Guess what's still being produced in China?
 

I was browsing alibaba.com for some reason, and I came across this. This looks like a set designed in the late 70's-early 80's at newest. My question is, where would there still be a market for a set like this?

Maybe for some grade-z chain store, for little money...

Depends how cheaply they can make it for all those underpaid poor factory workers who are producing all the good stuff we buy over here .....

I wonder how cheap you can buy these in quantity? I wonder what they cost to produce? I'd suspect that picture tube costs less to make than a compact flourescent light bulb. In the early 80s these things were $89, then you'd see them for $79, $69. I was amazed when they hit $59, stunned when I saw one advertised for $49. I think the last new ones I saw were in the $39 range, probably back before Ames went under. They had a little ac/dc portable (5"?) that would reguarly go on sale for $15. I still find it amazing that a complete, working tv set can be made for that money.

I've seen 5" AM/FM combo sets go for $10... I bought one, it DID display pictures, the radio DID receive stations, but it wasn't exactly what I'd call a primo set, by any means...

I would think it would be much cheaper to make a set with electronic tuning rather than all the mechanical components of the VHF/UHF manual switch/turret type tuners.
The last knob-tuning 13" B/W sets I saw in a store used a varactor tuner controlled by a thumbwheel pot under the screen, and a switch for VHF low/VHF high/UHF...much like the 5" sets.

The set here in question may be a new old stock set from the 80's or early 90's or maybe is just made up of NOS parts that were sitting around.

Here is the link to the tv:
http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/45401/Television.html

Here is another old-fashioned looking TV
http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11594...te_B_W_Tv.html

What is the law about U.S. TV's requiring digital tuners? Only those made after a certain date?

Well, they may be working off NOS parts. That area of the world when political turmoil was the norm used to produce way way way more than they needed as a subsidy to keep the people employed. They might have warehoused stockpiles of old parts, and now some nuevo-entrepreneur is putting people to work assembling old stock. The 50's-era Soviets were big at this also, and they used to keep factories running producing obsolete stuff just to keep the people working. And therefore happy. And therefore quiet.

As our NTSC over the air broadcasts will go dark in a year or so, these portable TVs will be useless for normal use. Anyone going to use a set top box converter with these sets?

I wonder if we could get one of these factories to start producing discontinued CRTs? New Predicta tubes maybe? You'd have to think that the whole b&w CRT production process has been perfected to a point now that they could be made cheaply.

Probably, but to what end? Is the niche market so small as to warrant any investment?

'Twould be nice if they'd run off a few hundred 15GP22s, too...<sigh> If they could be persuaded to run off a thousand 7JP4s, I'd bet they could sell 'em.

The chinese being as good as they are at copying things,It would be neat to see if they could pull off a line of replica ct-100's.

Wait for it. I looked at a Rado Ceramica watch that was identical to one that I own, down to the sapphire crystal and ceramic band and all Rado logos and Swiss made on the dial. For sale at $160.00, A Real Swiss made model is about $1350.00. That said to make a replica of a 50 year old RCA would be neat!

That TV is not limited to NTSC or the US market. It runs on 110/220/12 and the receiving system is to buyer's request. It is not likely intended for the US market. The minimum quantity is probably a shipping container. It would be useful in developing countries and high risk neighborhoods.

A visitor that flew out here (australia) for business recently told me that they sold one of his companies products into China but sales then dried up. They went to china on a sales expo or something and saw copies of their product at the expo........ complete with one bracket that the Germans had incorrectly installed in reverse on the one they sold originally, but had been replicated exactly by the chinese......... in reverse on all the copies.