I just got this Pilot 3" set from a very cool CL seller in Los Angeles, he was coming this way so he delivered it!

He mentioned it came from a big collectors estate and when he mentioned the guy was a big TV Camera collector I knew it had to be Ed Reitan, so this set was part of his collection.

It's in beautiful condition, of the three I now have this is the nicest, it also has a working CRT which the other two do not (or at least they're so dim as to be unusable), it's not super bright but it looks watchable, the set is also humming pretty bad so it probably has bad filters and low B+ so it might be brighter when its working properly.

There was a file card in the case with some history, I am guessing it was written by Mr Reitan when he got the set but don't know that for sure.

Wow, can't ask for a nicer set!!

You scored big time, a Pilot with a good crt, dam rare anymore.

Change out those caps, get a full scan, and I bet the picture tube looks even better !
Nice tv !


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Best part of the deal was the price --- only $99!

Great score!

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Nice find! I dont think any of my 1978 "restorations" work to well either

That ad is the stuff that TV collectors dreams are made from! If the seller would've done a little quick Net research he would've learned that the CRT alone is worth twice that price. The set, in the excellent condition that it is, with the case and original CRT, is worth a solid $350.

The set, in the excellent condition that it is, with the case and original CRT, is worth a solid $350.

I'm not sure of that now, some years ago yes, or with a proven good 3KP4, but 10 or more years ago I gave $200 for my other Pilot with a case and antenna, the CRT is bad in that one but this one was an unknown also.

My other set is recapped and was working other than a tube so dim you could only see it with the lights out, I will probably stick this tube in that set to see how well it really works.

He also gave me an ESI Impedance Bridge, it's old enough to have an eye tube but I have no idea what it's for.
He also offered me a full set of Riders Manuals (TV I presume) but I turned them down, I already have the essential TV Riders and don't use them, they take up a huge amount of space.

Too bad he ain't local. I'd not have turned down those free riders in your shoes, and I don't have shipping money or space presently to try for them.

Too bad he ain't local. I'd not have turned down those free riders in your shoes, and I don't have shipping money or space presently to try for them.

Do I have a deal for you! And it won't cost you a cent. Ask me at the next WARCI meet.

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My l'il Pilot LOOKS almost as purty as this one-I got it about 15-20 yrs ago when Epay was still CRAWLIN' w/Pilots.. Mine hads the green CRT, but back in the Analog days, it picked up WSJK TV Channel 2 PBS, right down the road from me GREAT ! Wonder how many Pilots were made & sold back then ? Still say you AIN'T a real Old TV guy til you have one... (grin)

My l'il Pilot LOOKS almost as purty as this one-I got it about 15-20 yrs ago when Epay was still CRAWLIN' w/Pilots.. Mine hads the green CRT, but back in the Analog days, it picked up WSJK TV Channel 2 PBS, right down the road from me GREAT ! Wonder how many Pilots were made & sold back then ? Still say you AIN'T a real Old TV guy til you have one... (grin)
I believe Pilot first made 10,000 sets in 1948 and sold them exclusively at Macy's in NYC. After that it seems Pilot went into full production through 1949. By how many still turn-up to this day, obviously a tremendous number were produced in total. I heard that a one big group that loved the set was college students. No set came close to it's portability for many years.

IIRC it was one of if not the cheapest TV on the market then. If you did not have deep pockets or wanted to see what 'this new TV thing' was with minimal investment it was a good choice then.

$973 in 2014 dollars. Kinda like a high end laptop :)