i found this on the way home from church today ,there was a guy it looked like he had the entire contents of his house on the sidewalk for sale real older run-down house i stop he said everthing for sale ,i said all im looking for is old tv's and radio's or tools he took me in the house and ask if i would be interested in this predicta i said how much he said 20.00 ,driving home i thought i never owned a predicta before ,can anyone tell me about this one in the family of predicta's like how do the picture tube's hold up, and this one seem's to have a large picture tube from the other ones iv seen . ill test the picture tube later but are there any precautions to watch for with this picture tube that might be different than other older tubes ,i have a 467 bk or i have a 133 sencore tester.

That's the 21 inch Holiday in mahogany -- the most common Predicta out there. I have one.

The original CRTs had very poor lifetime. If the original is in there, it's probably bad. If you're lucky, it was replaced at some point in the past. The replacement CRTs were much better and hold up very well. One thing to watch out for us that the original SF-21 CRT has a 2 volt filament. Don't blow it by applying the usual 6 volts!

You can find lots of threads here and on ARF about restoration of Predictas. Although some folks find them troublesome to work on, they're not that bad really. Good luck with it!

Once you start researching Predicta repair, you may think you paid too much.:banana:

Actually nice buy. It's one of the large tube ones, probably series string chassis. The picture tubes are not known for longivety however test it first and see what you have. They are not the easiest or funnest set to fix buy a long shot. But, they are one of the coolest TV's ever made.

i was kinda thinking about if its real common and the picture tube is bad ,i might find a newer picture tube that could fit nicely in that bezzel if possible and make it a color set, or a computer moniter, if i could find a tube to fit it, i see it looks like a shallow tube depth. just kidding

The deal of the century?

Great find :yes: Lets hope the CRT is ok, then the battle is half over.....:D. There is heaps on info on the Predicta's and I think Bob Andersen will be starting the restoration on his one at some stage in the future so keep an eye out for this posts and videos. Cheers.

i cant beleave it ,i tested it that tube is vary good i had to set g2 on normal setting after waking it up focus lamp flickered normal to ,i even turned the voltage below 2 volts and its still reads ok ,i quess ill put it on the back burner for now till i get done with the other projects

Hmmmmm...Me Likey ! Looks to be in decent cosmetic shape, maybe its had an "Easy" life & the CRT is still good...As far as re-engineering it into a Color set....Uhh, I dunno if I'd REALLY wanna tackle THAT one...If you're willing to throw enuff money at something, yes, you CAN make a brick fly supersonic...But WHY ? Get yr Perdition working as good as new, & ENJOY it for what it is-A relic of a time gone past that, HOPEFULLY, will still work, & give you LOTS of pleasure for years to come...

glenz is right. There is a ton of info out there on Predicta repair. They do kinda suck as the chassis that has a frame all the way around it and most of the way underneath it. Removing the circuit board from the frame is the biggest issue. The tube sockets are also very touchy. But other than that, they are not really much different than other sets. The CRT will be the big issue and since it seems that it's OK, you got unbelievable deal.

A conversion wouldn't really be very advisable. They made reproductions a few years back that you could find cheaper than trying to probably do it to that one. Plus that set has a good parts value, worst case scenario. The cardboard backs alone go for $40 and the plastic screen parts and the knobs bring nice money.

Great find :yes: Lets hope the CRT is ok, then the battle is half over.....:D. There is heaps on info on the Predicta's and I think Bob Andersen will be starting the restoration on his one at some stage in the future so keep an eye out for this posts and videos. Cheers.

Hmmmmm...Me Likey ! Looks to be in decent cosmetic shape, maybe its had an "Easy" life & the CRT is still good...As far as re-engineering it into a Color set....Uhh, I dunno if I'd REALLY wanna tackle THAT one...If you're willing to throw enuff money at something, yes, you CAN make a brick fly supersonic...But WHY ? Get yr Perdition working as good as new, & ENJOY it for what it is-A relic of a time gone past that, HOPEFULLY, will still work, & give you LOTS of pleasure for years to come...

no i wasnt going modify it, i thought i just say that to what kind of reaction i get i know how people love predicta's , i know no-one would beleave me if i said make a fishtank out of it lol. my 24 yr old son has already clamed it ,he has never been interested in old tv's but he's been playing some video game that has a predicta in it ,he wants me to restore it and sell it to him.

man im running out of room ,its getting bad in the basement to many tv's at the same time started and not finished i wanted to go through some of my test equitment before got to this stage.

Such a good deal you got! Any one of the knobs would return your money, much less a good CRT.

The screen looks like it has some of the mold Predictas are famous for, it will buff right off though.

You even got one with the UHF option, and the stand, does anyone know if that's a Predicta stand? I notice the normal legs have been removed from the set to use it with the stand.

That's the 21 inch Holiday in mahogany -- the most common Predicta out there. I have one.

The original CRTs had very poor lifetime. If the original is in there, it's probably bad. If you're lucky, it was replaced at some point in the past. The replacement CRTs were much better and hold up very well. One thing to watch out for us that the original SF-21 CRT has a 2 volt filament. Don't blow it by applying the usual 6 volts!

You can find lots of threads here and on ARF about restoration of Predictas. Although some folks find them troublesome to work on, they're not that bad really. Good luck with it!

why is this picture tube heater voltage so much lower than most tv's.

does anyone know where i can find a orginal antenna for this preticta model, its looks to be the only thing missing.

does anyone know where i can find a orginal antenna for this preticta model, its looks to be the only thing missing.

They're almost all missing the antenna, it's nearly impossible to find an original one.

I heard that many Princess models (I think) were sold in a mass buy to Howard Johnsons or maybe Holiday Inn. They were sold without antennas as they were hooked up to the motels system. Mine actually had the antenna but it was broken.

I heard that many Princess models (I think) were sold in a mass buy to Howard Johnsons or maybe Holiday Inn. They were sold without antennas as they were hooked up to the motels system. Mine actually had the antenna but it was broken.

I have a Debutant which is the most basic Predicta, it doesn't even have the support arms on the side of the CRT housing.

It has two screws where the Antenna would be but no hole for it to go in, I don't know if that makes it a Motel set or if they were all like that? Or maybe all Debutantes were Motel sets?

$20 is an excellent price. I believe that chassis is very similar (maybe identical) to the one in my barberpole Predicta, whose restoration you can read about here:

http://antiqueradio.org/philc12.htm

I wouldn't worry about the antenna; you can always rig something up. Take care not to fry the CRT with a tester, as already noted.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

Someone did an excellent job recently of recreating a Predicta antenna using a semi-common ball-base rod replacement antenna for run-of-the-mill sets and a rectangular piece of insulating material. I do not remember if it was on here or another forum.

I believe this is the thread you are referring to: http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=142723

I have a Debutant which is the most basic Predicta, it doesn't even have the support arms on the side of the CRT housing.

It has two screws where the Antenna would be but no hole for it to go in, I don't know if that makes it a Motel set or if they were all like that? Or maybe all Debutantes were Motel sets?

No the regular consumer Debutante sets only came in Charcoal, had a model #3408, chassis #10L43 and were offered for the 1960 season. They should have an antennia.

The "motel" Debutantes were painted biege (same as offered on the Princess and Siesta) and had no antennia, and had a model # of 3406, and used chassis #11L43...the chassis difference is they lack the AGC switch on the back. These were made in the 1961 season. Most of the ones I see on eBay have an instruction sticker on top on how to operate and many also have a "Property of Tele-Sound Inc." sticker, which was a Philco division that leased television sets to the hospitality industry.

after im done with that zenith and building the bar for trade for the roundie that was on ebay last month, im going start on that predicta, im thinking about selling it they are getting good money for though's lately. and that one for some reason has got a good strong tube.

If I found a predicta in decent shape with a good CRT for under 100$ let alone for 20$ then that would be the last time it would change hands until the time of my death.

If I found a predicta in decent shape with a good CRT for under 100$ let alone for 20$ then that would be the last time it would change hands until the time of my death.

I'd probably drop dead on the spot knowing my luck. :D

oooh i wouldnt beee giving it away, or lets say not to cheeeply and not in toooo much of a hury either, but what i see these sell for ,plus i could use some extra money about now, property tax time is coming around the corner again, you never know either how long people will pay these prices that they have been on ebay lately either,i cant beleave what some of sets are selling for. i don't seem to have alot problem with finding vintage tv in my area, alot of people know me my area too ,i just start asking around and its not long before someone tells me they have or know where a tv is ,or want to trade something ,it helps to stop at yard sells and ask, sometimes people dont even bother to drag a tv this old out of the basement ,when you ask if they have old tv's they point to the 1990's plastic china special, when they think they can unload the tv thats been in basement since the house was built there happy . and get alittle money too for it, thats kinda how i scored that 68 21'' color roundie ,they made a bar and party room in the basement back in early 70's put the tv in the bar area, and was separated from party room by sliding outside doors no-one could ever get it out they thought they was going to have demo the doors i just lifted up on the sliding door pop it out of channel and the tv was mine, they were so happy and so was i.