Color bar dot crosshatch generator value and use
 

Last weekend I found an RCA W-64A Color Bar Dot Crosshatch Generator in an antique mall. I am beginning to accumulate a decent collection of vintage test equipment as much of it is of way better quality than anything that I might find new, or newer. Some things are not made at all anymore as I presume this would not be, nor would something like my beloved Hickok Model 209A Vacuum Tube Volt Ohm Milliammeter. Same goes with old tube testers with mutual conductance capabilities which seems to be a lost art which is largely disregarded in the tube community.

I wish I had thought to bring up the term mhos in electronics classes in college to further baffle the ever so smart semiconductor/digital crowd who always have the same puzzled look on their face if you present them with a tube type device. Some find it interesting at least. Others (like my boss) rib me about my archaic equipment. I don't dare tell him that his miraculous Programmable Logic Controllers and related field devices looking for and/or sending 1s and 0s is about as dumb ed down as electronics can possibly be. To his credit though, it's where the money is at! If I want him to leave the room I can always ask him a question about thermionic emission! LOL! Sorry, I think that real electronics is becoming a lost art.

Didn't meant to get on a soap box, but I am wondering if I should pick up this RCA device for a song. One problem is that I only have one tube type Zenith 5111 color television and my interests are primarily in earlier black and white sets, so I don't see using this thing much or at all. But if it is highly sought after, then perhaps I should pick it up for someone here. The device is in great shape and powers up although I probably should not have done that given its age. After all, what did I see but a pilot light and could have smoked it, but I didn't power it very long at all....

I have a color bar generator I'd like to sell. PM me if you are interested.

They can be used to set the deflection linearity controls of monochrome TVs too.

There are modern equivalents available. I either use a 70's Heathkit or a test pattern DVD to adjust my sets. I never was fond of the color pattern of my heathkit so I only use it's monochrome patterns.

OK, I guess it's not worth worrying about. I just didn't want it to sit gathering dust if it were something great that someone here would see as treasure. The thing definitely has that high quality, vintage look that I love about a lot of the 50s-60s test equipment.