http://web.archive.org/web/20020608141355/http://www.tvhistory.tv/1948-Hallicrafters-T54-7in-Metal.JPG

I havent ever had one this small,mine is about 15" .. I dont like really BIG screens..... (Thats for movie theaters)

I recently restored one. Odd little sets.

Here's a link to the series. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4aHiwoXvLGAnqxCy9NAhg92toxqs62EN&si=4rmiZQq3fdcei5Mb

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53462315518_7defe4d62d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pshkNE)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53462595795_452f06c214_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2psiM82)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53462495474_36eb404764_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2psigim)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53640881401_f795f039c6_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pJ4xdM)

That tuner is interesting.

My Uncle paid his way through college fixing TV's in Gram & Gramp's basement. He was particularly fond of Hallicrafters sets due to their solid construction. (And, as a ham operator he may have been somewhat biased:)) We had several over the years that he'd rescued...big 21" table models. My Mom called them "beer joint" TVs since 21" B&W sets were a big deal in taverns.

Eh, cabinets maybe solid, but cheap components and poorly laid out. Not a single tube is shielded for example. It was the least expensive 7" set at the time.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53640321407_65ecae7bf2_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pJ1EKH)

I recently restored one. Odd little sets.Wow your quite lucky!!


They are beautiful.... Thanx for the pics!!

I've got the leatherette portable, and wood table model versions, and had the metal cabinet version (sold because the cabinet wasn't great and it had a vexing low contrast issue.

These were designed by Raymond Lowe which explains why they look so cool.

You're right about halicrafters TVs being cheap and oddly built...A year ago combing through Sam's duplicates I came across the Sam's for a 16" halicrafters that basically was one of these with the 7" CRT replaced with a speaker, reworked deflection circuits and the CRT in a separate cabinet....It was an odd enough duck that if I'd posted about it back on the 1st you'd think I made it up.

I wouldn't consider $139.00 cheap in those days, wasn't a new '49 model Chevrolet around $1500?

I think so....... No $139 def isnt cheap,especially then when stuff was made so much better!!

It was built better that's for sure. Don't think I've ever worked on one of those designs, earliest for me was a 50's vintage Space Command 300 my great grandmother had and I was setting things like vertical height and the channel stops for the tuner on it when I was like 9 or so. Had a very nice cherry cabinet and I wanted to save it a decade later when she was moved to a care center, somehow it ended up on the back porch and rotted away. I can remember watching Bandstand on it and the sound was incredible, this was back around 82 (I'm 55) and they had Eddie Money doing a staged performance.

I am surprised they were notably less $$$ than the Motorola and Admiral sets. Seems there should be more Hallicrafters sets out in the wild, but they are not nearly as common in my neck of the woods.

Look at the chassis. No twist-locs - all paper electrolytics. No tube shields. No CRT shield. No power transformer. No HV pots - just mounted regular pots on a phenolic board. Probably saved a few $$ by reusing a communications receiver cabinet too.

That cool framed-in communications gear "look" should appeal to the inner geek in us. :D

That cool framed-in communications gear "look" should appeal to the inner geek in us. :D

But at the same time, probably looked too "industrial" to have much appeal in the average living room of a non-ham.

It sure lacks the "wife acceptance factor".

oBut at the same time, probably looked too "industrial" to have much appeal in the average living room of a non-ham.

Would be a nice TV interference monitor for a well equipped ham-shack. :thmbsp:

jr

As I mentioned earlier there was a wood cabinet version of this as well as a leatherette portable so there were 7" halicrafters with this chassis and control layout that had a decent WAF compared to the ham shack model.

o

Would be a nice TV interference monitor for a well equipped ham-shack. :thmbsp:

jr

This would be an even nicer one, the National "Videometer":

https://www.radiomuseum.org/images/radio/national_company_inc/videometer_687941.jpg

Those Videometers are very cool and hard to find. Here's the wood version of the Halli.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4123/4775409313_c4b95dc226_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/8gZdPk)

That cool framed-in communications gear "look" should appeal to the inner geek in us. :D
Indeed. I plan to someday restore my T54, and also a Hallicrafters HT-32A transmitter, to join my Hallicrafters SX-42 receiver in a matching three-piece operating position. All three have essentially the same cabinet.

If I can someday find any of the late-1940s experimenter-grade video cameras or components, I could have a matching HF/ATV station set up.

I restored two of those a few years ago. $10 for the pair at the ETF silent auction. One was a Delco badged wood one. One had the octal tubes, the other miniature, in the IF.

I do not consider them at all odd except the pushbuttons, which are a pain to get working properly, but in the end work well.

Many sets have similar IFs. I've never got one of those to align using instructions. I've succeeded (using a bias box) with sweep or, better, white noise and my Airspy SDR
as spectrum analyzer.

One can get reliability of the CRT voltage by installing a fan. I used a 240 volt AC fan running on 120 VAC ,,,, very quiet.

Nice sets, good picture. I kept the metal case one (it sits next to my SX-88) and gave the wood one (unrestored case) to the ETF to put the chassis in their nice case.

Those Videometers are very cool and hard to find. Here's the wood version of the Halli.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4123/4775409313_c4b95dc226_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/8gZdPk)

In 2007 or so I bid on one like this but is was branded "Delco". Wish I'd won it. :tears: