Speaking of 60's portables...

[Eric H]

Where are they?

I just don't see any of these sets around.

Other than the Sears that I tossed and the cosmetically challenged RCA that I took the tube out of I haven't seen any, not on eBay, not in thrift stores, not on the Web.

Were they just so pathetically bad that they didn't survive in any quantity?

Eric

I don't know about such sets in general, but all the ones I've had like that (with the exception of a 15" Zenith and a later model RCA) never worked or worked right. I had a RCA CTC-22 that never worked at all, a GE HB 10" set with screwy color blotches in the picture, and a Sears like you threw out that had a dim picture with wrong colors (the CRT was good).

I wouldn't mind having a few of these old portables myself, especially the chance to get a fixable CTC-22 again.

I sold a 1972 RCA 14" hybrid set on Ebay a few years ago. Someone just had to have it, I guess, it brought over $150. The thing played beautifully and all, but I didn't expect to get much more than $20 for it at the time.

The GE HB color portables show up on Ebay from time to time, if you're interested in one of those. With the exception of the RCA I sold on Ebay, I haven't seen one of these tube-type color portables since the ones I had mentioned above in the mid-80's. Perhaps they were smaller and therefore easier to leave out on the curb for the trash collector.

Come to think of it, I don't see too much of the older 19" tube sets either.

[kc8adu]

the theary that they were easy to carry to the curb when they died may be true.
but they are still around.
got a portacolor he at a hamfest for $5
found a rca 19 incher color on the curb a while back.
both work well.
still find the small 60's sony color portables around too.
kv-9000u for $5 last week.
just a bad plug.

[Kamakiri]

If you guys want early color portables (portacolor, etc).....I'll get them, they are still plentiful in this area.

[andy]

...

[wiseguy]

if you guys are looking for a ctc-22 i think i know who has one,and i think a unsold set that was used for display at a rca dealer,is a ctc-22 the first rectangular set?
terry

[andy]

...

[kc8adu]

i too collect older small color sets.
i believe the ctc 22 was the first rca small screen color portable.
i have fixed a few with the most common problem being filter caps in the doubler.
and bad cataracts.

[Dude111]

Here are some pics of 60s portable stuff...

www.liveauctioneers.com/item/7416084

PRETTY NICE LOOKING -- She has a handle,pick her up and take her with ya

[Kamakiri]

A Seventeener III as I recall. Nice set! I think most of those were parted out and the picture tubes made their way into Predictas......

[old_coot88]

The CTC-22's achilles heel was its solid state damper diode which existed in either of two states: gone bad or gonna go bad. There was a non-RCA branded replacement which consisted of two diodes in parallel which seemed to hold up better. Anybody know if these are still obtainable?

[julianburke]

I'm looking for a nice CTC-22 and a 14" Zenith metal cabinet set. Anyone know of one each for sale? With carts?

[jstout66]

This thread got me to thinking.. I haven't seen ANY in ages as well.
If I had to guess.. I would assume the small color portables were just too expensive. It was still the era where if someone wanted a 2nd set (under 19") they just got a black and white. Saying that, you would think the people would have held on to them and had them repaired if they DID get a small color set.
The two oldest small screen sets I have are the 14" RCA WITH the factory stand. (circa 1972 and a CTC-50 something chassis) and this rare one which is a 14" Hitachi. 1971, solid state,dot matrix picture tube, and weighs a TON.

[bgadow]

Maybe the record on VK for oldest resurrected thread? I have a few RCA & Zenith color portables from around 1970-72 that could sure use a good home. I just don't have the space to display them, so they have to sit in the attic. There are a couple GE 'C2' chassis sets up there as well, and a pair of 12" color Airlines. Is that enough to entice somebody to drive out here to Hokum City?

[magnasonic66]

I'd like Magnavox's late '60s small screen color portable, and any sized black and white Magnavox portable from the '60s. I wonder if the really small color set had the same problems the bigger color sets they made had.