space command combo in canton.any info is is appreciated.is this a delta gun?owner not sure about anything except that its heavy.i cant see it too well,afterall,i am getting older every minute.

http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/ele/2203493937.html

I think that's a '79 model with a motorized "single knob" style varactor tuner. I see no mention of "System 3" or "Chromacolor II" on the front; but, the very last CCII's didn't have the usual "CCII-solid state" wording on the front. At any rate, this set is worth saving. I'm betting it's a 23V delta gun CCII.

One way or another you are SURE it does not have the "good" stereo in it, you know, the nice one with the seperate, big amp on the bottom of the cabinet with those big sinks and power tranny, made from 64-74??

I was hoping it was a "flat chassis " SS tv combo from '72-74 with the 6AT24 amp and the touch function tuner...but it is not that old, (or older), 'eh??

The last '79 Zenith combo I saw into had a VERY cheap stereo in it, obviously imported, with a CHIP amp!!

I don't know why the seller thinks he can't test this TV just because he can't find the remote. There must be a manual power switch somewhere on the set (behind the control door, where the channel programming controls and picture controls are located, is the first place I would look), so even if he can't test anything else, he would at least be able to find out if the set powers up. The stereo should work (or at least the seller should be able to test it) with or without the remote.

BTW, the comment by RCA2000 about some 1979 Zenith TVs with stereo AM/FM radio and phono using cheap stereo components and chip-based amplifiers was interesting to me. What, if anything, is so bad about using an IC as a stereo power amplifier? After all, RCA used an integrated circuit in the sound sections of their better TVs as far back as the late '60s-early '70s, and made a point of such in the advertising for these sets. If anything, Zenith's chip-based stereo amplifiers should be even better than RCA's mono ones, in which the entire sound section (not just the amp, IIRC) is on the chip. Unless the chip used in 1979 Zenith combo sets was a dirt-cheap one that didn't put out more than a couple of watts into cheap speakers, their audio systems should, IMHO, run rings around RCA's first-generation IC-based audio circuits. Besides, the quality of Zenith TVs didn't start to go downhill until the late '80s; witness that this combo is housed in a heavy real wood cabinet. I don't think Zenith started using particle-board cabinets until at least 1990; the last two consoles they marketed, just after LG took them over and smashed their once-proud reputation to bits, were housed in PB cabinets with either cheap (ultra cheap) veneer or photo finish over the cheap wood.

thanks for input,jeff.those late 70s zeniths were pretty good sets.seller called me back and when he gets home,i will walk him through the procedure.install ac outlet in wall receptacle,open unit control door on front of set.locate power switch,etc

I've worked on a few of those late '70's "last gasp" Zenith consoles and they are no where as good as the older ones from the '60's and early '70's. The later ones have cheap imported electronics driving cheap speakers and the cabinets are cheap particleboard and plastic. Those models with the small output IC are only good for about 2.5 WPC and those IC's were hard to find ten years ago. Several years ago, someone just had to have one of these fixed (even though I tried to talk them out of it) and both output IC's were shorted. They were NLA from NTE/ECG; but, fortunately, the local parts house had two NOS IC's left in stock. The later Zenith console stereo's are not much better than a Lloyds, Electrophonic, or Soundesign.

The older Zenith stereo's were much better built, used discreet components, and had a more powerful amp.

BTW, the comment by RCA2000 about some 1979 Zenith TVs with stereo AM/FM radio and phono using cheap stereo components and chip-based amplifiers was interesting to me. What, if anything, is so bad about using an IC as a stereo power amplifier? After all, RCA used an integrated circuit in the sound sections of their better TVs as far back as the late '60s-early '70s, and made a point of such in the advertising for these sets. If anything, Zenith's chip-based stereo amplifiers should be even better than RCA's mono ones, in which the entire sound section (not just the amp, IIRC) is on the chip. Unless the chip used in 1979 Zenith combo sets was a dirt-cheap one that didn't put out more than a couple of watts into cheap speakers, their audio systems should, IMHO, run rings around RCA's first-generation IC-based audio circuits. Besides, the quality of Zenith TVs didn't start to go downhill until the late '80s; witness that this combo is housed in a heavy real wood cabinet. I don't think Zenith started using particle-board cabinets until at least 1990; the last two consoles they marketed, just after LG took them over and smashed their once-proud reputation to bits, were housed in PB cabinets with either cheap (ultra cheap) veneer or photo finish over the cheap wood.


Well...the one I saw into in 2003 or so, was NOT very high power, maybe 5WPC or so, and the speakers were NOT very good either!! Maybe they were better than some others from that period, but I am comparing them to the "GOOD STUFF" Zenith stereo chassis like the ones from 1974 and before. Chassis # Like 6AT24, 6XT24 amp chassis, one--piece stereo chassis like 26X/YT20, 26YT21, the hybrid stereos like the 11LT825 and 8MT25 amp, and so on. ALL of them were hand-wired and LOOKED IMPRESSIVE!! Even the "cheaper" one-piece models then from say 1968, such as the 18YT20 and 20YT20, were STILL hand-wired and also looked and sounded nice. From about 1961--1974, Zenith made some nice-sounding AND nice LOOKING stereo chassis, SS and tube, both one-piece and some bigger ones with seperate amps. A LOT of people here know what I am talking about. I have one of the BIG Zenith stereos from 1971 with the 29AT24 tuner and 6AT24 amp, and a 15" 3-way speaker system. in a NICE, SOLID WOOD cabinet with the louvered speakers. I also have a 1968 Zenith console with the slightly lower priced-- and powered 26XT20 stereo chassis, but it still looks very nicely built.

But what I saw in that 79 model just disappointed me!! It DID look like a lloyds compact stereo or such, with a pair of TA7205-looking output chips, and not much of a power tranny either. Being used to the "nice" Zenith stereo chassis...I was deflated. I do believe that most of the " Allegro" type Zenith stereos were built much less heavy and were NOT "hand wired" "boilerplate" type construction--like the ones I love.

It is just my own opinion and what I like. The newer, plastic, chassis, tiny transformer and heat sink, compact stereo type chassis just don't interest me, at least not in a console stereo. That is why I am VERY selective abut the console stereos I seek. For every nice one--there are 9 JUNK ones out there, as far as I am concerned. I know others do not share my opinions--and that is fine--to each his own.

ok.we got it working!walked him through it.not a combo!just a zenith vertical chassis with a huge cabinet.done deal.happy to find this!

I don't know why the seller thinks he can't test this TV just because he can't find the remote. There must be a manual power switch somewhere on the set (behind the control door, where the channel programming controls and picture controls are located, is the first place I would look), so even if he can't test anything else, he would at least be able to find out if the set powers up. The stereo should work (or at least the seller should be able to test it) with or without the remote.

As a general rule in dealing with ebay or craigslist, it is safe to assume that when a seller states an item can not be tested, that usually means the item does not work.

Anyway, this is a unique set, and absolutely should be saved.

there is a zenith console listed on the local craigslist near me, anyone know what year this set is from before I call and inquire about it?

http://carbondale.craigslist.org/ele/2203439556.html

there is a zenith console listed on the local craigslist near me, anyone know what year this set is from before I call and inquire about it?

http://carbondale.craigslist.org/ele/2203439556.html

That's an early '80's System 3 that may have the built in space phone. It will have an inline gun CRT and probably uses either the 9-160 style chassis or the 9-186 chassis.

both of my zenith consoles have that hand built tuner amp, one piece but very nice with socketed transistor, 4 TO3 outputs, very good receiver on both AM and FM. I like to drive the TV audio from the converter box thru the tape in to use the stereo amp for TV sound, really works well. I only wish it had some horns instead of the 3 little tweets, they are pretty much worthless. I like the maggies for speakers. I was watching the last star trek movie (young kirk) with the stereo hook up it was impressive.

That's an early '80's System 3 that may have the built in space phone. It will have an inline gun CRT and probably uses either the 9-160 style chassis or the 9-186 chassis.

...and a particleboard cabinet. I pulled a CRT out of that exact model on the side of the road a year or so ago.

My '72/'73 Zenith Segovia console has a high-quality PLASTIC cabinet. Yep, all plastic.

kinda thought it was an 80's set -
don't need one of those

great set bigron!i will take it if you dont want it.maybe i ll just go get it anyway!

i guess you didnt learn from your last foray.go ahead and get it.you will save me a ride to canton and i ll just take it from you.it happened before,remember?

It's interesting to me why there are so few listings on eBay for television sets and radios/stereos in the Cleveland area. There seem to be listings every day for sets located elsewhere in Ohio, but those for sets in cities northeast of Akron (including Cleveland and its suburbs) are few and far between. I bet if eBay had been around in the '70s-'80s there would have been lots of listings for TVs in this area, as the local TV shop (East End TV and Appliance, formerly of suburban Wickliffe and later Mentor, now probably out of business) specialized in Zenith radios, TV and hi-fi gear. I also used to see quite a few older Zenith televisions on the curbs in my old neighborhood, one of which, a Zenith K2739 VHF-only console from 1963, I found and completely retubed in 1969, and another, a Zenith SC300 19" portable, that lasted me a year (no repairs) until the horizontal output tube went gassy and threw the keyed AGC system out of whack, were two of my favorite sets.

Now, however, 42 years later, in the area in which I live today, I see few if any TVs of any make on the curbs or treelawns, not even flat panels. I would think as cheaply made as some of the off-brand FPs are, I'd be finding quite a few such sets with chassis faults or even smashed screens, the latter occurring when the TV either falls or is pushed off of its stand or is intentionally destroyed in a fit of temper. (I bet that happens not infrequently during football season.) However, I have yet to see even one FP anywhere on the curbs in my small town (population 3180). I know there are FPs here, as I have seen them in houses as I walk along the main street of town, but my goodness -- when are these sets going to fail? It seems that, more than two years after the DTV transition, most of the FPs in this town are still working, but I couldn't tell you how long they have been in use.

I don't believe that a flat panel TV will last anywhere near 20 years, unless it's one of Panasonic's Viera line of FPs; the displays in these sets are all but guaranteed to last at least that long, based on eight hours a day of use. I only use my RCA CTC185 CRT set perhaps three or four hours a day (give or take), which probably, even likely, accounts for why the set is still working flawlessly today, 11 years after I purchased it. But as I said, except for Panasonic's Viera line, I would never expect any other flat-panel to last anywhere near that long, let alone two decades or more.

I don't pay attention to the item location for many of the TV's on ebay. I think the reason we don't see more TV's, console stereo's, and console radio's is because of their size and the difficulties involved with shipping such units. Unless it's a very small TV (12" or smaller), you are pretty much limited to dealing with someone who happens to be close enough to pick up the set in person. I'd never have a TV over 12" shipped to me. The reasons are the high cost involved and the fact that the TV would probably be destroyed in shipment. I've got a '53 21" Zenith that was a gift from a fellow VK'er and this set was the victim of a poor packing job (before I got it). As a result, the CRT neck was broken off. Considering how poorly it was packed, it's a wonder the set wasn't destroyed.

I've got a '53 21" Zenith that was a gift from a fellow VK'er and this set was the victim of a poor packing job (before I got it). As a result, the CRT neck was broken off. Considering how poorly it was packed, it's a wonder the set wasn't destroyed.

Did you ever get that set working? :scratch2: If the only problem with it is the broken CRT, a replacement should let you go ahead with any other repairs the set might need, including recapping. Those older Zeniths are excellent televisions when they are working as they should. I had a Zenith K2739 VHF-only 23" b&w set in the late '60s, trash-day find, that needed only a set of new tubes to get it working again. That was one of the best TVs I ever had; great picture and excellent sound (6BN6 gated-beam discriminator, 6x9 oval speaker and a tone control but, amazingly, no phonograph input; I would think with an audio stage such as this set had, it would have been equipped with such an input jack).

I have a Zenith MJ1035 stereo FM radio that was also a present from an AK member. The volume and tone control pots were very loose on the chassis (but the radio still worked); however, I had the chassis in and out of the cabinet so often to reseat the tone control (on which the AC power switch is mounted) and volume pot in their mounting holes that the latter became intermittent and finally quit. I emailed the person I got the set from and was told that the radio had been the victim of very rough handling by UPS between his house (near Phoenix, Arizona) and my apartment near Cleveland; this likely accounts for the broken control mountings.

well i got it home last night.this is a metal cabinet unit that was installed in a wood cabinet with folding doors on the front.remote with the vertical chassis and a 23vdmp22 crt.i have never seen that crt in a set.looks like a sylvania rebuild?set works well with a very fine picture.the tuner needs some work as it drifts.vertical takes a little while to fill out the screen but after 5 minutes it works fine.i may remove the set from the cabinet and use it.cabinet is very nice with a speaker mounted on the left hand side.not sure what is was originally but its ornate and heavy.a metal cabinet zenith was a set on my want list for many years.pics dont do this set justice!

p s_just inserted pictures of cabinet.the metal cabinet fit the opening perfectly.looks like a factory installation.very nice and neat.i will take the set out.if anyone wants a beautiful cabinet with folding door,let me know.i will measure opening and post later

...and a particleboard cabinet. I pulled a CRT out of that exact model on the side of the road a year or so ago.

My '72/'73 Zenith Segovia console has a high-quality PLASTIC cabinet. Yep, all plastic.

All plastic? In a console? Hmmm. :scratch2: The console cabinet itself should be some sort of wood, unless the Segovia was one of Zenith's very low-end color sets. However, this seems well out of character for Zenith, even in the '70s; I didn't expect them to start putting their sets into all plastic cabinets until the '80s. I had two 13" Zenith portables, one 1979 (may have been made for the 1980 model year) and the other 1982, that were in all plastic cabinets, although I think Zenith was trying to make the 1982 model look more classy than the '79 ones as the '82 model, at least the one I had, had non-wood sides and top and a fake wood grain on the large control door over the channel presets (this set had the 18-position one-knob electronic tuning system, which may have been one of the first used in small Zenith portables as the words "electronic tuning" appeared on the channel display window, above the window itself). My '79 Zenith was in a black and silver plastic cabinet, the silver being used as trim around the speaker grille, the Zenith nameplate (black lettering against a silver background), and, IIRC, a silver trim strip across the width of the set at the base as well as around the top of the cabinet.

well i got it home last night.this is a metal cabinet unit that was installed in a wood cabinet with folding doors on the front.remote with the vertical chassis and a 23vdmp22 crt.i have never seen that crt in a set.looks like a sylvania rebuild?set works well with a very fine picture.the tuner needs some work as it drifts.vertical takes a little while to fill out the screen but after 5 minutes it works fine.i may remove the set from the cabinet and use it.cabinet is very nice with a speaker mounted on the left hand side.not sure what is was originally but its ornate and heavy.a metal cabinet zenith was a set on my want list for many years.pics dont do this set justice!

I had relatives who did something like that to RCA color consoles when the TVs quit. They just took the old set's chassis out of the cabinet, built a nice wood frame around the opening, and put new (at the time, mid-'70s-eighties) 19" color sets in their place. One TV got a 19" Emerson replacement set, the other a Zenith 19-incher, but neither had remote control. The sets looked almost indistinguishable from factory jobs -- the work was that good, IMHO. The set with the Emerson replacement TV had been modified so the new portable's audio played through the old set's original speakers; I'm not sure about the one with the 19" Zenith replacement. I think the latter was simply put into the opening vacated by the old RCA chassis, the wood frame put around it to take up the extra space, and the TV itself played through its own speaker, with the stereo components in both sets playing through the original speakers as before the modifications. I especially liked the console with the Zenith replacement set because I like Zenith TVs (pre-GS) and stereo gear, but the RCA console with the Emerson set looked very good in its own right.
I only wish I had pictures of these sets; written descriptions don't do them justice, as the transplant jobs turned out so well. Especially with the RCA/Zenith transplant, as I said, the result was a console anyone would be hard-pressed to distinguish from a factory-built one.

All plastic? In a console? Hmmm. :scratch2: The console cabinet itself should be some sort of wood, unless the Segovia was one of Zenith's very low-end color sets. However, this seems well out of character for Zenith, even in the '70s...

Jeff, the top is a composite hardboard. The base, sides, around the crt - all plastic. The Segovia changed style a bit for '74 and got a set of doors, but it's ad copy says it all:

Genuine wood veneers on top. Decorative front, ends, doors and base of durable, richly-grained simulated wood material.

Jeff, the top is a composite hardboard. The base, sides, around the crt - all plastic. The Segovia changed style a bit for '74 and got a set of doors, but it's ad copy says it all:

Genuine wood veneers on top. Decorative front, ends, doors and base of durable, richly-grained simulated wood material.

Kinda' like the Avanti series. Those sets had all plastic cabinets too, with simulated rosewood tops; Zenith used this basic cabinet for the original knob-tuned Avanti as well as the later remote model. This was either at or very near the end of the wood-console era, although Zenith continued to make consoles with cabinets like the Segovia until the very early 1990s. I remember seeing an ad somewhere for these sets when they were first introduced, and a picture of the inside of the cabinet which I will never forget. The PC board "chassis" was sitting in the center of the cabinet, with loads of empty space around it; hey, one could put a stereo system and a couple of speakers in there, and probably still have some room left over.

I suspect even plastic became too luxurious by 1990. I had two bottom-of-the-line Sentry-2 consoles ('90 & '92) that were totally thin particleboard and lots of empty real estate inside. Light enough that I loaded them into the van by myself when they took their final journey.