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Old 04-07-2007, 08:58 PM
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drh4683 drh4683 is offline
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1962 Zenith 29JC20 roundie was delivered!

The 29JC20 from Seattle craigslist arrived yesterday through craters and freighters. Very high quality packaging job. It cost me just under $500 to get it here. It was worth it as it was for Zenith's very first mass produced color set.
Everything arrived in great shape. So if anyone ever wants a console shipped, go with craters and freighters. Just tell them the pick up address and its a done deal from there. The pics you see are in order from how the shipment looked to where it was uncrated.

As for the TV, its completely original, down to the CRT with a 61-48 date code. Still had a good number of original zenith tubes on the chassis which all tested good. Once I got the set indoors, I waited a while for it to acclimate to room temperature before powering it up as it was quite cold outside. Nothing got jarred out of position durring transit so it was safe to fire up.
Once it warmed up, I noticed one of the 3DG4 rectfiers wasn't lighting up. The heater opened, probably durring shippment. I put in a new pair of GE 3DG4's. This got the set working, but then I noticed the vertical hold was way off and wouldn't hold. It would lock at 30hz and get a double split picture! I checked the 6EM7 and it had an open plate, meter would't read a thing. Put in an nos sylvania and still wouldn't lock. Had to pull the chassis. I forgot that the set being as old as it is that there would be a good number of those black beauty caps in there. Sure enough, a shorted .0068 uF in the oscillator circuit. I just "tacked" in a cheap replacement just to get it going so I could play around with the rest of the set. Reason being, it will get totally recapped with sprage orange drops that I will order though mouser. HV section is excellent and regulates fine with great range of the HV. Havn't checked the cathode current yet, but the set won't get much on time untill it gets recapped. There are a few black beauties in the efficiancy coil circuit and I don't want anything to run hot incase those are leaky which Im sure they are.

The set works half way decent. Color circuits are great, hues balance nice between green and purple. The photo of it turned on is how it looks with no other adjustments or repairs other than the vertical cap replacement. The convergence is off. CRT is weak but havn't done anymore other than raise the heater voltage to reactivate the cathodes. It gets brighter as it warms up. Oh well. Worst case sceanario it will go to hawkeye to get a rebuild. CRT needs to come out anyway as the lens has a bit of fogging from the rubber lens gasket.

The set is in wonderful condition for its age, and it was from an extremely clean home as there was practically no dust inside the set and a clean corrosion free chassis.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 62zen1.jpg (60.4 KB, 73 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen2.jpg (47.4 KB, 38 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen3.jpg (51.4 KB, 58 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen4.jpg (56.2 KB, 52 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen5.jpg (53.4 KB, 64 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen6.jpg (59.5 KB, 87 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen7.jpg (70.2 KB, 52 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen8.jpg (80.4 KB, 86 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen9.jpg (64.8 KB, 62 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen10.jpg (64.5 KB, 57 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen11.jpg (72.0 KB, 78 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen12.jpg (76.7 KB, 60 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen13.jpg (39.0 KB, 78 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen14.jpg (58.3 KB, 104 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen15.jpg (91.5 KB, 98 views)
File Type: jpg 62zen16.jpg (62.4 KB, 164 views)
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Last edited by drh4683; 04-07-2007 at 09:00 PM.
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Old 04-07-2007, 09:49 PM
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what a beautiful set. Craters and freighters did an excellent job. Now if I find a decent set that I have to have I'll know who to call.

I love how those zeniths just work even after all these years.
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Old 04-07-2007, 10:46 PM
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Last edited by andy; 12-07-2021 at 02:13 PM.
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Old 04-08-2007, 12:15 AM
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what an amazing find ..it is plain beautiful ... a lovely lovely set!! looking foraward to the old girl get a fresh lease on life!!!
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Old 04-08-2007, 11:21 AM
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Larry Melton (oldtvman)
 
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That is the model that I have (minus a working flyback). I restored the cabinet to original condition. Mine is a UHF model
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Old 04-08-2007, 12:24 PM
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Larry, do you have photos of yours? Id like to see what the UHF model looks like. Also, Im wondering if my antenna termials are original. I don't see any spots where another termial stirp would have been mounted. Someone apparently removed part of the back panal to accomadate something on or near the antenna screws. A photo of this area from the other 29JC20 owners would be greatly appriciated. Thanks
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Old 04-08-2007, 01:31 PM
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REAL TVs have TUBES!
 
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VERY desirable TV!!!!!! I have only personally ever seen two of that chassis. I picked up one in a cheap masonite table model cabinet behind an apartment building. But I threw it out because the 3DG4 rectifiers were missing, and Henry Radio wanted $13 each for them. (needless to say, this was in the early 80s.)

The other one was still in use in a lady's house. I'd sure like to get one! If I do, my other Zenith roundie remote set will be for sale...

Charles
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Old 04-08-2007, 02:35 PM
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Phil Nelson Phil Nelson is offline
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A beautiful set.

I have been very happy with Craters & Freighters, too. They shipped my 630TS from AZ to here in WA and it arrived without a scratch. They actually built two crates -- one for the TV and the other for the stand. The TV crate was all plywood. The stand crate was a plywood base with a cardboard upper part, as in these photos.

Definitely not cheap, but you get what you pay for, as the saying goes.

Phil Nelson
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Old 04-09-2007, 12:30 PM
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Not sure what year Zenith started building color crts but it wasn't this early.

Quote:
Originally Posted by andy
Nice set.

Isn't 274 RCA's EIA code?
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Old 04-09-2007, 02:05 PM
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Wow... that's a clean set! Off hand, I can't really think of another chassis that has a power transformer as large as the 29JC! It's nearly as big as the HV cage!

For a weak CRT, that screen shot looks pretty good! Hopefully, cranking the heaters up a little will wake it up enough to bring your meter into the green.

The 29JC I have is a SC model and is a nightmare to pull apart. After seeing the inside of yours, I kinda wish mine wasn't a SC. Mine does not have the back panel.
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Old 04-09-2007, 03:14 PM
radotvguy radotvguy is offline
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zenith

Thats a beatiful Zenith console . What a nice find .

Craters and Freighters are excellent i must say . They shipped a few items for me and i must say they are top notch in their feild .
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Old 04-11-2007, 01:18 AM
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Looks familiar...

I am curious??

Are these MORE rare than the CTC-5 RCA sets, which KEEP slipping through my fingers??

BTW-- mine had a loose contact on one socket from on 3DG4, causing it to "come and go" at will, and I NEARLY didn't notice it, till it was too late one time. (wiggling it back and forth cleared it up..) Now..EVERY time I "fire up the old girl" I make SURE both rects are glowing..and check it every few minutes!!

And I STILL wonder if ANYONE has ever had a 27KC20 set (NOT 26KC20). The 27KC20 looks JUST like the 29JC20 EXCEPT for SS rects. I suspect few were made, as the 26KC20 superceeded it the same year.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg SCren shot from 29JC20 set..JPG (44.3 KB, 43 views)
File Type: jpg Def Leppard Animal on 29JC20 from laserdisc.JPG (72.2 KB, 62 views)
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Old 04-11-2007, 02:16 AM
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Just a guess... I'd think a CTC-5 would be more rare than the 29JC because of the age difference. Just in the past couple of years, there's been at least four or five of us to pop up with a 29JC. IMS, doesn't someone here have TWO of them???
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Old 04-11-2007, 07:26 AM
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Larry Melton (oldtvman)
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie
Just a guess... I'd think a CTC-5 would be more rare than the 29JC because of the age difference. Just in the past couple of years, there's been at least four or five of us to pop up with a 29JC. IMS, doesn't someone here have TWO of them???

Charlie

I have both a ctc 5 (wingate) and a Zenith 29jc20
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Old 04-11-2007, 12:54 PM
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REAL TVs have TUBES!
 
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If anyone wants to part with one, please let me know!

Charles
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