I grew up watching an old zenith black and white set. I'd love to be able to at least identify it to start. I have no pictures but what I remember is it is a very square model without UHF. The cabinet was made of metal with little tiny holes. It was a very light brown or maybe tan. The center of the tuner lit up with the number of the station in the middle. My best guess is that it was an early 60's set but possibly earlier without UHF? We watched it from 1968 (my earliest memory so my parents probably had it even earlier) to probably almost 1982. Is there a Zenith site of somesort that would help me identify it? If I could find one I'd love to rebuild one! Any info would be great.

Look around in here for a starter.

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1956%20Advertising.htm

Is it this one??

That is not it. The set was called a 19" and was much squarer, no rounded corners anywhere. The material had little tiny holes throughout. Almost like a screen but much more rigid. It also seemed a little larger. I was able to check most of the late 50's Zenith sets looking through web sites and there is nothing really close. It is probably mid 60's I'm thinking now that I've done a little more looking. Do you know what years UHF was phased in? I know I was the only one on the block that couldn't watch Speed Racer because it was on channel 32 and I only had 2-13.

With the square corners, it sounds more like 60s... UHF was required in 1964. The odd part is the "tiny little holes throughout"... I have some sets such as Philco Predictas that have a large number of small holes in specific locations, but not "throughout" I am puzzled over this. Could you perhaps sketch the tv as best you remember it, and post?

jr

Well I've looked everywhere and can't find one even close. I am now questioning my memory about it being a zenith. I am now going to ask my mom if there are any pictures. The material I am talking about has a name but it escapes me. When I say little holes they are like 1 mm (1/32") in circumfrence and there would be tons of them per square inch. There aren't so many that you can see through it though. It seems like a great material to make electronics out of because it alowed the air through yet was strong and you couldn't see through it. Anyways I'm figuring it has to be between 58and 63 but probably closer to 63. The Knob does remind me of the older Zeniths though. Hopefully I can repost with a picture.

No uhf puts it '64 or earlier, a 19" rectangular screen '61 or later. This set has a panel on the right front that has small holes in it. Maybe something like this?

That is very close to the set. It had that weird knob like that but it was a little bigger and the inside lit up with the channel number in it. I think that is the material I have been trying to describe, the color was a little different and much more of the set was made of it. I would be very surprised if you can find the exact set let me know what that one is though!

How about this one?
http://www.tvhistory.tv/1961-Zenith-F2215-19inBW.JPG

Again real close, but it had that funky shape dial like the previous one but I'm sure it was a spotlight dial like this one. The brown vinyl color seems correct though but the right hand side was cleaner like the other one. Thanx for all the help!

The body had this type of look only it wasn't so white like I said the brown color above with this material wrapping the front.

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad43/pugs5061/looking%20for%20Zenith/Bt5TEkwCWkKGrHqYOKjwEvotcVVcBL9-U3I.jpg
Thats a little bigger picture.

Here's one similar to that, but this is a '66 with uhf. The channel numbers appear in the windows on each side, vhf on the right, uhf on the left. The button below the rt window is vhf power tuning, rt knob is vhf fine tuning. Left outer knob = uhf tuning, inner knob = volume.

Thats the right look and the material seems right, but it didn't have UHF and its got the spotlight dial with the funky shape. I appreciate all your help. After seeing the last few here I'm sure we are on the right track. I watched this TV from the time I was five until I was in high school, I watched my dad pull it apart several times and had it in my room for many years. There are some things my memory may fail me on but the spotlight dial funky shape dial and no UHF are not among those.

I finally figured out what model this TV was:banana:. drh4683 has it or a very very similar model. It may be exact but I'm not sure. It was a 1963 K2127-2. I do not remember a sleep timer(it may have been broken) and the tube may have been a slightly different size(not sure if they made it different) but his 15k37t(chassis) looks like it! Now to find one for sale! I google those numbers and other than photo facts nothing comes up:no:. Well in good time I should now be able to get real close to that TV. Now I know why Mr. Cahill has gone to all the trouble on his beloved RCA.

There's a freebie Zenith at the ETF site:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/classified_page.html#free

Hm, I liked that Sylvania with the halolight. Someone there has (or had) a very decent-looking DuMont RA-103 rather like the one that Phil had restored on his website. That set turned out gorgeous and it had me thinking that if I were to ever have a 40's set, I think I'd rather like to find a DuMont. I know I won't, though... it's Slim Pickens around here.

So the channel selector knob on this Zenith had a "spotlight" dial? My Zenith projects the number onto the round, green plastic center of the dial from behind. It looks totally different from the dials on the 60's models, though.