Found an RCA CTC5

[Kevin Kuehn]

That picture is looking really nice, and I really like that cabinet. I can't get over how clean the chassis looks on that set.

[Penthode]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

That picture is looking really nice, and I really like that cabinet. I can't get over how clean the chassis looks on that set.

Thanks. The picture is looking better. The set doesn't appear to have been used that much, hence it is remarkably clean and original.

I feel the set has two problems which may be inherent in the CTC-5 design: limited HV beam current and poor video amplifier frequency response. When I crank up the brightness to provide "reasonably" bright picture highlights, the picture starts to bloom and the horizontal scan begins to shrink. The 21AXP22A has plenty of life and perhaps the limited beam current has helped preserve it! The RCA service notes shows a drooping video amplifier frequency response which I expect makes the picture appear slightly soft. I recall Nick discussing the former and Wayne discussing the later with their respective CTC5's. I also recall getting a much "snappier" picture with a CTC10 and CTC11.

This particular CTC5 was a curious find. It came from an older house not far from downtown Toronto. I purchased it from I believe the grandson of the original owner.

When this set was bought new in Toronto in late '56 or early '57, it would be another 10 before the first Canadian color broadcast by the CBC. The set is fitted with a UHF tuner which is extremely unusual for Canadian sets in 1956-7. The first Canadian UHF channel was TV Ontario which signed on in about 1970.

WGR-TV (NBC) would have the source for Toronto of most color programming and it was at that time on channel 17, one of the first US UHF channels. (WGR reverted to channel 2 in 1958). The CBS affiliate, WBEN-TV channel 4 I expect was the only other source of color.

[WA3WLJ]

WOW an owned and operated that learned that UHF was a big money loser on Channel 17 ............