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  #1  
Old 09-12-2005, 11:04 AM
jroberts500 jroberts500 is offline
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'54 CONRAC monitor

Does anybody have one? I have tried to imagine what would have become of those. For example: I expect there should have been at least ten units delivered to the RCA building in NY in time for the first broadcasts. They probably were used into the '70's. Then I expect they were moved to a ground level place to be picked up by some TV/electronics company that tries to resell them? Maybe some ended up in a below ground level storage? I just don't think they immediatlely crushed them. I often wonder if buildings like that have a completely known inventory or if stuff, big and small, becomes forgotten for many years.
Does Anybody know about this sort of thing?
Did any of you ever work in the RCA building?

Last edited by jroberts500; 09-12-2005 at 01:48 PM.
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  #2  
Old 09-12-2005, 06:52 PM
swanson
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I'm not sure about the RCA building,I guess you are thinking about NBC
television studios at Rockerfeller Plaza.Since I work for CBS I can tell you
that back in '54 they used modified RCA CT-100's as color monitors.Then
they stepped up to 21" Conrac roundie monitors that used the 21AXP22
crt.In the 60's they started using rectangular crt Conracs which were a
hybrid design.I have one of these in my collection and even though it is a
hybrid,it is still a monster with 2 6080's as pass elements in the power supply.
CBS in their infinite wisdom threw all that stuff out during the 1980's,
including hundreds of Mcintosh and Marantz tube hi-fi,fairchild compressors,
Neumann U77 and RCA ribbon microphones,and other things that if I mention
I will make myself sick.I started working there in 2003.They also had alot
of stuff over in the transmitter room at the Empire State Building,But it was
cleaned out and the contents dumpsterized after the 9/11 attacks.CBS
started using Sony and Ikegami monitors in the 80's and have stayed with
those brands ever since.
Regards,
Swanson
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  #3  
Old 09-12-2005, 08:13 PM
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Steve McVoy Steve McVoy is offline
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RCA had a 15 inch monitor in 1954, the TM-10. At least one survives. We have a GE and a Dage 15 inch in our collection:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/dage_650.html

http://www.earlytelevision.org/ge_4tm15.html
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  #4  
Old 09-13-2005, 02:00 PM
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Burbank used home sets

It appears from this magazine cover that NBC Burbank used consumer sets (RCA of course) - can anyone identify what chassis/model these are, and what CRT?
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Old 09-13-2005, 02:31 PM
colortrakker colortrakker is offline
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CBS New York must have been special. I've seen Television City shows from the late '70s (at least as late as '78) where they were still using round Conrac monitors.
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Old 09-13-2005, 04:01 PM
swanson
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The roundies were long gone by the 70's at CBS NY.At that time they were
using Conrac RHA series transistor color monitors.These monitors had a
separate HV power supply and two flybacks,one for horiz. sweep and the
other for HV.If the horiz. or vert. sweep failed the HV supply would
shut down to prevent the crt from being burned.CBS NY still had quite a few
of the Conrac CYA (hybrid) rectangular color monitors still in use up untill
the early 80's.
Regards,
Swanson
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  #7  
Old 09-13-2005, 05:19 PM
swanson
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Here are some pictures from CBS NY.One is the transmitter room at the
ESB from 1955.You can see the modified CT-100.the other is a late 1950's
picture of a tech. adjusting a Conrac color roundie in studio 72.This is my
first time attaching pictures.Hopefully I won't goof it up too bad.
Regards,
Swanson
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  #8  
Old 09-13-2005, 06:11 PM
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"CBS" CT-100 monitor

Click to a picture of the CBS transmitter room in New York City, 1955. I believe ths is the pix Swanson's referring to in the previous post. The sole color reference monitor is an RCA CT-100 receiver, on a wheeled dolly, seen to the left of the operator.

http://www.cbsretirees.com/pho246.htm

-Steve
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Last edited by Steve D.; 09-13-2005 at 06:22 PM.
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  #9  
Old 09-13-2005, 07:07 PM
swanson
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Here is the ESB transmitter room.
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Old 09-13-2005, 05:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by old_tv_nut
It appears from this magazine cover that NBC Burbank used consumer sets (RCA of course) - can anyone identify what chassis/model these are, and what CRT?
Those are a trio of RCA Victor 21-CT-55 consumer color sets with a 21AXP22 picture tube.

I worked at NBC Burbank in the 60's off & on. The RCA 21" professional monitors were in use in the control rooms. The studios had something like CTC-10 table model sets hanging above the audience section in some studios. Working at KTLA-TV full time in the late 60's, I was about 5 minutes to late to claim a 15" color monitor when they cleaned out their equipment storage locker. They had 3 sitting in the parking lot up for grabs.

-Steve D.
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Last edited by Steve D.; 09-08-2014 at 04:48 PM.
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  #11  
Old 09-13-2005, 06:59 PM
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Steve Hoffman Steve Hoffman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve D.
Those are a trio of RCA Victor 21-CT-55 consumer color sets with a 21AXP22 picture tube.

I worked at NBC Burbank in the 60's off & on. The RCA 21" professional monitors were in use in the control rooms. The studios had something like CTC-10 table model sets hanging above the audience section in some studios.

-Steve D.
Steve,

I know we've talked about this before but was I astounded in 1974 or so when I used to bluff my way into NBC Color City, Burbank and to my surprise saw really old (even then) 21" roundies used as monitors, etc. I mean, heck, not even rectangle tubes? Round? Wow. There was a guy in master control (you know, the room with the glass window so you could look through in the long hallway by the news entrance?) and this guy was adjusting one of the two 21" sets right there. I remember (burned into my brain) that one of the sets was marked "program" and one was marked "transmitter". The transmitter picture (after the signal came back down the mountain) was somewhat degraded when compared to the first picture, but both looked, um, antique compared to any modern TV set picture of that year. I couldn't believe they were making picture judgements and adjustments using those old sets as gospel. Heh, just floored me.

I mean, I love the picture on my old roundies but I wouldn't use them in professional video work.

That would be like in my line of work mastering music for CD's while listening critically to playback on an old JBL horn or something. It sure wouldn't tell me the truth about what was happening.
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Last edited by Steve Hoffman; 09-13-2005 at 07:04 PM.
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  #12  
Old 09-08-2014, 05:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by old_tv_nut View Post
It appears from this magazine cover that NBC Burbank used consumer sets (RCA of course) - can anyone identify what chassis/model these are, and what CRT?
Since all the photo attachments have been lost after this thread was originally started, I though I'd post the photo old_tv_nut refers to. This from the cover of Radio & Television News Sept. 1955. NBC Burbank control room. RCA Victor 21CT55 consumer model color sets w/21AXP22 picture tubes.

-Steve D.
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Last edited by Steve D.; 03-12-2017 at 09:00 PM.
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  #13  
Old 09-08-2014, 10:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve D. View Post
Since all the photo attachments have been lost after this thread was originally started, I though I'd post the photo old_tv_nut refers to. This from the cover of Radio & Television News Sept. 1955. NBC Burbank control room. RCA Victor 21CT55 consumer model color sets w/21AXP22 picture tubes.

-Steve D.

Who here woudn't want to just "step into that picture" and load up ALL of that stuff-- and bring it back to today !!

IF ONLY that were possible...
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  #14  
Old 09-09-2014, 12:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rca2000 View Post
Who here woudn't want to just "step into that picture" and load up ALL of that stuff-- and bring it back to today !!

IF ONLY that were possible...
And then one of us happens to walk in to that station's prop room and find those 21CT55s sittin pretty....
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  #15  
Old 09-09-2014, 11:55 AM
drussell drussell is offline
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Quote:
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And then one of us happens to walk in to that station's prop room and find those 21CT55s sittin pretty....
Do they still work?
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