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  #1  
Old 05-15-2009, 04:09 PM
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313guy 313guy is offline
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Motorola 17K3A

Long time listener, first time caller.

I usually lurk over in the audio threads, but I would love some help from you vintage TV gurus. Twenty or so years ago I bought a Motorola 17k3A at an estate sale for the cabinet, which I hoped to convert to ...don't remember what!! A friend with a van helped me get it home, and insisted we plug it in and try it out. I told him I only bought it for the cabinet, but he insisted. Luckily, I am something of a packrat, and actually found an AC cord that was a perfect match. As you probably guessed, it worked. The back had sort of a "joystick" that let you aim the gun at the front of the tube. ( A new one on me.)

For several years, we hooked a vcr to it to make it "cable ready" and would watch the Red Wings game every New Years Eve. It was kind of a hokey tradition, but a novelty for the guys while the wives stayed upstairs.

One year, there was a flash in the back and the picture went haywire. A neighbor who used to work on old electronics said it was a "blah blah blah" tube. I never did anything about it and he moved away. Now I don't even know where there is a tube tester. I remember when I was a kid, every corner drug store had one.

If his diagnosis was right, all I need is a tube. The cabinet is scratched up (on top especially). What info do any of you have on this? Google returned no results. I would like to sell it, probably on Craigslist, but have no idea how much to ask?

Sorry for being so verbose, and thanks in advance for any help.
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Old 05-15-2009, 05:02 PM
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David Roper David Roper is offline
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Whereabouts are you located?
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Old 05-15-2009, 05:03 PM
Steve K Steve K is offline
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Hi:

The only info I can give you on your set is that it is a 1951 model. I doubt that just a tube will fix it. A set that age should have all the capacitors replaced to make it safe to operate (or even to make it operate for that matter). As to value, unfortunately these sets are not worth that much.

BTW, Welcome!

Steve
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Old 05-15-2009, 05:29 PM
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313guy 313guy is offline
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David,
updated my profile to show location.
Steve,
thanks for the info. I figured that was about the age by the shape of the crt.
Any info on the "joystick" feature? Was this common for this vintage? And how much is "not that much". My wife would like this gone, lol.
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Old 05-15-2009, 05:36 PM
Steve K Steve K is offline
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By "joystick" do you mean that rod that sticks out the back next to the CRT hump? If so that is a picture centering control. Others may disagree but by value in its present condition I would say $25 to $50.

Last edited by Steve K; 05-16-2009 at 06:17 PM.
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Old 05-16-2009, 06:09 PM
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bandersen bandersen is offline
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My Emerson has two "joysticks". The one that protrudes from the back cover above the CRT is the focus control lever. The shorter one to the right of the CRT is for centering.
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Old 05-16-2009, 07:10 PM
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313guy 313guy is offline
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This was for centering the picture on the tube. I am sure it was not called a joystick in 1951, but that was my best description. Nobody I showed it to had ever seen anything like it, but none of them were on this board, lol.
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Old 05-16-2009, 10:18 PM
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bgadow bgadow is offline
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Admiral liked those centering controls; I have some and darn, you look at them funny and they go out of adjustment.

This is a neat set, nice style, deserves to ride again. The initial problem very well may have been a tube-we would need to know more details of what the picture looked like. As others have pointed out, by now the caps have most certainly gone south. You might be able to get it to power up but I would expect problems, especially in the vertical. It just needs a good going-over. That thing is probably chocked full of black beauties. Replace them with new caps, sell the old ones on ebay to pay the bill!
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