1950? Sears Silvertone console

[MD57]

Hey out there in TV land. Just received a 1950? Sears Silvertone television console w/ radio and turntable. Its listed as catalog No. 137 but no Model No. The serial No. is AB-371039 on the television chassis. Any ideas where to find info on this would be a big help. Thanks

[Electronic M]

I assume you are seeking service information.
Unfortunately Serial numbers are are not a useful identifier (they are sort of like a VIN on a car only not tracked by anyone but the maker and only for a shorter time).
Is there a chassis number (usually affixed to a black painted metal tag on the chassis for Silvertone products)? Many makers put the same electronics(chassis) in several different cabinets with different model numbers on each cabinet so chassis numbers are often better identifiers of the electronics than the model. A picture of the tube layout chart that should be pasted inside the cabinet may also help.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by MD57

Hey out there in TV land. Just received a 1950? Sears Silvertone television console w/ radio and turntable. Its listed as catalog No. 137 but no Model No. The serial No. is AB-371039 on the television chassis. Any ideas where to find info on this would be a big help. Thanks

The Sams index shows a 137 number. Folder 161-9. It shows a TV only console. One of the strange, earlier models, made by Hallicrafters.
As Tom C stated, there should a black metal tag with the chassis number, that all Sears products had, no matter who sourced it. The number starts with 547.****

[MD57]

Thanks for the info.There is a radio and record player inside the cabinet. The television is on the left with the radio to the right with the record player on top. Someone wrote
Sam's 41-20 on the radio chassis. I found this Sam's on PDF file and downloaded. It shows the radio,record player and an wire type recorder.But no TV. The photofacts is dated 5/48. I will look into Sam's 161-9 for television

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by MD57

Thanks for the info.There is a radio and record player inside the cabinet. The television is on the left with the radio to the right with the record player on top. Someone wrote
Sam's 41-20 on the radio chassis. I found this Sam's on PDF file and downloaded. It shows the radio,record player and an wire type recorder.But no TV. The photofacts is dated 5/48. I will look into Sam's 161-9 for television

They might've used radio chassis, that were built for a few years. If it really is
Hallicrafters' built, they were great for that.
I believe, Hallicrafters never should've went into entertainment type products.
They were a big player in ham radio equipment and government contracts.

[Tubejunke]

You should post a picture. I bet someone can identify it....

[bandersen]

Just knowing if it's a round or rectangular picture tube will help place it in the 1940s or 1950s.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by bandersen

Just knowing if it's a round or rectangular picture tube will help place it in the 1940s or 1950s.

The Sams shows a 16TP4 type CRT.
IIRC, they also list a 19AP4 and another type, maybe 16GP4 roundie.
That's if it's the right schematic.

[MD57]

Just received the photofacts for this television. The photofacts shows the
16 inch rectangular tube. Yet my set has a round picture tube 12 inch. Will post photos when I figure out how.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by MD57

Just received the photofacts for this television. The photofacts shows the
16 inch rectangular tube. Yet my set has a round picture tube 12 inch. Will post photos when I figure out how.

The big question is, does the 161-9 Sams , jive with the set?

[Electronic M]

Sometimes the maker offered the same basic chassis in a variety of cabinets with several different screen/CRT sizes...You would be surprised the extent to which different monochrome CRTs of the ~first decade after WWII were electrically compatible with each other.
What matters is that the signal tube compliment and layout jibes with the schematic...That will be the best way to tell if the literature is applicable to your set.

A word of note sam's is known to have had typos (I know first hand) and not always had complete or sometimes any documentation of production changes so always watch for differences between chassis wiring and schematic, and when in doubt (provided a previous tech has not hacked up an area) always err towards the way it was rather than the way the literature says.

[MD57]

So far the chassis,tube location, wiring, components all match. only difference
seems to be picture tube is round type. No markings on picture tube and no info on tube chart inside cabinet. Looks to be 12"

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by MD57

So far the chassis,tube location, wiring, components all match. only difference
seems to be picture tube is round type. No markings on picture tube and no info on tube chart inside cabinet. Looks to be 12"

That particular chassis was built with several different CRT's. 12 to 19 inch.
I think, Hallicrafters made that chassis for at least two model years, with many variations. Yours might be an earlier model, as most larger set makers, didn't make a 12" set, past the 1950 model year.

[MD57]

I find that the am/fm radio schematic was dated 5/48 Sam's set 41 folder 20. This makes me think that this TV is a 1948 to 1950 model

[MD57]

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