First all-transistor color tv set
 

Hello,

I am looking for the first all-transistor color tv set in 1968. I have found two sets, the Motorola TS-918 and the RCA TransVista with CTC-40 chassis. Do you have some more informations, which of these sets was the first, and when did it appear on the market?

Kind regards,
Eckhard

I think the Motorola was first. Came out in '67, IIRC.

Ad from November 1967...

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4...la_11_1967.jpg

I have a CTC40 that my parents bought in mid-year 1970. The CTC40 might have come onto the market as early as late 1969. But, Motorola was considerably earlier with their all transistor product. (The CTC40 wasn't a truly all transistor model since it still used a vacuum tube HV rectifier.)

The early Motorola SS sets also used a tube HV rectifier. I had an early RCA CTC40 that still had "RCA Victor" instead of the block "RCA" logo on the front panel. Actually, the layout looked just like a CTC38 tube set. I think RCA went to the block logo in early '69. At any rate, the Motorola was the first SS US color set.

I don't have the exact date it was released in 1967 but I believe the world's first all transistor set was the Thorn 2000 series. This was marketed in the UK in a variety of models (Ferguson, Ultra, Marconiphone). The EHT rectifier was a solid state tripler which was driven from a its own separate flyback system.

Hello,

thank you all for your replies and the fabulous ad.

Kind regards,
Eckhard

Agreed on the Motorola being first. The RCA CTC-40 also had a rectifier tube, but the CTC-44 was 100% Solid State. One question remains: It's my understanding that the New Vista line was called such because it used the Nuvistor as the RF amp. That's a vacuum tube indeed, but is in a metal case. Did the CTC-40, which I've seen with the New Vista Color name, use the Nuvistor? The CTC-47 (G-2000) was a 1968 model, and used an all-electronic tuner with no Nuvistor. I can't remember now if that set said New Vista or not. I have the manual on it; just too lazy on a Sunday morning to dig it out.

Charles

...

The CTC40 used the newly available high frequency "dual gate MOSFET" in the front end of the tuner. These were supposed to provide RF amplification at a very low noise figure through the Channel 13 frequency requirement and should have produced much better reception in fringe areas with less "snow" (UHF tuners were mixer units feeding into the VHF). I'm not certain that the improvement (if any) was that evident to the viewer- at least not to me.

RCA adopted the term 'Trans Vista' for the 44. 'New Vista' was used for the 40. It's on the bezel.
Kevin

The old CTC40 that I had said "new vista color solid state" on the front panel.

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Interesting, radiotvnut.That 40 you had might have been a later production set. Mine says New Vista; it's a 40-A chassis, not that it would make a difference. Maybe they were using a different bezel on the early sets. Anyone else notice this discrepancy?
Kevin

It seems to me that the 40s with the conventional control panel were "New Vista Color Solid State", and the ones with the tilt-out panel were the "Trans Vista". Now I'm having a brain-fart, as I can't remember what wording the CTC-47 used... It came out in December 1968; '69 model year, making it earlier than either the 40 or 44, if I'm not mistaken? The 47 has the new RCA logo on the front, but has RCA Victor and the Nipper logo on the back. I'm 73.8% sure it said Trans Vista Color.

Charles