RCA Victor 8-T-243
 

Something else I don't need followed me home Friday night. Thinking about mounting this one to the ceiling of my minivan so I can move into the modern age.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...5/P1040166.jpg

Seriously, it's complete and unmolested. The CRT tests good to boot. This thing is larger and heavier than I expected too :) I can't imagine trying to ship one.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...5/P1040167.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...5/P1040170.jpg

Those RCAs built along 630 lines all weigh a ton.

I see a new CRT anode lead in your future. Looks like HV arced through the insulation where it's supported by that long spring. My T-100 had the same problem.

http://antiqueradio.org/art/RCAT-100FirstLook06.jpg

In that photo the spring has been moved back from the chewed spot. I painted the bad spot with a couple of coats of corona dope as a temporary fix. The temporary fix worked so well that I never bothered to replace the lead, even though a new lead costs almost nothing. Laziness trumps perfectionism again.

Or maybe I'm misreading the photo and someone already cured your problem with some other kind of magic goo. In any case, I'd check out that thing that looks like a wad of brown bubble gum.

Phil Nelson

I takes no chances, I replace all old HV wiring. I don't think my renter's policy would cover burning the entire apartment block down if something went wrong...

Nice score :thmbsp: Looks very similar to my 8-T-241. Same chassis I suppose. Good luck getting it running.

I don't think I'm going to dive into this one for a while. I may wind up selling it; I don't know yet. I bought it because you never see anything like this down here and God forbid some Bohemian art type got their hands on it. I could just picture this in some anarchist barroom decorated with glitter paint and a Che Guevara decal...

I have no idea if it's been in New Orleans its whole life but our first station (WDSU-TV) signed on in 1948, so it's possible.

Quick question, hopefully not too far off topic... what is a good source for anode lead wire, boots, anode clips (might be tougher to find), etc?

Thanks

The 8T243 weighs 90 pounds. I know. I have one. These are generally good sets but they are not intercarrier sound, so be prepared to realign the sound to peak where the video does - it probably will not happen by itself.

Surplus Sales of Nebraska has a bunch of stuff: http://www.surplussales.com/Wire-Cable/HVWire-2.html

I've cut the anode cable off of modern flyback transformers that were defective.

I have one that looks as if it could be the one in that picture. It used to blow 5U4s in a second. I got sidetracked and other than replacing some power supply capacitors the set remains dormant and needing a home. I also have a TC-127 with this chassis and I was curious about any intercarrier sound issues. I restored that one for all practical purposes with all new caps except ceramic discs, replaced out of tolerance resistors, tubes, etc. I guess repaired is a better word than restored as I did not refinish the cabinet or polish the chassis with naval jelly.

At any rate, ever since I got done with the set the volume level has been VERY low. I get super reception and what volume there is does seem to fine tune in sync with the best picture, but can hardly be heard across the room. I have only had one chance to snoop around with an ohm meter, but I didn't find anything out of the ordinary. I guess I was hoping there are some trade sound secrets with these old RCAs.

Thanks :thmbsp:

I've got a chassis to this set rotting away in a barn right now. I've pulled some parts off of it, but there are still some bits there. If it should happen you need anything, let me know. I always try to keep a "630ish" chassis on hand as the parts are typically compatible with so many other sets of that era.

That's what the seller told me this set was doing.

And Leadlike, thanks for the offer. If I do get around to fooling with this one I'll keep that in mind.

Both of my early RCAs had power supply issues from the get go. I used to think that perhaps it was a weak spot in the engineering, but really its just the age and dormancy factor of such a set that has ruined the electrolytics in the power supply. That's why they like to blow 5U4s, or worse yet (as in the case of my TC-127) have a shorted power transformer from someone through the years plugging the old thing in too long with shorted and leaky caps. I actually located an NOS Merit replacement; not bad.

Do you happen to have a HV cage cover? On a long shot, I also need a back cover for my 8T-243. :thmbsp:

I don't know why these sets are so heavy. I had forgotten until I had to move mine. It was almost as heavy as the Zenith color console "roundie" that I just moved into my television (and other unwanted stuff) museum.:D We are truly a rare breed. Now I get to see the guys on the new show "American Pickers" walk right past old TVs and radios' to make a big deal out of some metal sign, oil can, or gas pump. :scratch2:

If all else fails, these guys make reproductions.

Thanks for the tip, but I'm afraid $109.99 for a HV cover is just a wee bit more than I can see shelling out for something that's not even NOS. I had no idea that there was any kind of a market for high dollar 60 year old TV parts!:scratch2: I am wondering who Amptech's clent base is!?!?! Paul McCartney? :music:

I heard that he is into old TVs. :smoke:

On the commercials promoting upcoming episodes there's a "slide" picturing the two men with assorted treasures behind them. To the left is a 50's Trans-Oceanic.

Given the places I've seen them go in, any T-O they pulled out probably wouldn't be worth the effort, given how many well preserved ones exist.

I know, it's just a montage...

I don't know; those guys hit almost every type place you could imagine. I think that they could find a decent Trans-O. Like you said, "many well preserved ones exist." They were discovered somewhere I guess. :scratch2: I used to buy radios all of the time when they were commonly found put out to pasture in a basement, garage, or a barn. Many would be in excellent condition after massive cleaning as long as they were stored dry and mice didn't do too much damage. I started off as a kid just buying old radios, dis-assembling them, cleaning chassis, cabinet, and knobs, checking tubes and putting them back to work. I need to thin that collection out like my TVs!:thmbsp: