what IS this Zenith?!
 

Does anyone know anything about this odd Zenith? At a glance, it looks like a B&W set but upon further inspection it looks like a color set! I know I got that picture from somewhere on the forum, but I cant remember where or I would just PM whoever had it and the search box yields no results.
By the way, I am talking about the small portable on top of the console.

https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/...b6&oe=54F65ADC

Isn't that the first 14" color portable, Zenith made? 15Y6***. Don't remember the rest of the number! They were equipped with an RCA 15" CRT.
Nice set, heavy and slightly overbuilt. :scratch2:

Yup 14" Zenith apx 1968. First "portable ?" Zenith color.
Also came in a nicer woodgrain cab with spotlite dials &
IIRC AFT. Weighed a TON. Best used in dark room they
were not very bright.
A nice catch.

73 Zeno:smoke:

I remember having one of those back in the early 80's, got it at a yard sale and it worked.
Got rid of it after I found out someone had peed in it and corroded a bunch of stuff, plus it stunk.

I'm gonna need to find one of these now! :p
I REALLY REALLY like these tube portables from the late 60s!

Yup, the first Zenith color portable with the 15Y6C15 chassis, model Z3504-1. The one with the woodgrain cabinet, spotlite dials and AFT would be the model Z3508-1.

Does anyone on here have a picture of the inside of this set? I'm curious what the chassis looks like! Were these sets good performers and did they have allot of problems breaking down? How un-common are these sets?

...

Not till a few years later...THEN they had HOT 14" color sets..like the 12A10C15--which LOOKED like it was cold--but only had a FILAMENT tranny, IIRC .After that--they went to a series string hot set...like the 14DC16 or such.

After that..came the "Crown jewel " of 13 inch color sets--the SS 13GC10 line. I have NEVER seen a 13" solid state color set made quite like them !!

I recall working on one of those 14" Zenith color portable sets, about 35 yrs ago, well built, and seems like it's almost as heavy as a small console! :-) All metal cabinet, and even though I worked for an authorized RCA and Zenith Dealer, I never saw more than two of these little Zenith color portable sets. Much more common, even as bedroom or family room sets back then, as far as older Zenith tube color sets goes, I saw many more of the 19" metal cabinet Zenith color sets, back then. One of these heavy little 14" Zenith color sets would really be fun to have now!

Its pretty much like a console chassis just squished down. They
seemed to be a little more tube hungry probably due to more heat.
But thats hard to tell, we wernt doing them all day like the bigger
sets. Not a common set, they were expensive prob $300-$350 when
gas was 33 cents. A nice addition to any Zenith collection being a
first.

73 Zeno:smoke:

Andy, is there any way that you would be willing to post a photo of the chassis? I am very curious what it looks like :) These late 60s portable tube/hybrid sets seems to have struck a chord with me!

I have one--the "other one" with the different knob layout.

Right now--it is in the shed behind my house..buried in there. I TRIED to get it out this summer...but a BIG nest of bumblebees or wasps was not far from it, and there was NO way--to get to it, without tackling that. Soon..that will not be an issue--they should be out o there or dead...I HOPE.

I plan to get it out of there--and check it out. It NEVER should have gone in there in the first place !! It DID sort of work--the last time I tried it, after I got it, in about now of 1997.

I hope and PRAY...it is still in useable condition.

Picture a 16Z8C19 or so chassis, Somewhat smaller though. I think with solid state IF. Smaller HV cage, not sure if it used an HV regulator or not. I KNOW it had a BIG power trans.

Mostly tubes, a lot dual purpose or compactrons. Think the tuner is tubes.

Like this?
http://mail.videokarma.org/attachmen...1&d=1316307451