Thought I'd show off my new daily watcher. All I had to do was clean it up and set purity/ convergence. Yes that was a real pain but it was really worth it. I can't remember seeing a better NTSC picture. :thmbsp::thmbsp: And this set is built like a tank. Handwired metal chassis 4 tube hybrid. As usual, the pictures do it no justice.

Nice! Don't know what it is about those 4 tube hybrids, but mine has the best picture of ANY set I own.

Those hybrids are some of my favorites! They are a workhorse. Had that exact same model, bought it from K-Mart as I was still growing up in the family house. I fixed it once after we had a bad lightning storm as there was a component near the A/C plug that took a hit but that was it. I had already moved away when "Mom" replaced it....before I could get my hands on it.

Other than the CRT getting a little soft and a dirty tuner, 'was still a play'in!

Nice save! It's hard to beat a Zenith from that era.

Yeah, it is a workhorse for sure. When I first powered it up it was DEAD. no filaments, no degauss, nothing. The AC interlock on the cabinet back wasn't making connection. Also the purity was wayy out with a huge purple blotch on the upper right side. All in all, I really didn't have to do anything to this tv. (no component replacement I mean) Didn't even clean the tuner! That's quality. :yes:

Nice! Looks like yours has the gyro drive UHF tuner also (flywheel type). Those are great. I will never be bored of 4 tube hybrids, those are the sets I have the most fond memories of growing up.

You couldn't have a better tube type TV for a daily watcher.

Did you manage to get perfect convergence in all corners of the screen, or is that a pipe dream? Mine's not too bad but I notice it when I look for it...

Perfect is a strong word, especially when it comes to converging such an old crt. But I feel I have got it as close to perfect as it can get. I used a crosshatch pattern from a dvd player that has rf out.

The right side was a pain in my ass because they used allen keys instead of knobs and they were pretty frozen in place. I thought I cracked one (for r/g vertical) but it was just that it was coming unstuck. Easy to crack the recessed allen key ones, I've done it before. Then you either need to find a new convergence board assembly or find a new coil :thumbsdn: .

DRH, the flywheel tuner on the UHF has a great feel to it. Not that I have much use for UHF... But it is nice.

On a related note, do all these 4 tube hybrids use a 20LF6 in the horizontal? I just looked up prices for some of these tubes and they are getting way high !!

I have a super low hour 19cc19, its a little different. Its a remote set and there is a door with a little tuner knob.

I had to replace the audio chip, now it has an arcing problem on the focus board.
Several areas on the red focus board glow blue and give off that lovely smell. Its like the board is breaking down and becoming conductive.

The thing is so heavy it should be in a metal cabinet with handles.

Some use a 6LF6. Both xLF6's are high and you can blame that on the CB'ers. There was a discussion about this not too long ago.

Yep, I commented about how the OTL amps use 6LF6 in the output stage. But man, it is kind of brutal to see that a single tube for one of your TVs costs 80 bucks online...

And ctc17, couldn't agree more about the cabinet(s)....this set must weigh about 40 pounds! The plastic is the tough kind but still...definitely should be metal IMO.