RCA color tv find

[Countryford]

Today I went to the local Goodwill for their 50% storewide sale. It of course was rather busy. I went to the electronic section and found this portable RCA color tv. Goodwill typically has their tvs marked for $1.00. Even at full price I would have bought the tv, but I figured $.50 is a good deal. So I get at the back of the long, long line and wait. After about a half hour of waiting in the line, I get to the cashier. Just as she is about to scan the tv, her computer crashes. I handed the lady a dollar bill and told her to just donate the change. So in the end, I still paid the $1.00. I just didn't feel like waiting around any longer. She was nice about it too.

[radiotvnut]

Looks like a late-'70's model and those had excellent pictures when they are working right.

[Robb]

Nice !

[zeno]

One of the bread & butter sets along with its 19" brother.
A good set with some common problems but little else.

Audio det. coil or sometimes IC. buzz or distorted sound.
2) 220K resistors & a transistor in vert out for vert lin.
Bridge rects & fusable for dead set
Internal arcing of flyback, still works but dots in pix & buzzing noise
from FBT
And dirty tuners !

73 Zeno

[sampson159]

owned tons of those.very good sets with a really sharp picture.of all the ones i ve had,never had one fail.of course i didnt keep them long but they were very dependable.

[hamilton]

I had one of those in high school. Built in November 1979 IIRC. I bought it for three dollars at a yard sale. The person selling it told me that "the picture was a little fuzzy until it warmed up." I got it home and adjusted the focus till the picture was sharp. Used it mainly as a monitor for my Tandy Color Computer II for a couple of years before I donated it free up some space. Still worked pretty good then.

[hamilton]

I saw am advertisement from Father's Day 1979 which advertised the T.V. as the RCA EC-330 "Roommate" 13 Inch Color TV for $249.95.

"Lower power consumption than any previous RCA color TV; operates at an average of only 69 watts."

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by hamilton

I saw am advertisement from Father's Day 1979 which advertised the T.V. as the RCA EC-330 "Roommate" 13 Inch Color TV for $249.95.

"Lower power consumption than any previous RCA color TV; operates at an average of only 69 watts."

I'm surprise the ad copy, didn't say, takes less than a 75 watt lamp.
A good friend of our family, received one, as interest on a CD. I don't remember the denomination of same, but it was, when the interest rate went sky-high.
I took the set apart, on their kitchen table, to clean the tuner. That the only trouble they had with it. It was used until they passed away. An easy twenty years.

[truetone36]

CTC-85 chassis, IIRC.

[Sandy G]

You paid a WHOLE DOLLAR for this ?!? Why, I'd march back down there & DEMAND my money back...Of all the NERVE... Why, that borders on the Actionable !! (grin) Looks like you got a HELLUVA deal...

[TVTim]

Nice find.

[Countryford]

You paid a WHOLE DOLLAR for this ?!? Why, I'd march back down there & DEMAND my money back...Of all the NERVE... Why, that borders on the Actionable !! (grin) Looks like you got a HELLUVA deal...

I know. It really broke the bank.

[DavGoodlin]

There is an RCA like that at Leiutenant Dan's apartment in the movie Forest Gump.

Worked on a few to replace those factory-misbehavin' flybacks. Dirty controls were also an Issue IIRC

[AdamAnt316]

A set similar to that (made in 1978, IIRC) was my very first color TV, found at a yard sale in then mid-late '90s for $3. Took over the prime spot in my bedroom from a late '80s 12" black & white set. Had to mess with some of the color controls in the back to get it looking acceptable, but it was a great set. Sadly, it got tossed in early 2000, along with my B&W sets, shortly before CRT sets became classified as hazardous waste in this state.
-Adam