with the TV is that Dark Images like Black or Bright Color like white have a Blue Shadow or Blue Outline on them. It's not too noticeable when setting far from TV. However, if you get up real close to the TV you can see alot of blue highlighting on the edges of objects such as blue coloring on a person's hair or blue coloring on a white jersey of a football player. Also, I have noticed, I seem to have a solid blue vertical line on both sides of the screen that is visible when TV is blank from switching to screen shot to screen shot. There is no red or green color bleed. In a Black and White Screen Shot there is quite a bit of blue color visible in the picture. I have tried adjusting the Color, Picture and Bright Level and none of those adjustments seem to help. Can someone tell me if this is a sign of the picture tube getting weak or another issue that needs an adjustment. Thanks. 1996 NOT 1986...
I posted two pictures of issue under my user name...

[jbattles]

pic would help

[Console User]

Pictures are posted if you click on my UserName in my Album. I do not know how to get the pictures in the actual Thread Post. I posted two of them.

[old_tv_nut]

Could be a sign of picture tube getting weak, but a setup adjustment of G2 voltages might fix it. If you turn down the contrast, the blue smear should shrink and disappear at low enough setting. This is a sign that the set up either is wrong or is compensating for a weak blue gun. Usually, you would expect the red gun to be the weakest as it is normally driven the hardest.

[Console User]

Are you saying try turning up the G2 Setting a little, or do you mean another adjustment on the G2 setting?
Thanks.

[old_tv_nut]

I assume this chassis has separate red, green and blue video output transistors driving the cathodes. Then, that kind of smear indicates the video output transistor for the blue cathode is saturated (drawing max current and producing minimum voltage). A possible fix is to adjust the G2 voltage (making the picture darker) and then turn up the brightness (making the video output transistor collector voltages higher and avoiding saturation).

[Hope I didn't get that backwards - having the service info / setup procedure would help.]

[old_tv_nut]

Oops - I think I did get that backwards. You want the cathode voltages to go higher, which would darken the picture, so you brighten it with the G2 setting.

[Jeffhs]

Why would anyone sit close (read inches (!)) to a TV, especially a modern flat screen? (Remember when parents told their children not to sit too close to a color TV due to the X-ray scare of the 1960s-'70s?) If the distortion is not noticeable at normal viewing distance, why bother with it at all? I sit 10 feet away from my 32" flat screen and see the picture just fine. I do not notice any difference between standard definition and high definition pictures anyway, except the picture is much sharper than it was at the old 4:3 aspect ratio. As long as I can see a clear picture on my TV at ten feet (I can), it is plenty good enough for me.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

Why would anyone sit close (read inches (!)) to a TV, especially a modern flat screen? (Remember when parents told their children not to sit too close to a color TV due to the X-ray scare of the 1960s-'70s?) If the distortion is not noticeable at normal viewing distance, why bother with it at all? I sit 10 feet away from my 32" flat screen and see the picture just fine. I do not notice any difference between standard definition and high definition pictures anyway, except the picture is much sharper than it was at the old 4:3 aspect ratio. As long as I can see a clear picture on my TV at ten feet (I can), it is plenty good enough for me.

Did you know that 10 feet is known in the industry as the "Lechner distance?"
It is the most common viewing distance of TV in the American home, as determined by research done by Bernie Lechner of Sarnoff Labs.

Anyway, I think that wide blue smear shown in Console User's photos would be visible at ten feet. It is not only wide, but like all such smears is at maximum brightness.

[Console User]

Well, I turned down the G2 as you stated first a little and made it darker. Then brightened the picture up with the Bright Setting until I had a nice picture. It seems to me it pretty much did away with the Blue Smearing. Yes, the Smear was noticeable from a distance away from the TV just not up close. However, not always visible from a distance.

[old_tv_nut]

Great.

Try it with contrast set to maximum to see if you were able to go far enough. If the tube is going bad, you may not be able to get enough adjustment for both a good picture and no smearing at max contrast, but you should try it.

[Console User]

I worked with my TV a little more today. I turned Color, Bright, Tint, and Sharpness all to the halfway point on the Adjustments. I left Picture at about 3/4 the way. I also adjusted the focus a little to take out some of the smearing in the picture. I also adjusted the G2 to where I just have a slight background visible on the blank screen. It seems to be not too bad on blue coloring smear from this distance now. I think I may have noticed another issue with the set today. When I first power on the TV and pull up my guide on my Dish Receiver the yellow box on channel numbers is partially discolored for a few minutes on the far left hand side. If you cancel out of the guide and go back to it later then the issue of discoloring disappears. Also, I am thinking that after first turned on the picture may be doing a slight flash on the screen.

[Console User]

What would cause the TV to show what should be yellow on the screen look half lime green half yellow when TV is first turned on? Also, what would cause a noticeable flash of brighter picture momentarily after turned on and then after this the yellow is shown in it's normal tone of color? It does this color switch on the left hand side of TV only I believe.

[jbattles]

hey you have a gassy CRT, its worn out, but if it can produce a decent picture. run the hell out of it until its dead. look for another RCA and grab the tube.

[Console User]

Would it do any good to turn up the G2? I backed down on Picture, & sharpness & then adjusted focus. I turned up bright to make picture not so dark since I lowered picture..It seems better now..