Hello everyone, I just registered yesterday, what a fantastic forum! My name is Steven and I live in Southeastern CT, where I make my living as a pretty good auto mechanic. As many of you do, I like to collect nostalgia items and (hopefully) restore them as best I can. In my immediate future loom a 1972 Rupp Scrambler minibike restoration and a really cool 1954 Philco "Golden Grid" console television that I recently purchased for 60 bucks and would love to get working... so I can make some popcorn and watch old back and white episodes of Lost In Space on it, just like I did on the same kind of Philco when I was a little kid!

I already have a few questions on the Philco, but I just wanted to say hello to you all first. Fascinating stuff here!!!

Nice t'have ya ! Welcome !

welcome to vk!

Welcome to VK Steven,A BEAUTIFUL TV YOU HAVE :)

Nice t'have ya ! Welcome !

Thanks for welcoming me!

welcome to vk!

THANKS Raster Master!!!

Welcome to VK Steven,A BEAUTIFUL TV YOU HAVE :)

Thanks Dude, I get goosebumps every time I get near that TV!! Thank you for welcoming me, everyone get ready for some brain-picking!

Greetings! There should be lots of help here on just about any TV. Be careful tho, it can become addictive!

Greetings! There should be lots of help here on just about any TV. Be careful tho, it can become addictive!

you sure got that right i got em staked 3, or 4 tvs high :D

Hello Steve welcome aboard the tv merrygoround hang on tight it is a wild ride nice to have you...Timothy

They're INSIDIOUS...You think you're DONE oncet you get this one workin'...WRONG !! You'll be moseyin' along, mindin' yer own Beeswax, & you'll spy a '56 8" RCA portable in an an Aunty-Kew Emporium...It'll start Talkin' To You..."Pleeze, Mister, take me home,willya ? I'm kinda Little 'n' Cute, don't take up much room...You KNOW you Want Me..So Howzaboutit, Pal ? C'mon, you can do it !" You snort, pick the damthing up, & trudge to the Check-Out lane...Face it, Buster, You're HOOKED....(grin)

They're INSIDIOUS...You think you're DONE oncet you get this one workin'...WRONG !! You'll be moseyin' along, mindin' yer own Beeswax, & you'll spy a '56 8" RCA portable in an an Aunty-Kew Emporium...It'll start Talkin' To You..."Pleeze, Mister, take me home,willya ? I'm kinda Little 'n' Cute, don't take up much room...You KNOW you Want Me..So Howzaboutit, Pal ? C'mon, you can do it !" You snort, pick the damthing up, & trudge to the Check-Out lane...Face it, Buster, You're HOOKED....(grin)

it happens to me all day long! last week i spent 200 on an rca coffee table tee vee! :D

Thanks for the Introduction and welcome to the electron madhouse. - That Philco is the very kind that some of us pretend to be experts on.

Only Doctor Smith would dare plug in a set of that vintage before a complete capacitor replacement.

Hello Steve welcome aboard the tv merrygoround hang on tight it is a wild ride nice to have you...Timothy

Thanks Tim, it's nice to meet you and everyone else.

Thanks for the Introduction and welcome to the electron madhouse. - That Philco is the very kind that some of us pretend to be experts on.

Only Doctor Smith would dare plug in a set of that vintage before a complete capacitor replacement.


Dr. Smith would blow this Philco up in a NY minute if he thought it might get him back to Earth!

I am extremely glad to be in the company of experts. I have already read and re-read Phil's section on capacitor replacement, and I can see now that this is going to be more than just a matter of replacing some tubes etc. Although I tinkered quite a bit with tube/solid state tv's in the '70's & '80's, looking into the back of this '54 Philco is somewhat like gazing upon an alien machine from another world. It's simplicity/complexity is mind boggling. I am here to share my attempts at restoration and to hopefully learn a thing or two!

BTW I did plug it in when I first got it home - not a good idea, I can see now - but nothing exploded or smelled, nothing really happened at all except a few tubes lit up and a few didn't. The back of the picture tube where the collar of wires was lit up, not sure if that's a good sign but I suppose it is...