I have no affiliation with this ad.

RCA Model 2000 Color TV from 1969 -- Very rare! Only 2,000 ever made! - $180 (campbell)

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/atq/2479085280.html

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The set is back, at the same price:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/atq/2501580100.html

This set is not at all my style, and I don't have the room anyway, but I know others here have lusted after these. In fact, I remember a big angry discussion about one that got dismantled in the Midwest about a year ago. I hope someone is able to pick this one up.

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This TV is over 3000 miles from me (I live in northeastern Ohio), and I don't have room for anything that big either. It may have been a very big deal in 1969, but today most people wouldn't get so excited over it since nowadays all TVs have electronic tuning (VHF, UHF and cable), signal search tuning, remote control, and everything the G-2000 had. Plus, today's TVs put all the G2000's features, and more besides (including remote control, which this set did not have), in a set that fits in a table model cabinet, unattractive as today's cabinets may be.

I don't know if this set is still working after 42 years. However, even if it powers up and makes a raster, the chances are it will have most of the troubles associated with any TV made over four decades ago, including rotting wiring, defective capacitors, etc. This TV will require a full recap and probably rewiring before its new owner can even think of using it as a daily watcher. Plus, of course, this set will not work with today's ATSC digital television signals unless a converter box (if such can even be found anymore, over two years after the DTV transition) is used ahead of the TV's own tuner. This, of course, will render the G2000's search tuning unusable, as the TV itself gets set on channel 3 or 4 (whichever is not used for telecasting in the owner's area) when a converter is in use, and all tuning is done at the latter. The converter box will have its own remote anyway, so even though the G2000 does not have its own remote, the use of the box will convert the set to basic remote control of all functions (channel +/-, volume +/-, power on-off) except mute.

Jeffhs, I must say that I wonder if you understand the purpose of VK.

Just my 2 cents here, but...

The G2000 in question was a milestone in tv technology in its day. I personally know of about 12, now 13 in existence. The fact that this set was $2000 in '69 meant that only people with lot's of bucks could have afforded one as of 2010 dollars it would have been $11,757.74 which few if any would spend that kind of money on ANY modern tv for personal use. Also there are serious questions as to whether 2000 were actually made.

In my humble opinion, the comparison of a set like the G2000 to today's crap is ludicrous at best. No tv of this vintage can possibly compare to the features offered with today's plastic pig, junk sets. But I can almost guarantee that virtually none of these sets will be found 42 years from now unless new in the box from some closed down factory or in a landfill. Even if you did find a few, they would probably need a converter to use them as 42 years would have passed and the government probably would have changed the standard.

I am fortunate enough to have a pair of these sets and the matching stereo. Yes, I have replaced electrolytics....kind of a no brainer with tv's of this vintage. But the last time I checked, most of us in this forum did our best to preserve and restore sets like this....I could be mistaken, but that is what I thought VK was all about. Even roundies are still daily watchers for many of us.

So yes, they do work and they have incredibly good pictures that, in my opinion, rival any of my CCII tv's. Oh and just for the record, Ohio is around 2600 miles away from San Fran and the G2000 DOES have a factory remote.

As far as not being able to use the electronic tuner, yes I will probably keep these on channel 3. But I do plan to put together and in house OTA system to use these sets as intended. However, I fail to see how this diminishes what the sets were and are. A '69 Camaro is nothing technologically to today's Camaro....you even have to add lead substitute just to run it on today's gas (almost like a dtv converter...hmm) but that doesn't diminish what the '69 Camaro was and is.....a kick ass car and this is a kick ass tv.

If I had the time and funds to get out there, I would have three in my collection.

well poo poo

2 KV-3000R's and a G2000 for sale in the last month - and all 3 are thousands of miles from me

Jeffhs, I must say that I wonder if you understand the purpose of VK.

Just my 2 cents here, but...

The G2000 in question was a milestone in tv technology in its day. I personally know of about 12, now 13 in existence. The fact that this set was $2000 in '69 meant that only people with lot's of bucks could have afforded one as of 2010 dollars it would have been $11,757.74 which few if any would spend that kind of money on ANY modern tv for personal use. Also there are serious questions as to whether 2000 were actually made.

In my humble opinion, the comparison of a set like the G2000 to today's crap is ludicrous at best. No tv of this vintage can possibly compare to the features offered with today's plastic pig, junk sets. But I can almost guarantee that virtually none of these sets will be found 42 years from now unless new in the box from some closed down factory or in a landfill. Even if you did find a few, they would probably need a converter to use them as 42 years would have passed and the government probably would have changed the standard.

I am fortunate enough to have a pair of these sets and the matching stereo. Yes, I have replaced electrolytics....kind of a no brainer with tv's of this vintage. But the last time I checked, most of us in this forum did our best to preserve and restore sets like this....I could be mistaken, but that is what I thought VK was all about. Even roundies are still daily watchers for many of us.

So yes, they do work and they have incredibly good pictures that, in my opinion, rival any of my CCII tv's. Oh and just for the record, Ohio is around 2600 miles away from San Fran and the G2000 DOES have a factory remote.

As far as not being able to use the electronic tuner, yes I will probably keep these on channel 3. But I do plan to put together and in house OTA system to use these sets as intended. However, I fail to see how this diminishes what the sets were and are. A '69 Camaro is nothing technologically to today's Camaro....you even have to add lead substitute just to run it on today's gas (almost like a dtv converter...hmm) but that doesn't diminish what the '69 Camaro was and is.....a kick ass car and this is a kick ass tv.

If I had the time and funds to get out there, I would have three in my collection.

Could not have said it better. I also own two of them, and when time and finances permit--they will be restored too. And if this one was closer---I TOO would want it, after all--my screenname, which I use for a LOT of sites, not just this one...comes from this set!!

Hmm, 820 miles round trip, divided by 20 MPG at best in my "new to me" 96 Aerostar Van = $160 give or take for gas, plus the $180 for the set.

I'd be tempted still but the long drive is really a turn off, that and the "Room" factor, of which I have none left.

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For RCA2000 and RCAkid:

The point I was trying to make in my post was and is that, after 42 years, an RCA G2000 TV, like any other set made over four decades ago, will not work as well as it did when new unless it is properly restored, meaning recapping and probably rewiring, not to mention a new CRT, since the original is probably so weak by now as to be unusable. If an unrestored set this old, RCA's G2000 or any other, were to be plugged in and powered on, the chances are very good that the power transformer, to say nothing of other parts of the power supply if not the rest of the set, would go up in smoke after the filter capacitors shorted, which they probably would (if they weren't shorted to begin with).

I did not realize that the G2000 already had a remote. I didn't see one with the set when I looked at the photos, so I thought (wrongly, as it turned out) that this series did not have a factory-installed remote control unit.

I would not have said what I said about the G2000 failing to operate properly with today's ATSC digital TV signals if it were not true. This set's search tuning was designed to operate with NTSC television signals, so if it were hooked up to an antenna and the channel up or down scan button pressed, the VHF tuner would scan through the channels forever because there would be nothing to lock on to. This is why I said that, to work with today's ATSC TV signals, the set's digital tuner would have to be set on channel 3 or 4 and left there to receive the output of an ATSC->NTSC converter box. (Think of the old UHF television converters which had outputs on VHF channels 5 or 6 -- same principle.) The use of an ATSC->NTSC converter box ahead of the TV's NTSC tuner, of course, renders the set's search/scan tuning unusable, as all channel tuning is now done at the converter box or with its own remote.

Jeffhs For RCA2000 and RCAkid:

The point I was trying to make in my post was and is that, after 42 years, an RCA G2000 TV, like any other set made over four decades ago, will not work as well as it did when new unless it is properly restored, meaning recapping and probably rewiring, not to mention a new CRT, since the original is probably so weak by now as to be unusable. If an unrestored set this old, RCA's G2000 or any other, were to be plugged in and powered on, the chances are very good that the power transformer, to say nothing of other parts of the power supply if not the rest of the set, would go up in smoke after the filter capacitors shorted, which they probably would (if they weren't shorted to begin with).

I did not realize that the G2000 already had a remote. I didn't see one with the set when I looked at the photos, so I thought (wrongly, as it turned out) that this series did not have a factory-installed remote control unit.

I would not have said what I said about the G2000 failing to operate properly with today's ATSC digital TV signals if it were not true. This set's search tuning was designed to operate with NTSC television signals, so if it were hooked up to an antenna and the channel up or down scan button pressed, the VHF tuner would scan through the channels forever because there would be nothing to lock on to. This is why I said that, to work with today's ATSC TV signals, the set's digital tuner would have to be set on channel 3 or 4 and left there to receive the output of an ATSC->NTSC converter box. (Think of the old UHF television converters which had outputs on VHF channels 5 or 6 -- same principle.) The use of an ATSC->NTSC converter box ahead of the TV's NTSC tuner, of course, renders the set's search/scan tuning unusable, as all channel tuning is now done at the converter box or with its own remote.

Well Jeffhs....you confuse the crap out of me. NOTHING prior to the year 2000 will work over the air. The will require a converter box. So DUH! A set from '69 will work no better OTA organically than my 2003 JVC D Series will. But with a few transmitters, that can be remedied and the sets can still perform as intended. The fact that no early tv can work as it was intended since the DTV conversion stinks. But the fact that the G2000 with it's CTC-47 chassis was capable of electronic tuning was, especially for '69, a big thing. The fact that there were no tubes in the set beyond the CRT was huge! As you know RCA fell back to the CTC-40 which still had a HV tube. And the fact that the picture of a G2000 looks as good, if not a bit better in some cases as my JVC D-Series is pretty mind blowing.

The issue here is the dismissal of the G2000. Now I have no idea how this set has been treated or the environment it has endured. But I suspect that she is not in all that bad of shape either. The original point you laid out, to me anyway, is basically why would anyone want this set and it won't perform like today's tv's.

It is a no brainer that NO vintage tv is going to perform as it did when new without restoration. Even the best CCII or System 3 with it's programmable tuner will not function any better in today's world. The most expensive and best NTSC set in the world won't function OTA today even with all of its computerized tuning capabilities. So the comparisons with today's tv's still alludes me other than to dismiss a set that was significant for its day.

Your original arguments are akin to saying that the CT-100 just isn't going to perform as well as today's sets and you won't be able to use them on anything but channel 3 or 4. Does that make the CT-100 a piece of junk? No....it is what it is, a piece of tv history. Although the G2000 and CT-100 don't come close to occupying the same status.....the G2000 shouldn't be dismissed as just another BPC tv either. This is the impression I have taken away from your comments. If misunderstood, I am always open to being enlightened.

Your arguments about capacitors and crt's and such are valid for ANY vintage tv. However, I would like to point out that both my G2000 sets have their original CRT's. One of the G's was a daily watcher up until 4 years ago....it's CRT is still quite strong, but compared to my other G, which was never owned and brand new, there is a definite difference in the picture quality, but it is not that significant and still as clean and clear as a CTC-16 picture.

If you don't like the G2000, just say so. I understand that. Not everyone likes the Eames era styling. Many don't like the Avanti either...but, like the G, it looks pretty damn awesome.

As I said before, if I could save this sweet ol gal, I would in a heartbeat. These were special and there aren't many of them out there. I dare say that there are probably far fewer than the CT-100 and there aren't a heck of a lot of those and I would be proud to have both in my collection.

Cool set! I have never seen one. Couple of questions:
1. Do the doors push back into the cabinet when open?
2. What is the logic used; TTL, RTL, early microprocessor or what ?
jr

Found this on perhaps the earliest micro-P... the 4004 in 1971:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_4004
So this TV was really leading edge technology....amazing!

Cool set! I have never seen one. Couple of questions:
1. Do the doors push back into the cabinet when open?
2. What is the logic used; TTL, RTL, early microprocessor or what ?
jr

Found this on perhaps the earliest micro-P... the 4004 in 1971:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_4004
So this TV was really leading edge technology....amazing!

I think it is TTL type logic, I know there is a quad NAND chip in the control ckt. for the tuner. A 7400 series or such. The tuner control has to have 5V. ALL of the time--to work. no MPU--just SSI chips, diodes and transistors.

BTW--the smoked doors DO fold back into the sides of the set.

I think it is TTL type logic, I know there is a quad NAND chip in the control ckt. for the tuner. A 7400 series or such. The tuner control has to have 5V. ALL of the time--to work. no MPU--just SSI chips, diodes and transistors.

BTW--the smoked doors DO fold back into the sides of the set.

It's amazing what you can do with basic IC chips and components. IIRC, there is one guy out there that made a computer based entirely on 7400 series TTL IC's and even hosts a webiste on it.

As to digital converter boxes, I still see them at Radio Shack, I think they are the Data Stream model, IIRC.

Oh man.. Im thinking road trip....

This set wil work fine on cable here. Search tuning and all.

Well Jeffhs....you confuse the crap out of me. NOTHING prior to the year 2000 will work over the air. The will require a converter box.

My sincere apologies for confusing you.

I just saw a post from another VK member (don't recall whom offhand), in which he stated that the G2000 will in fact work with a cable hookup -- and everything on the set, including the search tuning and remote functions, will work perfectly without the box.

Yes, I agree, the set will not, however, work on analog OTA signals because there are few if any such channels remaining--the few remaining analog stations are either LP (low power) stations or translators. Soon, even these channels will disappear, going to cable or going off the air entirely. Translators, however, may well remain for some years, as these are used in rural areas too far away (read literally hundreds of miles) from local TV stations, even for cable.

The other problem with cable TV in sparsely populated areas is that it often is not practical to string miles of cable between utility poles, many of which may be literally tens of miles or more apart from each other; the only other alternative for viewers in these areas is satellite. Even that has limitations as far as signal strength and possibly other problems go (such as mountains or other signal obstructions); it wouldn't surprise me if, in this age of digital TV, some folks way out in the boondocks who cannot afford or cannot get cable or satellite will give up on broadcast TV altogether, getting almost all of their TV entertainment from DVDs or streaming video.

There are some small cities, towns and rural areas, for example, for which there are no listings on the TV Guide website, even for antenna [OTA] reception; these are the areas in which translators will continue to operate.

My own TV has been exclusively on cable (Time Warner expanded basic), no box, since I bought the set almost 12 years ago. Granted, I do not get channels above 99 with my current hookup, but that is beside the point. The point is that I get just about everything I want to watch without a converter; for other programming such as classic TV shows and movies that TV Land, Nick at Nite, etc. no longer offer and are now only available on digital cable, I watch DVDs from my own collection or from Netflix.

Cable subscribers will have to use a converter box even to receive local channels if and when (for cable systems other than Time Warner, which is already digital, the question is when rather than if) your local cable company drops analog cable altogether, which may well happen sooner rather than later. Several expanded-basic channels on Time Warner Cable have already been moved to the digital tier, with others soon to follow. I can see a day coming when even TW will drop analog cable (including x-basic, basic and other services for which a converter box is not currently required) in favor of digital; that day may not be far off, considering that almost everything else in TW's cable systems is digital. I suppose when most everyone has flat-panel, HD televisions, all of which are equipped with tuners designed to receive all present and future HD television programming (about 70 percent of American homes currently have at least one FP set), analog cable will disappear, never to be seen again; same with today's cable converter boxes.


I'm not one to do things simply to "keep up with the Joneses", but if programming keeps disappearing on my analog cable, I may eventually have to give in and get the digital box after all -- if I don't get a flat-panel TV with a digital tuner first, which I just might do if I can find a good deal at HH Gregg or Best Buy. I certainly won't have a choice if it gets to the point where everything, including the local channels, disappears and is moved exclusively to digital, which I can see happening in the not-too-distant future.

I think I have at least one more year of analog cable. I have a back burner plan to use the over the air signal with some video servers to make my own cable system for the house. I hve 6 converter boxes that could cover the local programming, and then the video servers could provide programing from the internet, or DVD collection. I figure when all the cable system goes digital I should be able to get a good deal on modulators and combiners.

What confuses me is why on earth this issue keeps getting brought up time after time every other thread. The analog transition happened quite a while ago and I would think that everyone on here should understand by now what exactly that means! Whether or not we like it, it is the way it is.

As for the RCA 2000. It was a wonderful set with a lot of features way ahead of its time. It certainly IS a set worth collecting, no matter what you use as a signal source!!!!!!! I bought one at an auction a few years ago, enjoyed it, then sold it. Unfortunately the market was down and I didn't get a lot of money, but it went on to a good home and all is well!

...

Agreed, especially given the relaibility of the RCA 2000 with it's early rudimentary circuitry, should be as reliable as some of thone mid 70's CNC machines with layers and layers of stacked control boards fitted with IC's. I fix those quite a bit.

Still cool as heck to have! I believe it would sit well next to my other rarity Sony KV-3000R! Both are rare and an engineering marvel, all I need of course is a CT-100...


It's rather like going on a classic car site and cautioning that a model T doesn't have A/C, so it might not be good as a daily driver in Florida. It's safe to say that few, if any, TVs this old are still in use as primary TVs by people with no interest in collecting, or restoring vintage TVs.

A couple Saturdays ago I was at the flea market looking at a portable TV from the 80s. The seller, who seemed to know a little about electronics (guy in his 60s with lots of radios/TV's for sale) kept telling me he couldn't figure out why he couldn't get reception to demonstrate this set. Must be a bad antenna, he said. I kept trying to explain the whole digital/analog thing but I might as well have been talking to a wall. If I was sneaky I guess I could have used it to my advantage. "Heck, this set doesn't even work, why, the tuner is shot! I'll give you a dollar for it..."

You Eeville, Eeville man, Bryan ! (grin)

A couple Saturdays ago I was at the flea market looking at a portable TV from the 80s. The seller, who seemed to know a little about electronics (guy in his 60s with lots of radios/TV's for sale) kept telling me he couldn't figure out why he couldn't get reception to demonstrate this set. Must be a bad antenna, he said. I kept trying to explain the whole digital/analog thing but I might as well have been talking to a wall. If I was sneaky I guess I could have used it to my advantage. "Heck, this set doesn't even work, why, the tuner is shot! I'll give you a dollar for it..."

His problem is not the TV antenna he is using, or that the sets may have tuner problems (in fact, the tuners may be working perfectly); rather, he hasn't heard of the DTV transition. That is exactly why his unmodified TVs will not work with only an antenna; as one other person (DaveWM in Orlando, IIRC) recently mentioned here (in response to one of my posts regarding the RCA G-2000 TV from 1969), any TV made ten years or more ago simply will not work with OTA television signals unless a converter box is used. Has anyone told this person at the flea market, in simple language (no technical stuff involving aspect ratios, subchannels, etc.), that unmodified television sets made prior to 1999 absolutely will not work with OTA DTV signals, unless a converter box is installed between the set and the antenna?

I cannot believe that, this late in the game (over two years after the transition), he hasn't heard that there is no more full-power analog TV. That or else, one, he doesn't believe that such a transition took place over 2 years ago, or two, he cannot grasp the idea of DTV and/or why the transition was made in the first place. How on earth he could not have heard about the DTV transition (it was all over TV, newspapers, etc. for some time before the actual transition took place), however, is beyond me. A person would have had to be living under a rock the last couple of years before the DTV transition not to know that such a transition was coming, and in fact would take place on June 12, 2009. Apparently, the person to whom you spoke at the flea market must have been in that category.

I guess he must have nothing but cable or sat at home so is oblivious to it, or something. Hard to believe. I should have bought that set, anyway. It was an Emerson with about a 2" screen, bw, with am/fm radio, tiny little bugger. He wanted $30, which was all I had in my pocket. I was in a rush so I just kept walking. I have a feeling I could have sold it to someone here on VK with no trouble. Oh, well.

Hey did anyone get a chance to email the guy? I missed the listing and have no email address. I want to go get it.

It is back yet again, now even cheaper! Go get it!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/atq/2533301619.html

I REALLY think this ad is bunk!! Ad has showed up several times and seller does not respond. Seller is very knowledgable of item-yet- "has not even tried to plug it in". Even if it does exists, may have a bad crt failure or other.

I REALLY think this ad is bunk!! Ad has showed up several times and seller does not respond. Seller is very knowledgable of item-yet- "has not even tried to plug it in". Even if it does exists, may have a bad crt failure or other.

Agreed. Thats usually code speak for "so i plugged it in but it doesn't work, oh well i'll just say i never tried it"

Hi. Attached are 2 photos of an RCA 2000 limited edition console TV that used to be my grandparents'. It's in good cosmetic condition, and it works too. I have the original technical manual, the original operating instructions and warranty, the original remote control, the original remote control bag, and the original plastic remote control basket that looks like it was meant to be attached to the arm of a recliner.

I'm located in NJ. Don't need a lot of cash--just looking for a good home.