Just curious, what was year RCA's XL100 series was introduced. I saw an interesting ad showing one with modular repair units, similiar to Zenith's design. Anyone know the Chassis or model #'s?

Will have to search for exact info, but I think it was 1971. I had one of the first XL100's and the picture tube had a code date of 71. The chassis was a CTC-41 or CTC-46 I can't recall at the moment.

Wasn't there a 19" tube set that was an XL-100? I am 97.0265% sure there was. About 1975; the last tube set.

??????????

Charles

Well... it will be interesting to find out. As I'm sure you already know RCA had used XL for years, as far back as the CTC-16 chassis. For those of us that have RCA tube chassis' take a look and if there is an XL stamped after the number you have the top of the line set they offered. XL meant "Xtended Life" and used heavier duty components. In 71 they marketed a Solid State line with that designation. They were doing so much in marketing that I wouldn't be surprised if a tube set did have the XL tag on the front.

RCA non-modular transistor sets like ctc-40 are called "trans vista color".
The XL-100 designation means "eXtended Life, 100% solid state" and refers to the modular sets originally but was later (like 80's and later) applied to pretty much any RCA color set.
There are some tube type sets like the ctc-53 that are tube-transistor hybrids labeled "XL Color".

There are some sets like from around 1974 that are tube type chassis like ctc-65? and look exactly like the XL-100 solid state counterparts but are labeled "AccuColor".

Chad's right... I think I was confusing AccuColor with XL-100 with regard to the cheap 70s tube type portable.

An interesting note on the CTC-40... I've seen both "Trans Vista Color" and "New Vista Color Solid State". But I think they should have called them "ITTPS COLOR"... Standing for "Impossible To Troubleshoot Power Supply". :headscrat

Charles

Wasn't there a 19" tube set that was an XL-100? I am 97.0265% sure there was. About 1975; the last tube set.

??????????

Charles

I recall my folks rented one back in 1976 for the cottage. It was a 19" RCA XL-100 and had a very bright picture - almost blinding. I was amazed at how advanced the set was back then. But, too pricy. They paid the $20 rental fee for the weekend and returned it!

An interesting note on the CTC-40... I've seen both "Trans Vista Color" and "New Vista Color Solid State".

Charles

I know the CTC-40 that Tony V has says "New Vista". Lately I've wound up with a small collection of the 18" RCA's with a variety of markings. I think its the newest one that is marked "XL Color". Today I picked up the rest of the tube sets that JCFritz had which includes a Mural TV version, which might be interesting.

Somewhere I have a booklet that was in Readers Digest in the early 70s advertising the XL-100 sets (IIRC). Funny thing: I found this in the eighties when I was a kid; I mailed it to the then head of the Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club as I thought they might want it for their library! He mailed it back to me! Joe Koester was a nice guy to put up with all the silly correspondance this snotty nosed kid used to send him!

I have some of the Mural TV 18" RCA ctc-53's. These are the deluxe versions with lighted channel numbers, seperate power switch and volume control, tamper-resistant cover over service controls and a 75 ohm F connector antenna input.

I like the CTC 27 hospital set that I had talked about before in this forum, mine has all the motors and relays for the wired remote as well as a speaker cut off when using the bedside remote. One of the old (built in the late 60's) hospitals by me still has the RCA wall plugs and hookups from the ceiling for just what is pictured below! They had a shelf suspended by some pretty heavy threaded stock with enough space for four sets, directly above on the ceiling were the cable and power connections. I was told they had these well into the 70's before going to XL-100's. What they have now are Sony 9" sets mounted on a swing arm bolted to the wall.
The ad shows a CTC 19 but am sure by '69 when the new wing at Bi-County was built they had the 27's