I think this is the very last tube type GE Porta-Color... Seller says 1976 date on the back, and it has the 80s style knobs and click-stop UHF. Looks clean, and has a nice rotten PortaColor picture :banana: Southern CA

http://cgi.ebay.com/General-electric-Vintage-Color-Portable-T-V_W0QQitemZ330011268528QQihZ014QQcategoryZ3638QQrd Z1QQcmdZViewItem

Charles

I'm not positive, but I believe the last year for tubes may have been 78. i worked on a porta color that had a date stamp of november 27 1978 on it. The build quality was even sadder than the older porta color sets I've seen.

I've gota admit, they have a terrible picture, but they rarely break.

The build quality was even sadder than the older porta color sets I've seen.

You must be mistaken; that's impossible... Only thing worse than the build quality of ANY PortaColor is the build quality of a late model VCR :lmao:

Charles

That's no joke. I bought some POS philips vcr in 2002 that I thought was going to suffice while I got my old magnavox back together. Man that philips was useless, and liked to eat some of my older tapes. It also didn't track as well as my magnavox.

The new pos weighed about 5 ounces, that shoudl have told me something. My old magnavox weighed at least 10 pounds or more. It lasted from 94 when my folks bought it new for over 300 dolars to last year when the tape transport started malfunctioning. Had the best pic of any VHS deck I'd ever used.

I won't work on any VCR newer than 2000, and won't touch DVD/VHS combos except maybe to dig out the remains of the tape. Seems like those things always chew up wedding videos.
My VHS machines include a couple early Sonys, a mid 90s JVC SVHS, and my favorite, a Zenith VR2000. My Dad has my Panasonic top-loader
And then there are the Sony Betas. Bulletproof.

************************************************** ******

I havn't seen a porta-color for years, but I always remember them as being hard on the eyes. Was it the coarse dot pitch of the CRT?

I would have to push that tube set date back to 1972. I have this GE porta-color and it is all solid state. It is Model JA5301WD/SAMS 1339. The set was date stamped 1973. I have yet to work on this one. I almost have all the generations of the porta color. :scratch2:

polaraman

They were made concurrently for several years... Zenith offered a solid state color console in '71, and RCA in '68. But both continued tube sets for at least 3 or 4 years. I once worked on a tube PortaColor with a 1978 date, and it was the same style as that one on eBay. Yours in the photo is very interesting! It must have been a deluxe one... I don't think I've ever seen one. I wouldn't mind having one of those either!

Charles

That's no joke. I bought some POS philips vcr in 2002 that I thought was going to suffice while I got my old magnavox back together. Man that philips was useless, and liked to eat some of my older tapes. It also didn't track as well as my magnavox.

Pretty much all Philips branded VCRs made in the last 15 years have been made by Funai (Symphonic). Actually most modern VCRs seem to be made by Funai. You can easily spot their products because the entire case is made of plastic on. All other VCRs I've seen at least have a metal top.

I wouldn't touch a VCR made after about 1988 personally.

I saw my preacher the other day, & he said I could have my 1979 Panasonic Omnivision IV VHS unit I gave to the church back in '85 back...IF I'd buy 'em a DVD player. This is a 4-hour top loader w/click-stop tuners, made like a TANK. It has a cast-aluminum chassis-shit, the aluminum oughta be worth 50 bux alone.. But it won't ever have to worry about being melted into the next generation of beer cans. About a month after I got this thing in fall '79 for $1100, IIRC, they came out w/the 6-hour models...Seems like the camera for it was about the same price, it was B&W, if you wanted a color camera, they were like $2500 or so...Ahhh, 1979...Gone but not forgotten...

I think I'm going to get an old VCR to go with my old TV's!

I think I'm going to get an old VCR to go with my old TV's!

I'ts a good way to add all-channel tuning to a VHF only set. That's what I do. Also I hook up a modulator so I can play DVDs of classic TV shows once in a while.

As I recall, that solid state Portacolor was dubbed the Portacolor II. And it was short lived. I guess it was just too expensive vs. the plain tube model. I've never seen one.

I previously posted a service bulletin which said that the tube Portacolor (HE) was discontinued in '77. I guess either they changed their mind or else they just had a lot of old stock which they dated prior to packing & shipping. Hey, have you ever noticed on GE hybrid-era stuff that many of the tubes are double-dated? At least a couple sets I worked on from the 70s were like this with one code around 71 or so and the second from around the time the set was built.

Here is a picture of a 70's porta color 2 . I am not sure what year it is cause the tag on the back fell off. The chassis is all ss and I don't think the picture is bad unless you are real close to it.
Ed

I've got a MAYBE Porta-Color 2-its a model 10AB5402V, mfg in Portsmouth, Va., in June '84.Has the distinctive "not quite round, not really square" CRT, & is SS.

I would have to push that tube set date back to 1972. I have this GE porta-color and it is all solid state. It is Model JA5301WD/SAMS 1339.

That's actually a Portacolor II (as indicated by the "JA" in the model number), but I've never seen one like that with regular PortaColor-style control knobs on the front and the same front facia as the regular PortaColors. All of the Portacolor II's I've seen (which isn't very many) have had sliding controls and rocker switches (and that front facia with the extended 'lip' around it) like the one in the picture Roundscreen posted.

Anyway, the Portacolor II was made concurrently with the regular tube-type Portacolors, but I think the PCII was only made for a model year or two; it was evidently not very popular (I'm sure it cost a lot more than the tube version!). Sometime in the late 70's, GE tried again with a solid-state replacement for the Portacolor, namely the AA / AB chassis. I sometimes call these the "PortaColor III" :) These are very common even today, and in addition to the 10" PortaColor-sized screen version, GE also offered 13" and 17" models using the same basic chassis. They made the AA / AB sets up to at *least* 1984, but I wouldn't be surprised if they went all the way up until when GE stopped producing TV sets altogether around 1986.

The latest regular (tube-type) Portacolor I've actually seen was made in late 1978, but the newest one I currently have is one from April 1977. I've heard sightings of ones with 1979 and even 1980 production dates, but I've nver seen photos of them or other proof, so I really don't know.

1976 is still pretty late for a Portacolor, but unfortunately the one in that eBay auction doesn't have the re-styled front panel that GE started using in some (but not all) Portacolor models around that time. See the attached photo-- hard to believe that's actually an all-tube TV, isn't it? :)

I've got a MAYBE Porta-Color 2-its a model 10AB5402V, mfg in Portsmouth, Va., in June '84.Has the distinctive "not quite round, not really square" CRT, & is SS.

That's an "AB"-chassis set, or what I refer to in another post as the unofficial "Portacolor III". :)

By the way, the CRT used in the 10" version of those sets (like yours) looks very similar in construction to the CRTs used in the old PortaColors, but it has a shorter neck, and the coils and other hardware on the neck look a bit different (assumed to be because of the shorter gun and such).

I've never tried this, but I've kinda wondered if those CRTs are electronically compatible, and could be substituted (along with the appropriate neck hardware) for a bad CRT in an old PortaColor. Only thing is, I don't think I've *ever* encountered a PortaColor with a bad CRT..! :)

I don't know what it is, but I think the PortaColor must be the Energizer bunny of tube-chassis color TV sets. Even when they're not fully functional, those things are almost never found totally dead unless one of the tubes has wiggled out of their socket.

I have a working white GE Portacolor with a front similar to the one posted by Whirled One. The date on the back is 1977. So they were built for at least one year after 1976.

A thrift store in my area has a fairly early portacolor for like $5. I've passed on it every time i've been in there because these sets seem to be fairly common, at least in my area anyway. But, with the talk of the portacolors here on audiokarma, i'm tempted to go pick it up. Mainly for just the sake of having one. I'd like some comments as to their collectability. Are the early or late models more desirable? Given some the comment's i've read, are they even "desirable," or are they better off sacrificed to the god of spare parts. GE had a tradition of including schematics folded up in a little box on the back of the cabinet, do the portacolors have this? Also, did any portacolors have VIR, or was that generally included only on the larger sets?

Thanks in advance for your comments :D

The little PortaColor 111 I have has a service manual of sorts all neatly folded up in it's own little pocket in the back of the set.It don't have VIR, AFC, or PDQ, or nothin'. You've got on/off/volume, 2 click tuners, color, tint, contrast, vert, & that's about it. Yeah, you sometimes have to tweak it a bit when you change channels, & it ain't exactly the best pic I ever saw on a TV, either. But it's a COLOR tv, crudities & all, & I'd say there were more than a few kids who were glad to have these things. Back in good ol' antebellum 1966, they were fairly high-zoot-color TV was still kinda rare then, compared to now, anyway. And they ARE "portable"-well, luggable, anyhow-and they were there before Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba & all the others...

Collectability? the only collectability that matters to me is "do I enjoy owning it?"
If you are intersted in fad/fantasy value ebay prices will tell that. I don't really pay attention to that sort of thing.
The fact is that the tube type color sets are DISAPPEARING it seems like more and more every year, so I would recommend getting one if you see one and want it.

The tube type sets do not have the schematics included that I have ever seen...only on the solid state models between '79-85 or so.

Collectability? the only collectability that matters to me is "do I enjoy owning it?"
If you are intersted in fad/fantasy value ebay prices will tell that. I don't really pay attention to that sort of thing.
The fact is that the tube type color sets are DISAPPEARING it seems like more and more every year, so I would recommend getting one if you see one and want it.

The tube type sets do not have the schematics included that I have ever seen...only on the solid state models between '79-85 or so.

A very very good point Chad. I agree, it would be worth getting just because of the fact that as a tube set, it should be saved. I do get wrapped up in the "collectability" sometimes, but I do have to have some reason to justify my collection of vintage gear to the average joe, LOL. All joking aside, though, I don't want to spend a bunch of time on something that the general consensus of people in the know think might be a waste of time. I have never been a huge fan of GE sets, except for some of the VIR models, so I thought it best to get some opinions on this one.

GE had a tradition of including schematics folded up in a little box on the back of the cabinet, do the portacolors have this? Also, did any portacolors have VIR, or was that generally included only on the larger sets?


None of the tube-type PortaColor sets have the self-contained service data compartment (unless the semi-mythical 1979/80-made Portacolors do); GE started doing that around 1979-ish. All or most of the 10" AA/AB chassis sets do have those though. [By the way, I think GE's "built-in" service info was really a nice feature-- I only wish other manufacturers had done that, or at least started doing it earlier...]

As for VIR, what, are you kidding?? The tube Portacolors don't even have frickin' automatic chroma gain or DC restoration, much less such fancy-pants stuff like AFT or VIR. Chee... :) It's portable and it's color. What else could you want?? :yes:

None of the tube-type PortaColor sets have the self-contained service data compartment (unless the semi-mythical 1979/80-made Portacolors do); GE started doing that around 1979-ish. All or most of the 10" AA/AB chassis sets do have those though. [By the way, I think GE's "built-in" service info was really a nice feature-- I only wish other manufacturers had done that, or at least started doing it earlier...]

As for VIR, what, are you kidding?? The tube Portacolors don't even have frickin' automatic chroma gain or DC restoration, much less such fancy-pants stuff like AFT or VIR. Chee... :) It's portable and it's color. What else could you want?? :yes:

Haha true :) Guess i'm a little too spoiled LOL. I'm not hugely familiar with these portacolor sets, although i've seen enough of them around I should have paid more attention. I do like the early '80's solid state portable ge sets. The ones I've seen had a very good picture :)

You must be mistaken; that's impossible... Only thing worse than the build quality of ANY PortaColor is the build quality of a late model VCR :lmao:

Charles

As of 2002, JVC was still producing quality goods. My ex-fiancee and I got a JVC VHS/DVD combo in december of that year, it's now in my parents' living room, but for a couple years it was in my living room and I've never had a problem with it. Speaking of JVC they have two 2000-2003 era sets in their house, both of which are of a pretty good quality.

Of course only time will tell if they'll survive a quarter century or more without the need for signifigant repairs.

I too have a JVC from about that year. It has a timebase corrector, so no flag-waving problems on roundies and other old sets. It has the best picture I have ever seen from VHS, by far.

It doesnt weigh anything, though. I fear its the same crappy construction as the rest of the modern ones, and probably wont be repairable if (when) it fails. :(

John

It doesnt weigh anything, though. I fear its the same crappy construction as the rest of the modern ones, and probably wont be repairable if (when) it fails. :(

John

Duct tape. To hold it on the table that is.

I think I'm going to get an old VCR to go with my old TV's!

Bobby,

One of the best old VCR's to get is a Sony SLV-R5. Of course, even these machines have their quirks. The original lubrication on the tape return arm dries up, but the old organic grease can be easily cleaned out of the sleeve bearing. Apply a fresh layer silicon lub and you're good for 50 years or more of happy tape ejecting! The only other issue is that the power supply runs hot in the original design but will operate cool as a cucumber and last forever if a small computer fan is installed in the rear cabinet. I have a hand full of them and they're superb for playing with old TV sets. :yes:

Tom