There is a TV my parents had when I was a baby, of which was handed to me as my first TV when I was 5.

I can't remember what the make or model was, and can't even find a picture of it right now.

It was plastic, possibly early 80's, had a fake woodgrain finish with silver around the CRT's frame, but a wood front panel. Had a single silver channel selector, but was VHF and UHF, however it could only store so many channels and each one was really a preset on the rotary. The channel number glowed orange through the control door, which was all on the right of the TV. It had the pull volume for power type knob, but next to the volume knob was something intriguing, a light sensor. When the room was brighter, the CRT got got brighter, when the room was darker, the CRT got darker.

I do faintly remember it NOT being a name brand.

Maybe it was an RCA? I remember having a 19" colortrak from '83 but mine had the digital channel readout w/ the keyboard though.It had the photocell in the lower right hand corner below the speaker....

Definitely wasn't an RCA, it's name is written in a scribble.

I actually found a picture of it. Sadly I can't make out the name.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/YOU.jpg

Note that in this picture, the TV is missing the big tuning knob. My Dad would pull it off when I was around it, to prevent me from changing channels.
And yes, that's me when I was a tiny little kid.



This TV died many years ago sadly, mid 90's. I hate to say it, but back then I didn't know how to respect electronics like I do today, and thought taking a screw driver and shoving it in a hole would be cool. Instead I shorted out the vertical and collapsed the picture. Then my Dad brought it outside to be thrown out and it snowed on top of it. So that TV is LONG gong. I regret EVER damaging that TV, because it had the nicest colors I've seen.

Looks like a Toshiba built Sears TV from the early '80's.

That might possibly be it. My Dad can't remember if he bought it at Sears or Fletchers, but he has bought Sears branded stuff before in this period, another Toshiba TV with the "Sears LXI Series" name, and a Sears Video Arcade (Atari 2600).

I wonder if I can find this TV. Obtaining one would be literally a dream come true for my child hood memories.

Unfortunately you'll probably have a hard time trying to find it today.....:no:

Yea I can't find it, no matter how hard I try.

Long shot: Packard Bell?

Hmm, well the TV was apparently bought in 1982 (according to my Dad) and it's my understanding that Packard Bell was Teledyne in the 80's, but the logo on the TV doesn't seem to match.

I'd love to get my hands on "any" tube type tv's right now! But i think that's not gonna happen any time soon......:tears:

Me neither.

My Dad, since bringing home that other 19" TV I'm repairing (see sig), has forbidden me from bringing home any other TV. In total, I own like 10 TV's, but only tend to use 1. (which right now is just the 13" in the sig, but when the 19" has it's flyback replaced, it'll be the main one).

I remember my first color tv,a RCA 25' tabletop(1970 model) with a metal wood grained cabinet.That thing was a beast!I was 15 at the time. I can't even remember how i ever managed lugging that thing around.....:D

I still have the TV that replaced this one, it was an RCA XL100.. Not without it's problems though, required a small transistor to be replaced, because it wouldn't turn on.. Died in 1999, repaired in 2008, and still working to this day. I however did NOT replace it with an original part, replaced it with a different type of transistor. I forget now what I did but it worked.

Packard-Bell sold out to Teledyne around 1970 and they got out of the TV/radio business in 1974.

Concerning the set in question, I've only seen one in the past 20+ years. I don't think that was a very popular model; but, you could very well see one the next time you visit the thrift store.

This TV died many years ago sadly, mid 90's. I hate to say it, but back then I didn't know how to respect electronics like I do today, and thought taking a screw driver and shoving it in a hole would be cool. Instead I shorted out the vertical and collapsed the picture. Then my Dad brought it outside to be thrown out and it snowed on top of it. So that TV is LONG gong. I regret EVER damaging that TV, because it had the nicest colors I've seen.

I feel you on that! When I was VERY young maybe 2-4 years old back in the early 90's I killed my folks Quasar WID set by turning it on and off repeatedly. One of my biggest regrets.

You boys are pikers...I had a Sony 5-303 back in 1962-63, I could JUST carry it around. Family of girls lived up the street, I was up there w/them, or they were down at my place all the time...The older ones kinda "Babysat" us. Anyway, the one who is my age, Martha, & I played "House" all the time...The bathroom next to my room was our "Kitchen"..We decided to put the TV in there for some strange reason. Perched it on the side of the seat of the Throne, it quickly fell in...Omigawd ! Fortunately, the Throne was flushed, I grabbed it out, wiped it off, didn't play it for a couple of days, it worked fine..And continued to do so til the summer they landed on the Moon...

Going through some old photos, I found a picture of it. I think I was trying to get a picture of the high score on an NES game. Didn't come out.

But, I STILL can't read that brand name.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/IMG_0427.jpg

It looks to me like the last word is "tuning" so it might just say "automatic tuning" or something like that :scratch2:

jr

Hmm it didn't do any automatic tuning that was for sure. You had to program each number with a included plastic screwdriver. But I agree the last word looks like tuning.

My dad thinks it may have been a zenith, now. Some chromacolors do look similar.

Does it say "electronic tuning?" :scratch2: Very hard to make it out....

Would electronic tuning mean a button controlled it? Cause it had a knob only

I can make out "electronic tuning" and yes.. even tho knob tuned, it would have had an electronic tuner. Def not a Zenith or any "major" brand. I'm thinking Sears or Wards?

Ok cool so that's settled. Sucks though it has no other markings.

Do you think it might be a Curtis Mathes? I remember them using that scripting on a console I had.....

If that's a Sears, the name badge is probably very small. They usually had "Sears" and then "solid state" below "Sears" in a small rectangular box.

Those single knob varactor tuners were very common across the board during the '70's and '80's. Even though it's mechanical, it is still an electronic tuner and many sets had the words "electronic tuning" on them.

I think it says Custom Tuning and that phrase sounds familiar to me like a certain brand used it.

That Knob and number dial look similar in layout to the 1979 GE I had, nothing else on it looks GE though.

I definitely agree it reads "Electronic Tuning". And, that Sears Video Arcade on top is cool.

I still have that, ;)

When I get my 19" TV fixed, I'll put it on top just like in the pic.

When somebody first guessed Sears I thought, no way...showed me! Here we go, 1980 Spring/Summer catalog:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x293/bgadow/May342.jpg
Maybe that will make the search a lot easier!

When somebody first guessed Sears I thought, no way...showed me! Here we go, 1980 Spring/Summer catalog:
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x293/bgadow/May342.jpg
Maybe that will make the search a lot easier!

Looks like we have a winner!:yes:

Awesome! So it has been identified. Thank you guys so much!

Odd my Dad paid so much for a 19" back then, haha.

Yeah, it's amazing that TV's cost so much back then. Now, you can buy a 42" LCD TV for that price (or less). Unfortunately, the new LCD TV won't be nearly as reliable or as easy to fix as the old 19" CRT set from 1980.

I also remember when 19" B&W sets were $150 and 12" B&W sets were $100. It wasn't unheard of for 25" consoles to cost in the $700-$1200 range.

I paid about that much in 1982 for my RCA CTC101, it was a 19 incher
http://www.wa2ise.com/radios/rcactc101.jpg
Yes, the one with the infamous flyback. It did have an excellent picture, with the comb filter.