My First Vintage TV-RCA 6-T-86 w/ 16GP4
 

Well hello again!

Got another one for ya. This time I'll need some help.

About two years ago there was a 6-T-86 on the local CL for about $200. My friend AmigaMan wanted to get it. So he talked with them for a while, but ended up deciding that he didn't have room for it. So I jumped at the chance to get it.

The night before we were going to go, I had a sale that didn't go through, and as such didn't have the funds (we had talked him down to $100). So I thought it was gone forever.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. I'm browsing CL and see a "1949 RCA Stereo Console TV". Of course interested, I click on it. There is the same unit! for $100 asking price! It had not been powered on by the owner, and he had had it for a couple years, the history is unknown before that.

I go back and forth a bit, convince my mother to let me put it in her living room, and make plans to bring it home. I emailed an offer for $100 for both the RCA and a Sony TC-500A tube stereo R2R. He countered with $125 for both, and I called it done.

Yesterday, AmigaMan and I took the old wagon down to get it. Well, I wasn't prepared for the huge hill that this guy had. It seemed like a 60 degree incline. pictures do not do it justice, but I scraped up my tailpipe trying to back up it (so we could load it in easier), but I couldn't get up the hill. So I went up forwards.

Here's a pic:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...V/IMG_0015.jpg

Well, we got the thing loaded without too much trouble (there were 4 of us getting it out of the basement/garage.

Here it is loaded in the Roadmaster:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...V/IMG_0016.jpg

But now I had to back down this driveway with this thing in the back of my wagon. On one side, I would go into a ravine, the other side of the driveway meant I would lose my tailpipe (which already scraped pretty bad going up). The owner of the house guided me, and it took about 5 minutes to back down the 160 foot driveway. Fortunately, no real damage done to the exhaust.

So we got home and pulled it out of the car.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...V/IMG_0018.jpg

Since I live on the second floor, we removed both record changers along with the bottom front doors to give us handholds and got it upstairs. That's how it sits now.

AmigaMan let me borrow his Sencore CR-168 CRT tester to see how the 16GP4 is doing. I fired it up last night, got heater, no shorts. But it gave me nothing on the emissions side. Disappointed, I went to sleep. A bit ago I went to try again and recheck my procedure. Still nothin.

Then, another friend of mine, mpatoray, suggested to run the tube at 7v heater and see what happens. Well, sho'nuff it started to come to life! In the past hour it's gone from nothing to the middle of the questionable scale! As I am writing this, it's still cooking and rising).
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...V/IMG_0038.jpg

That's as far as I have gotten so far, here's a pic of it all closed up, but it highlights the damage a bit much, the cabinet looks pretty nice in person. I'll get detailed photos with my DSLR later. All photos taken with my spiffy new iPhone 4S.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...V/IMG_0039.jpg

Later tonight I'll variac the audio side and see what happens. Both changers need work, but all tubes present and accounted for.

Here we go! Any tips appreciated.

Don't be afraid to run it at 8 volts for an hour and see if that wakes it up even more. I once hit a very dead tube with 12 volts for a full minute. Though that didn't bring it back, it didn't burn the heater out either.

I knew somebody who had one of those, but he never got the TV going, only the radio and turntables. Better luck with yours. :)

VERY nice set!! If I weren't filled up with crap already, I'd be on the lookout for one like that!!
Congratulations on a great find:yes:!

I had a 23" Magnavox entertainment center that had zero emissions at 6.3v. I increased the filament voltage to 7v, and it promptly burned out. I know this tube was probably on its last legs anyway... the previous owner told me that after the picture faded away to nothing, they still used the set for sound, as the little portable they bought that sat on top of the Maggie had a teeny speaker.

I thought I was the only one that had 2 sets... one for sound, and one for the picture.

I got lucky and a forum member had a tube he could spare... my Maggie lives on!

Kewl ! But...Beware ! These ol' TeeVees have an INSIDIOUS way of growin' on ya...You think you're OK, & one day when yr Mindin' Yr Own Beeswax, one'll catch yr eye from out of a dark corner...An' start Talkin' To You...Face it, Buster...You're HOOKED !!

I have the 6T84 version of that set. I have been learning all the problems these sets get, so, if you want to know, just ask me.
My tv is nearly finnished. Radio, and, 45 player work fine. Other changer needs a cartridge.
The tv's are alot of trouble, but, in my opinion, worth fixing.
I have also got the simailar tv only version, 6T74, and, it's nearly finnished.
That one was a disastor!
Bill Cahill

David,

She does look good, also remember the best part about working a set with a metal bell CRT, that bell has the FULL HV potential on it, it can and WILL bite HARD.

Start with the easy stuff, the radio/phono and expect both crystal carts to be dead. A little Howard's restore a finish should do good on the top/sides, just try some non pumice GoJo on the front as that looks like a photo finish now that I see it bigger.

Im gonna be the one to post the unwelcome truth here....

That crt is gone. Even if you put a brightener on it the image will still be dim and smeared.
I know that set is loaded with wax and mica paper caps that all have to be changed.

Personally, I wouldnt waste my time unless I found a crt that made it into the green at 6.3 volts. A good crt will be well into the green at 5 volts.

Maybe you can find something that will fit in there, the cabinet does look good.

Whack it with the rejuvinator a couple times, if it doesn't come back you can probably still get a dim picture out of it.

I can milk a REALLY good picture out of monochrome tubes that are at or above the lower third of the BAD scale on my CRT tester as long as the sun don't shine in the viewing room(a pitch dark room will make them look even better).
However color CRTs don't look good without healthy emission on my tester.

I'm going to restore the chassis and see what I get....not a whole lot else I can do.

I was going to variac the audio side tonight, but other things have intervened. Will put it all together and see what happens tomorrow.

Amazing what a little polish does:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...V/IMG_6250.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...V/IMG_6251.jpg

Hopefully THIS evening I can variac the audio side.

Dah-Yum...That looks GREAT !!

I wonder if RCA had a "record cabinet" that matched that, as there is storage space for 45's but non for 78's or LP's It is looking very nice.

That was intended as a hint. ;)