what IS this Zenith?!
 

Does anyone know anything about this odd Zenith? At a glance, it looks like a B&W set but upon further inspection it looks like a color set! I know I got that picture from somewhere on the forum, but I cant remember where or I would just PM whoever had it and the search box yields no results.
By the way, I am talking about the small portable on top of the console.

https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/...b6&oe=54F65ADC

Isn't that the first 14" color portable, Zenith made? 15Y6***. Don't remember the rest of the number! They were equipped with an RCA 15" CRT.
Nice set, heavy and slightly overbuilt. :scratch2:

Yup 14" Zenith apx 1968. First "portable ?" Zenith color.
Also came in a nicer woodgrain cab with spotlite dials &
IIRC AFT. Weighed a TON. Best used in dark room they
were not very bright.
A nice catch.

73 Zeno:smoke:

I remember having one of those back in the early 80's, got it at a yard sale and it worked.
Got rid of it after I found out someone had peed in it and corroded a bunch of stuff, plus it stunk.

I'm gonna need to find one of these now! :p
I REALLY REALLY like these tube portables from the late 60s!

Yup, the first Zenith color portable with the 15Y6C15 chassis, model Z3504-1. The one with the woodgrain cabinet, spotlite dials and AFT would be the model Z3508-1.

Does anyone on here have a picture of the inside of this set? I'm curious what the chassis looks like! Were these sets good performers and did they have allot of problems breaking down? How un-common are these sets?

...

Not till a few years later...THEN they had HOT 14" color sets..like the 12A10C15--which LOOKED like it was cold--but only had a FILAMENT tranny, IIRC .After that--they went to a series string hot set...like the 14DC16 or such.

After that..came the "Crown jewel " of 13 inch color sets--the SS 13GC10 line. I have NEVER seen a 13" solid state color set made quite like them !!

I recall working on one of those 14" Zenith color portable sets, about 35 yrs ago, well built, and seems like it's almost as heavy as a small console! :-) All metal cabinet, and even though I worked for an authorized RCA and Zenith Dealer, I never saw more than two of these little Zenith color portable sets. Much more common, even as bedroom or family room sets back then, as far as older Zenith tube color sets goes, I saw many more of the 19" metal cabinet Zenith color sets, back then. One of these heavy little 14" Zenith color sets would really be fun to have now!

Its pretty much like a console chassis just squished down. They
seemed to be a little more tube hungry probably due to more heat.
But thats hard to tell, we wernt doing them all day like the bigger
sets. Not a common set, they were expensive prob $300-$350 when
gas was 33 cents. A nice addition to any Zenith collection being a
first.

73 Zeno:smoke:

Andy, is there any way that you would be willing to post a photo of the chassis? I am very curious what it looks like :) These late 60s portable tube/hybrid sets seems to have struck a chord with me!

I have one--the "other one" with the different knob layout.

Right now--it is in the shed behind my house..buried in there. I TRIED to get it out this summer...but a BIG nest of bumblebees or wasps was not far from it, and there was NO way--to get to it, without tackling that. Soon..that will not be an issue--they should be out o there or dead...I HOPE.

I plan to get it out of there--and check it out. It NEVER should have gone in there in the first place !! It DID sort of work--the last time I tried it, after I got it, in about now of 1997.

I hope and PRAY...it is still in useable condition.

Picture a 16Z8C19 or so chassis, Somewhat smaller though. I think with solid state IF. Smaller HV cage, not sure if it used an HV regulator or not. I KNOW it had a BIG power trans.

Mostly tubes, a lot dual purpose or compactrons. Think the tuner is tubes.

Like this?
http://mail.videokarma.org/attachmen...1&d=1316307451

That was probably a male dog, lifting his leg on it. The owner had it sitting on the floor.

...

Wow, that IS a nice set! Andy, If you ever wanna sell yours just send me a PM, I don't think I live too far from you. I live in between Georgetown and Andice, but I frequent north Austin several times a week...

Hey! That's my TV! :)

Yes, it is a color Zenith. It works but has some registration issues I'll eventually fix. It's a HEAVY set, and yes, transformer. It's got a lot in a tiny spot but well laid out. The set it's on is a bigger brother 25LC20 chassis. I recently got a new 21FBP22 for it and am getting it running (winter project). Might replace my Bendix as a TV in the exercise/computer room...

That little guy has that 'soft focus' 15 inch tube with the blue gun down.

When you get it fixed make sure that you post some pictures!

'68 Zenith Portables
 

Here are the two different 14" portables for '68. The Z3508 on the left was the "step up" from the base model on the right, the Z3504. The 3508 had back lit channel indicators and a more decorative wood grain vinyl clad metal cabinet. The 3504 had plain channel knobs and was available in either plain charcoal or gold colored vinyl clad metal cabinets. Both use the 15Y6C15 chassis which was the very first portable color chassis introduced by Zenith. As previously mentioned, there were NO production shortcuts on these. They still had the flip open control door beneath the CRT like their other sets and a hand wired chassis. Note the inverted CRT where the blue gun is on the bottom. The CRT is designed to run on 21.5 KV. The picture is decent on these, but consider it's the first generation portable color set here. They are real tanks. When you pick one up, it's like a lead block! These metal cabinet portables were only available in 1968. For 1969, Zenith introduced the 12A10C15 chassis for the 14" portables. This was the start of the plastic cabinets with large one piece plastic back cover. They were also great sets, but everyone loves a solid metal cabinet :D

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...psa6ba4ff3.jpg

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...ps24f881c1.jpg

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...psa5813515.jpg

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1caccf3f.jpg

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...ps65cc7ef2.jpg

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8ffd91d3.jpg

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...ps399699ff.jpg

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6befe402.jpg

http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/...ps60553537.jpg

Goodness, those sets must be real beasts! An I the only one that thinks the base model looks better than the other model? :D

I have a new goal in life... I must find one of these Zeniths!

Me too!
I am starting to get really into these early tube and hybrid color sets for some reason. ..

I knew of this model before this thread, and have been hoping that being in a region where Zenith TVs are common that I would stumble upon one of theses sets...So far no luck.

Nope! I was thinking the same thing... have seen enough phony woodgrain to last several lifetimes... the painted metal cabinet just seems more "honest" to me. Nice solid sets either way,

jr

The one in the Zenith Picture--with the woodgrain--is the one I have.

I am going to dig it out of the shed VERY soon....and see if it is still in decent condition. Like I sai8d--in 97 or so...it DID give a raster and picture, color. It MIGHT have a cataract--can't remember.

"Handcrafted chassis and full power transformer...for unrivaled dependability"''yes it is...AND..unrivaled WEIGHT_-for such a small tv !!

Doug...a couple of questions :

1_-did these use a regulator tube for HV--or a VDR feedback type of control--like the 4-tube Zenith sets do?

2--does the VHF tubes have tubes--or is it SS?

I wonder if Space Command was an option for these sets.

No
I dont think even the latter plastic cab 14" had it. You could get
it on the 16".
When they went solid state ch# 13GC10 you could get it.
Thats another great set, I bought the first one to come through the
doors. Also built like a tank, power transformer ( bigger ! ) and
all. Just a shrunk down console with a few different boards for the in-line
jug. Pix was great, bright but didnt have the harshness of most
latter sets, a very smooth pix.

73 Zeno:smoke: