I think I'm crazy...
 

Thought I'd share an experience with you all...
I think my TV addiction has gone a little too far...
On Monday I was at a local resale store and saw a late 60s Zenith 19" B/W set. It was in very good condition, and since it was a zenith B/W set, it worked great. I decided to think about it for a while, rather that shell out $8 for it on the spot.

So today I was in the neighborhood of the store, and decided to see if the set was still there. Of corse it was, I'm probably the only one who goes in there who would buy a Black and White TV :eek: with NO remote :screwy:

Now a smart person would walk back and get the car, but not me. I decided to walk back about a mile to my house, carrying a 40 pound TV.
Is this normal?
Let me say that it is not fun... good thing it wasn't a color set;)
I got some funny looks from people and heard one person say "hey look at the old TV"
I got home OK, but my perspective was changed on Zenith using steel chassis.
I know some of you wouldn't go to so much trouble to save an "average" black and white set from the late 60s, but I couldn't stand to see that well built American made set go to the dumpster.
I will post some pictures soon, so you can tell me if it was worth the trouble.
Someday I will find an old console there, and hopefully will have gotten a little smarter by then.

Max,
Congrats on your find! All that matters is that you got a good deal and are happy with your purchase. A working tv of any kind for $8 is a good deal. If it was me i would have snatched it and i have came across deals like this in the past and done so too so your not alone bud. They make good spares if you have one of your other sets down for restoration or you want to keep the hours low on your more desirable sets and you are still getting to watch a vintage tv. Looking forward to seeing the pics!
-Tony

Next time, bring yr car. Do you have a pickup? No? Buy one. Some TVs are too big to fit in a car. Better yet, get a big-ass SUV like a Suburban or a mighty Excursion, so you can easily haul the biggest console. Carry some wasp-nest spray so you can take care of waspers when you make a barn-find. Get 4WD on the SUV so you can get to the barn. Face it, buster, you're sunk. You're an old-TV aholic. -Sandy G.

I know some of you wouldn't go to so much trouble to save an "average" black and white set from the late 60s, but I couldn't stand to see that well built American made set go to the dumpster.

Are you kidding? I hate 90% of what's on broadcast TV anyways, but I'm always trying to justify/save old TVs!

"Hey grandpa, wouldn't this old Zenith be great for your screen-porch? It still works good, and it's so old, nobody will want to steal it."

---------------------------------------------

Real Tvs were built in Chicago

I have a Zenith B&W TV from the mid sixties. Works well except I can't quite get the vertical circuits right. Can someone email me a diagram of the typical circuits they used back then? One of the parts in my set is one of those 3 legged disc ceramic cap looking things Zenith liked to use. DOn't know what's
supposed to be inside that. TIA

max, great find! Look forward to seeing the pics. I too just found a 1969 zenith portable b/w set this weekend at salvation army in Oak Park for $10. Works great too. Also found a 1967 silvertone b/w portable at the goodwill in Berwyn for $5! Im starting to see more old sets in resale shops around here again!

waise,

what kind of vertical trouble does the set have? Let me know the model and chassis and I'll get you a schematic of the vert. circuit. Ive worked on many zenith b/w sets with vertical trouble so I can probably tell you what part to look at right off the bat. just a note: Ive never had to change a 3 legged cap in a zenith b/w. They seem to hold up.

I took a look at the chassis today, nice healthy coating of dust that nicely cleaned off.
I don't have the chasis number right now, but it is almost the exact same chassis as one in another set I have that's a little older - 1968. I can't find a date on this one, but from the date codes on the tubes, i'd say it's from 1971.
All original Zenith tubes except for one, but of corse, 9 of the tubes are bad - 7 shorted and 2 weak.
There is a suspicious looking ceramic under the chassis that is cracked and leaking wax, I will look into it to find the value.

Doug...
It seems around her that the amount of old sets in resale stores has dropped down, right about when I started collecting TVs.:mad:
Some of the sets I passed up, just to get it off my chest:
2 Zenith 4 Tube Hybrid color sets, in the same store at the same time!
Zenith Metal Cabinet B/W portable from the 60s, would have bought it, but was $20, and in bad shape.
Zenith 12" color tube portable. (really angry about this one)
Admiral late 60s portable
RCA early 70s B/W Tube portable
JVC Videosphere - beat up, but only $20.
That's all I can think of right now...

Here the photos...

Front of the set:

http://homepage.mac.com/brameika/zenithfront.jpg

The chassis "before" shot (stay tuned for the "After")

http://homepage.mac.com/brameika/zen...ssisbefore.jpg

Re: I think I'm crazy...
 

Why, yes. Yes, you are.;)

Very heavy sets indeed. I have a 19 inch chroma color II "mid 70s"
that will just about break your back to get it across the room.

"Why, yes. Yes, you are."

Enjoy your new toy !

Speaking for myself, you guys are a bad influence for me! I had pretty much broke my habit of owning 70s tv sets, but since discovering AK I've been starting to feel the old itch. But, man, tube color sets just aren't out there like they were in the early 90s, when I filled a building with them. I'm not sure I can remember the last one I saw for sale. I happened across a Portacolor in Ohio in May but it wasn't for sale (though I bet I could've got it if I really wanted to) In a recent search of all the local thrift stores/used furniture stores, etc., the best I could do were some late 70s solid state sets (GE, Sylvania & imports). Then yesterday I was at the flea market when I spotted a vendor with a pile of tv's, and at the bottom was a CTC 36. 5 bucks. So I carried it to the truck (only about 1/4 mile!) and now its home. Works quite well, has some minor vertical problems but should be an easy fix. I had one of these back in 90-91 and let it go. Why do these sets remind me of the Odd Couple??? Anyway, I hope I don't let myself build up a big stock of these kinda things again.

At least many of those sets had an outside control to
adjust the vertical. On many of the new sets your lucky
to get an adjustment on the circuit board if any at all

Those portables are good sets...have seen a lot fewer problems on CTC-22, 36, 52, 53 than on the console sets. They were usually used in the bedroom, kitchen, etc. so the CRTs usually always are good.