View Full Version : The Philco 48-1000 arrived!


Eric H
02-07-2013, 04:44 PM
They were supposed to deliver it today but I got a call around 9:30 this a.m.asking if they could deliver it tomorrow. No way, we are closed tomorrow so I asked if I could pick it up at their Dock, no problem. Picked it up around Noon.

Set made it without a scratch, CRT looks fine, the whole set is in really remarkable condition other than that small strip of missing Veneer shown in the auction, definitely not one I would refinish, just replace the missing veneer (about 1" x 4") and color it to match.

Pictures will follow tonight, along with a CRT report. :thmbsp:

cwmoser
02-07-2013, 05:46 PM
Like to land one those myself.

Love to see the pictures.

Carl

Eric H
02-07-2013, 05:57 PM
I hate being stuck at work when I'd rather be home playing with my new toy. :yes:

Eric H
02-07-2013, 10:09 PM
OK, it's home.

Powered it up an the Variac and get sound (white noise anyhow) and high voltage, but no raster. CRT checks fair to middling but it should work okay.

The 1B3 was bad killing the HV and making the oscillator squeal, replaced it and the HV came up and the Osc quieted down. Ran it for a little bit and nothing blew up or smoked so probably a basic recap will get this one running.

Cabinet is good, not perfect but I think a little work with some 0000 Steel Wool will help a lot, there are some little white specks on the top and misc nicks and scratches but really nice considering.

The CRT is a Hytron replacement dated 1951, several other tubes are Hytrons also and dated 1951 52 so this set must have had an overhaul in 52 or 53, either the owner had it fixed or it was traded in and the shop rebuilt it and sold it.

Eric H
02-07-2013, 10:10 PM
And a few more pictures.
It does have the back but it's not in the pics.

Penthode
02-07-2013, 11:04 PM
It looks fabulous. The missing veneer is easily replaced.

This looks like it will be a fun project.

Kevin Kuehn
02-08-2013, 01:15 AM
That's one cool looking TV. :thmbsp:

cwmoser
02-08-2013, 06:13 AM
How similar is this TVs chassis to your Philco 48-2500 projection TV?
I've read that both TVs used the same chassis but I would find
it hard to believe that it has three 1B3s or 1X2s.

Carl

hi_volt
02-08-2013, 07:25 AM
Ooooh. Me likey! That missing veneer will be an easy fix. Keep us posted on your progress.

Geist
02-08-2013, 08:58 AM
Hi All;
Eric, That looks like a nice set, Hopefully one that will be easy for you to restore.. Great Catch..
Eric, I sent you a PM..
THANK YOU marty

dieseljeep
02-08-2013, 09:32 AM
And a few more pictures.
It does have the back but it's not in the pics.

Someone didn't insist on genuine Philco tubes. :D
I see that set also uses an electromagnet ion trap. Also the Zenith type interlock cord. :boring:

Eric H
02-08-2013, 10:22 AM
How similar is this TVs chassis to your Philco 48-2500 projection TV?

Carl

It's similar, the layout looks about right as do the dimensions, but the 2500 has some extra controls up front. The flyback looks the same, no tripler used of course, I would say the 2500 chassis is at least based on this even if it's not exactly the same. The 48-1001 is probably closer.

There are at least two versions of the 1000 chassis, a code 122 and a 125, mine has the 125

Sandy G
02-08-2013, 10:57 AM
Nice set ! Ya done good !

Kamakiri
02-08-2013, 11:48 AM
I say again, WOW!!!

decojoe67
02-08-2013, 12:18 PM
The devil is in the audio with that set. I had one for many years and the sound went from low (after adjustments) to non-exsistant. Even my tech., who has many years experience with vintage TV's, was baffled with it. I like to enjoy all my sets, so I finally parted with it. Those early post-war Philco's are eye-candy, but not the best choice if you want a real player.
Good luck with yours though!

Tim
02-08-2013, 01:46 PM
Great find and good luck with it. Those are fantastic looking sets and certainly much more interesting than the wooden box designs that follow. There is also a variation of this set. The first 1000 produced had a bronze medallion on the lower right front proclaiming it as Philco's Inaugural TV receiver. Here is a close-up photo of the one on my set.

Sandy G
02-08-2013, 03:05 PM
Great find and good luck with it. Those are fantastic looking sets and certainly much more interesting than the wooden box designs that follow. There is also a variation of this set. The first 1000 produced had a bronze medallion on the lower right front proclaiming it as Philco's Inaugural TV receiver. Here is a close-up photo of the one on my set.

Ooooooooh...DAT'S Purty, Too ! Drool, drool, drool...(grin) I virtually NEVER see exotica like that down here....

Eric H
02-08-2013, 03:07 PM
The first 1000 produced had a bronze medallion on the lower right front proclaiming it as Philco's Inaugural TV receiver. Here is a close-up photo of the one on my set.

That would be very cool to have one of the first 1000, I note it says 1947 on the medallion.
My serial number (at least I think it's a serial) is in the 6000 range, just curious if yours is 1000 or less, or perhaps they didn't start at zero.

Tim
02-08-2013, 04:29 PM
The only number on the chassis is 110777 3. I am not sure how to interpret it. Maybe they started with 110001 and this is 777? Maybe the chassis got swapped sometime in its history?

The 3 is in a larger and different font so I think it is a run number, production line number or day of week?

I can send you scans of the original factory service manual with troubleshooting charts and also the 6 page installation manual that goes over unpacking, installation of CRT and adjustments if you PM your e-mail address.

Eric H
02-08-2013, 04:47 PM
Tim, my chassis has a stick on label above and to the left of that socket that I think is a serial number, it has a G followed by spaces and then a four digit number.
RCA had a similar format but started their serials with a C (for Camden I hear), wonder what the G means?

Tim
02-08-2013, 05:10 PM
Eric:

I have no sticker on mine. Guess it fell off. I do have a spare chassis with a silver sticker to the left of the socket with "XX 79091" on it. It has a faded stamped number 112252 below the socket. Do you have a stamped number similar to the one on mine?

Eric H
02-08-2013, 05:22 PM
Mine has 011217705 stamped in that location, I have no idea what it means, maybe some type of date code?

Tim
02-08-2013, 05:45 PM
Hmmm... Maybe Don Lindsly will show up and shed some light.

bars&tone
02-08-2013, 08:04 PM
Great find and good luck with it. Those are fantastic looking sets and certainly much more interesting than the wooden box designs that follow. There is also a variation of this set. The first 1000 produced had a bronze medallion on the lower right front proclaiming it as Philco's Inaugural TV receiver. Here is a close-up photo of the one on my set.

Thanks for the education and photos. The "Medallion" model is a new one on me.

bars&tone
02-08-2013, 08:06 PM
OK, it's home.

Powered it up an the Variac and get sound (white noise anyhow) and high voltage, but no raster. CRT checks fair to middling but it should work okay.

The 1B3 was bad killing the HV and making the oscillator squeal, replaced it and the HV came up and the Osc quieted down. Ran it for a little bit and nothing blew up or smoked so probably a basic recap will get this one running.

Cabinet is good, not perfect but I think a little work with some 0000 Steel Wool will help a lot, there are some little white specks on the top and misc nicks and scratches but really nice considering.

The CRT is a Hytron replacement dated 1951, several other tubes are Hytrons also and dated 1951 52 so this set must have had an overhaul in 52 or 53, either the owner had it fixed or it was traded in and the shop rebuilt it and sold it.

Cool pick-up! Congratulations!

Sandy G
02-08-2013, 08:50 PM
Any time I show off my '49 Zenith Porthole to "Civilians" they are ALWAYS amazed..Yeah, THEIR TVs are 80" HDTVs color, stereo, & all that...But They STILL marvel at a junky 63 yr old TV...Kinda makes it all worthwhile, you know what I mean ?!?

hi_volt
02-08-2013, 09:29 PM
Sandy...IMHO your 63 year old TV is a lot better quality than anything you can buy now. It's still around and has survived. Similar to my old 61 VW Bus which just turned 52 and is driven daily. I have a bumper sticker on it that says "This car is over 50 years old. What will your car look like in 50 years?"

Sandy G
02-08-2013, 10:00 PM
Sandy...IMHO your 63 year old TV is a lot better quality than anything you can buy now. It's still around and has survived. Similar to my old 61 VW Bus which just turned 52 and is driven daily. I have a bumper sticker on it that says "This car is over 50 years old. What will your car look like in 50 years?"

No Kiddin'....(grin)

cwmoser
02-09-2013, 06:10 AM
Great find and good luck with it. Those are fantastic looking sets and certainly much more interesting than the wooden box designs that follow. There is also a variation of this set. The first 1000 produced had a bronze medallion on the lower right front proclaiming it as Philco's Inaugural TV receiver. Here is a close-up photo of the one on my set.

I would suspect that the first 1000 produced were Code 122 Chassis.
Erik's is Code 125. Still *any* Philco 48-1000 is a collectible gem. Hope
I can get lucky at the ETV in May.

Carl

cwmoser
02-09-2013, 06:17 AM
Mine has 011217705 stamped in that location, I have no idea what it means, maybe some type of date code?

This in getting interesting. My Philco 48-2500 has a similar
numbering scheme - it begins with "0112" -- 011206702

It would be good information to know what these numbers mean.
What is the chassis designation on your 48-2500?

Carl

cwmoser
02-09-2013, 06:22 AM
OK, it's home.

Powered it up an the Variac and get sound (white noise anyhow) and high voltage, but no raster. CRT checks fair to middling but it should work okay.

The 1B3 was bad killing the HV a ...

Hmmm. Just curious. On the Philco 48-2500's, Code 125
replaced the 1B3s with 1X2s. You might want to double-check
to make sure that someone did not put in the wrong tube.
Just a thought.

Carl

Tim
02-09-2013, 01:10 PM
The following notes regarding 48-1000 chassis codes are from Radiomuseum.org:

Three chassis codes were used in the following chronological order: code 121, code 125, and code 122. Codes 121 and 125 are similar, both having 26 tubes. In code 122, the 1N34 crystal diode DC restorer was replaced with a 6AT6 tube, bringing the tube count to 27.

Philco had other TV models with similar chassis. Model 48-1050 was a console version of the 48-1000, with the same three available chassis codes. Model 48-1001 is another table model electrically identical to 48-1000 code 122, but has a simpler cabinet style. Models 48-1000-5, 48-1050-5, and 48-1001-5 have power supplies designed for 50 Hz AC supply, but are otherwise identical to the models without the -5 suffix. Model 48-2500 is a large console projection set with a chassis based on the 48-1000 design, but with several significant changes to support the projection CRT system.

Information from Riders 2 production changes says that the last 2 digits are the run number. The stamped numbers on my set do not follow this format however. Mine follows the convention mentioned in Riders 1 for code 121 units where the run number is a single digit and there is no leading 0 at the start of the stamped numbers. This is the second image below. I speculate that the series of numbers between the "11" and the run number is the serial number. This puts my chassis at 777 which is in the first 1000 which jives with the medallion on the cabinet.

cwmoser
02-09-2013, 07:34 PM
Tim, I think you are on to something regarding the stamping on the chassis.

Be interesting to see what Erik's chassis stamp is for his 48-1000 along with others.

Also, I bet the schema is similar with the 48-2500's.
Mine is 011206702 where 02 is Run 2, and the serial number might be either
2067 or 067. Be interesting to see more chassis stamp designations
to infer better on this.

Carl

Eric H
02-09-2013, 10:05 PM
Here's the chassis stamp from my 48-2500, code 122 I think it says.
Since they all vary somewhat I think they may be the serial number, or at least the last 4 or 5 digits may be the serial number.

I have two 48-1001 sets I'd like to take a look at but they aren't easily accessible at the moment.

cwmoser
02-10-2013, 08:20 AM
Here's the chassis stamp from my 48-2500, code 122 I think it says.
Since they all vary somewhat I think they may be the serial number, or at least the last 4 or 5 digits may be the serial number.

I have two 48-1001 sets I'd like to take a look at but they aren't easily accessible at the moment.

Tim piqued my interest.
From Riders 2-135 for the 48-2500 projection TV:
"The last two digits of the series give the run number.
For instance, if the number is 0332016702, the set is Run 2."

So, yours (11293707) must be Run 7.
Run 7 = "The high voltage unit was changed to a complete subassembly ...".
My supposition is that 112 identifies the chassis as for the projection TV,
and 937 is your Serial Number.

My 48-2500 chassis number is 11206702.
I had thought it as Run 2 because the HV caps are 500mmf instead of 1000mmf.

This is beginning to start making sense.
Like you, love to see more chassis numbers.

Carl

azbigsam
02-21-2013, 08:19 PM
Just got home with my "new" Philco 48-1000. I'll post some better pictures later but here are some quick ones with my phone. Serial # is 009342709. Model 48-1000-125.

Eric H
02-21-2013, 09:02 PM
Just got home with my "new" Philco 48-1000. I'll post some better pictures later but here are some quick ones with my phone. Serial # is 009342709. Model 48-1000-125.

Seems like everyone is getting one of these nowadays, where did you get yours and why can't I find them at garage sales for a pittance? :D

I did find a complete 48-1001 last summer for $40 though.

I might have a spare HV cover from a 48-2500, provided I don't need it for any of my sets.

azbigsam
02-22-2013, 09:36 AM
I got it from the same guy who sold me the Tele-Tone tv-209 with the aftermarket mask. After I bought that one I asked if he had any similar tvs. He said he had an old Philco buried in the back of the shop that had a nice art deco look to it. The first thought I had was the 48-1000. He was too busy then to go dig it out so I came back to look at it and sure enough that's what it was. I do have the HV cover and the back. I only have 2 of the knobs so I will need to find some of those.

Eric, I also noticed an old post about the back cover for the Tele-Tone tv-209. Did you ever make a back for it? Mine has one and I can take a pic of it for you.
Also, is your set the one that has a youtube video of it playing?

Eric H
02-23-2013, 03:04 PM
Eric, I also noticed an old post about the back cover for the Tele-Tone tv-209. Did you ever make a back for it? Mine has one and I can take a pic of it for you.
Also, is your set the one that has a youtube video of it playing?

I'd appreciate a picture of the back!
And yes, the one on YouTube is mine, a very good working set.

azbigsam
02-26-2013, 08:32 PM
Your set looks great on Youtube! I would like to see a picture of the front of your set when you get a chance. Here is the back on my set. A little piece is missing on the upper left hand side. By the way, I know you were looking for some knobs for a Philco 48-1000 for someone. If you come across a gold mine of them I'm missing the channel selector and one D knob and the knob closest to the channel selector. Thanks.

charokeeroad
02-28-2013, 09:09 AM
Eric, What's the story in the set? Where did you find it? Who did the shipping?
The set looks fantastic!