A girl I know, who's been promising me this TV for months, finally came through today. This set was in the conference room of her work place and the only thing it was being used for was to hold a 19" BPC set. I found her a cart and we made the trade today.

It's a '79 25" Zenith using the 25KC45 chassis and it uses a one knob varactor tuner. The set still has it's ID tags on the back and all back screws are accounted for; so, I doubt this set has ever been worked on. It works; but, needs the usual adjustments and typical connections resoldered. When I first turned it on, the VHF-lo band was dead. After about ten minutes, a picture appeared; so, I suspect the problem to be loose connections in the tuner module. IMO, this is a special Zenith since it's a steel cabinet table model and it was built in '79, which was the last year for the CCII chassis. Does anyone know if the cart is an original Zenith item or is it an aftermarket item? This is the first steel cabinet 25V CCII that I've had in ages.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_061725kc450001.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_061725kc450002.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_061725kc450003.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_061725kc450004.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_061725kc450005.jpg

Excellent find. Those 25" Zenith CCIIs are great sets; yours is the first one I've ever seen in a metal cabinet (I had a great-uncle who owned a 25" CCII in a wood cabinet; he had his for some 20 years or so, with hardly any trouble except for a CRT failure [a screen crack that slowly grew in length and went diagonally across the tube about six inches] after six months), and will work well after the usual clean-up and adjustments, as you mentioned. However, it looks like the cap over the on-off button is missing.

I'm curious to know how you tested your set when there are no analog TV signals available. :scratch2: My best guess is that you either tested it with a DVD player or VCR, or else you were able to tune in a low-power or translator station in your area.

that set will last the rest of your life.i have one in a full cabinet and love it!second best set ever made

I tested it with a channel master DTV converter box; and, there was a lot of interference. Then, I connected it directly to the comcast cable feed and the picture was clear (channels 2-13).

I did pull the tuner and found several loose pins where the channel selector assembly plugs into the tuner. I resoldered the entire plug as well as many of the ground connections where the PC board solders to the tuner shield; and, the tuner problem seems to be fixed.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the girl who gave me this suggested gutting the TV and sticking a fishtank inside if it couldn't be fixed. I pretended like I didn't hear her.

Look at that chassis.....just plain amazing. I love this style CCII. :thmbsp::thmbsp:

You lucky bas&&rd! Not only are you lucky to get a CC2, but a steel cabinet, AND one of the LAST CC2's to roll off the line WITH a delta tube! In 78-79 Zenith started the phase-out for System 3. Some Chromacolor 2 chassis were also paired with the new in-line tri-focus tube. So for you to get a 79 model without the inline tube is one hell of a find. And yes.. that is the cart that came with them. Zenith didn't make them they were supplied by Gusdorf (sic?)
How do I know? I worked in my Uncle's Zenith dealership during those years and I still remember the catalog books.

Very nice find! You're lucky to find one like it as James said, including that cart! It appears that most CCII's were made in Reynosa after about 1976. That '76 steel cabinet CCII I picked up might even be a Reynosa set. I havn't even pulled the back off it yet. I don't think I've seen any US made CCII's after 1976 though. Either way they are great sets. I think Zenith started building modules in Reynosa Mexico first sometime in the mid 70's, maybe 1973 or 74? and then transitioned TV production down there around 1976/77. Not sure where I read that, but Im pretty sure Reynosa was mainly a module assembly location in the beginnings.

The dtv converter boxes are not to well refined when it comes to interference/isolation. Try hooking two of them up to one outdoor antenna.
They are a very poorly designed temporary way to pacify the public

I've seen a couple of delta gun 23V CCII consoles from November, '79. They had the single knob tuner with a round silver pull on/volume knob and a round orange chromatic switch. The usual "solid state chromacolor II" was not printed on the front. Only the name "Zenith" was printed. I think these were a last attempt to get rid of remaining CCII parts, as I've seen system 3 sets in the exact same cabinet.

That's a great looking set! Nice find, glad she finally came through for you. If the cart is made by Gusdorf (should say underneath) it's a cart supplied for Zenith sets and was purchased with the set. Zenith had a contract with them for their carts for many sets though the years. The one you have looks like the correct one for the set.

Oh yes!! Zenith was One Great Marvelous Television Sets in the 70's I used to have a set very similar to the one in the picture. It was a 25HC45 and was a 1977 model.

So, Those Good Old Zeniths set with "The Quality Goes In Before The Name Goes On" are really RRRocks!!

Looks like I'm going to be on the hunt for a new tripler (Zenith 212-145/NTE528). The old one has developed a cracked case and is arcing from the backside of the tripler to the chassis. I could probably patch it; but, I'd feel better about replacing it with a new part. I've had a few of these Zenith triplers short and take the flyback and HOT with it; and, I don't want that happening with this set.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the girl who gave me this suggested gutting the TV and sticking a fishtank inside if it couldn't be fixed. I pretended like I didn't hear her.


I would have turned a deaf ear to her too. Every time I see on eBay or elsewhere on the Web a TV set that has actually been converted to a fish tank (I saw one of these not too long ago, either on eBay or CL), I cringe. I guess people who would do that sort of thing to a vintage TV don't appreciate the value of these sets -- like kids who throw rocks at the screens (or snap the necks off CRTs) of TVs on curbs. (It's a miracle more kids aren't hurt badly or killed, pulling stunts like that). :eek:

Hmmm. I wonder if any of this kind of nonsense (scratching to death or otherwise defacing the cabinets) was going on 60 years ago, when people were throwing out their old Depression-era console or table radios when TV came in. Or were there that many antique radios being discarded in those days? :scratch2:

Just wanted to give an update on this set. I found a parts supplier online called Wholesale Electronics Inc and they listed the NTE528 on their website. They said they didn't have one in stock; but, they were still available from NTE and that they would special order one. So, as soon as it comes in, this set should be back in business. I was a little surprised that NTE still makes these triplers. That just shows that there is still enough demand for these older parts to keep making them. I wonder how much longer they will be made, with everything going to flat screen TV and everyone thinking they have to jump on the HD bandwagon?

With shipping charges, this tripler was $38 and some change. I was paying around $30 for them back in the early to mid '90's at the local parts house. Of course, I don't mind the price one bit since this is a quality TV and will likely last for many more years.

Wow, I would have never expected tripplers to still be available from any manufacturer. Hopefully its not one those deals where they say its available but when they actually check the shelves, nothing is there. I had this happen numerous times with union electronics. They list as having all sorts of NOS zenith parts on their website, but when I call to ask, they say they haven't had those parts in over 15 years...So how did they get on the website then?
Hopefully the tripper works out.

I wonder how much longer they will be made, with everything going to flat screen TV and everyone thinking they have to jump on the HD bandwagon?

Not to mention the latest craze, 3D television. I believe it is just a fad (as was quad stereo sound in the '70s) that will fade into oblivion in a very short time, and will never really catch on as did color TV or stereo television sound. One of 3D's drawbacks is that one must wear special glasses to get the full effect. Who is going to want to wear a pair of bulky glasses for three hours just to watch one movie? The 3D glasses I've seen advertised as accessories for new 3D televisions are indeed bulky, as they are battery-powered.

BTW, when I think of 3D television, I am reminded of an episode of the mid-'50s DuMont TV series "The Honeymooners", in which Ralph Kramden (played by Jackie Gleason) and his wife Alice were arguing over why they don't yet have a television set, when their neighbors the Nortons were on their second set. "I'm waiting for 3-D television, that's why!" Ralph stormed. If Gleason were alive today (he died several years ago at the age of 71), he wouldn't have to wait any longer, as 3D TV is here today.

I remember that episode quite well and got a good laugh at that line. Jackie Gleason died in 1987, so we're talking 23 years ago already...

The tripler came in today. It's funny that it came in an NTE box; but, is marked "Philips ECG" and has a date code of 0226 (I assume this means the 26th week of 2002) stamped on it. I knew that NTE bought ECG in the early 2000's; but, I figured they would have erased any ECG markings and restamped their parts as NTE. Having an '02 date code tells me that they are likely not making any more of these and are selling off what's on hand.

I also noticed that the new tripler is physically lighter than the old one and I hope that does not indicate an inferior quality part.

After installing the tripler and turning on the set, I heard two loud HV arcs. At that time, I was getting hot and had something else I had to do; so, I didn't get a chance to see where the arcing was coming from. It's very humid and I hope a simple cleaning of the HV anode (guess I should have done that to begin with) will solve the problem. I certainly hope the new tripler hasn't sprung a leak as I don't want the hassle of returning it and possibly getting another part that's just as bad.

I didn't have any RTV on hand; but, I had some HV putty and that's what I used to seal the input lead to the tripler. Also, I reattached the plastic insulator that covers the focus terminals on the tripler. It seems that most shops never bothered to replace the insulator or add any HV putty to the input lead. However, I'd like it to be put back together as close as it can be to how it was done originally.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_0819tripler0001.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_0819tripler0002.jpg

It sounds like the anode lead on the tube was either not seated properly or dirty. This usually caused the arcing you heard. I would be real careful as the new tripler may be dead now from the arc over. Disconnect the lead from the flyback to the tripler and with an insulated stick (be careful) push it over to the input terminal and see what kind of spark appears. A thin blue anemic means tripler still good. A fat orange spark or arc means the tripler has shorted.
Also, while you are in there, there is a 50 mfd capacitor and a 15 ohm resistor near the horizontal driver transformer. Check to see if they have been replaced. The cap dries out and the resistor then goes up in value killing the horizontal output transistor. Be careful replacing them as the positive end of the electrolytic is grounded!
I see the safety cap is an orange one (newer type). This is good because the older white one often failed sawing the neck off the CRT.

I think the trouble was simply a dirty anode connector. It actually didn't seem that dirty; but, I did clean it and got some black dirt off. After letting everything dry, it came up with a picture without any loud snapping. Before I do anything else to it, I'm going to move it from the humid, un-airconditioned basement to my shop area, which is air conditioned. Besides the usual adjustments, I need to replace the neon channel indicator lamp and the power switch. The old switch still works; but, the shaft is broken off and the button won't stay on. I think I have a good switch and button that I salvaged from a junk set. I'll post pictures when I get it finished and I look forward to putting it in the house, in place of a 19" Zenith, as a daily watcher.

Either my eyes are bad or I cant find the date. What year is this TV? OK, runs fine, nice "snow" but NO audio or video (signals?), set on Ch.3 and plugged into a DVD player. Hmm? Might someone suggest where to start? The Tuner? Mine looks just about like the one below on this page.
ROSS

Either my eyes are bad or I cant find the date. What year is this TV? OK, runs fine, nice "snow" but NO audio or video (signals?), set on Ch.3 and plugged into a DVD player. Hmm? Might someone suggest where to start? The Tuner? Mine looks just about like the one below on this page.
ROSS

I got big box of Zenith parts TONs of Chromacolor parts. Many modules and boards, transformers, and other goodies. If any of you need anything, give me a list with the Zenith part-numbers. Or I can send you MY list. I'll never use all of these. Just wanted some extra modules to keep my Tv....ROSS

Nice score!

Just curious here, but everyone keeps mentioning the Inline Tri Focus tubes as something bad, what was wrong with these tubes? I have a 79 System 3 SC SP set that has one and it seemed to have a good picture (before it developed a power supply issue that I need to fix)

Matt

They seemed to go weak faster than the delta gun tubes, especially the 23" and 25" models. However, they were still better than the '90's era Zenith CRT's.

i have one in my system 3 remote set from 1977.these seemed to be very dependable and produces a fine picture.as good as the delta chromacolor sets.the early zenith inlines were very good.the early sylvania inlines were the best.i still see those supersets from the early 80s for sale here in cols,ohio.the crts are all excellent

When these CC2 sets came into the shop, one thing we would automatically do is clean the tripler and the area around it inspecting it for cracks. If we found anything, it would be replaced, even if it was still working at the time.

I never had a problem with the Delta vs Inline tubes.

In the 1990's, I saw so many failed Zenith labeled tubes. I was so glad when they got too old to still be in warranty. I replaced at least 150 tubes in portables and consoles, and had to store the bad tubes until Zenith would OK the replacements.

Also, had to repair alot of chassis because of these bad tubes, too. Used to send some of them to PTS electronics in Indianapolis, until I got a repaired replacement module that had dead roaches in it.