Found An Old Friend
 

As a kid growing up, I often hung around my Dad's workbench as he worked on televisions, radios and an occasional piece of audio equipment. I remember a small 7" mahogany Motorola TV. Turns out, that was a VT-71. I also remember an RCA table model set that was a monster, weighing almost 100 pounds and having a 10" screen. Turns out that was an RCA 630TS. I have no idea where they went over the years. Most likely place was the landfill.

I got a mahogany Motorola VT-71, restored it and it works great. In the meantime, I got three more mahogany VT-71 sets and a very nice blonde mahogany VT-71. One of the unrestored mahogany sets has channel 1.

Yesterday, I got a very nice 630TS that is in very good cosmetic condition. The finish is salvageable without a refinish. I am uncertain about the CRT but for what I paid, $35, I was not even going to allow it to pass me by. It has channel 1, it has the back, It has the safety glass front glass. But I took off the glass and wrapped it up because I have to move the set to Florida and don't want the glass to break.

Also, I got several 7" sets, two are Emerson 600 models and both CRTs have been marked good emission, another 7" Silvertone with CRT and two more chassis for parts.

I am really chuffed to have the RCA and I love the 7" sets as well.

Only things missing on the RCA 630TS are the bottom metal cover and the left lower glass retaining clamp. The top and right are there. I have stored them for safe keeping. I can also see that the channel selector knob has been glued. Not bad, but repaired.

http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...psfxmr9sgn.jpg

I need to hang out w/you for awhile... You MUST be a "TV Magnet" or something... (grin)

Really good catch for $35! I was tempted by a Crosley 630-clone recently for $50, not in as nice a shape as yours. If you haven't already, pull the crt out before you move. They aren't mounted very well at the front and I don't trust them to be transported all together.

Wow only 35??

Very nice buddy!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the kind words. When I saw the set on the table, I was wondering if it was for our "Show And Tell". I am spending most of my time in Florida and just happened to be in town when we had our meeting.

I was prepared to pay $200 for it because it is so complete and the cabinet is in very good shape. My high bid was $30 and won the auction. The auctioneer, Brian said that it had a $35 reserve, would I be willing to pay that? No brainer to me! It will not need to be refinished. I do not have a CRT tester here but in FL I have two of them.

Now, I have to take it to Florida (from MD).

I will start a thread on the restoration when I get a chance to work on it. Maybe this winter ... I hope.

Great catch!
Everyone should have a 630TS. These were the tank-sets what started it all.
I keep getting close and have two 8T241 sets, which must have been more popular around here.

I think my father had one back in the late 50's. No cabinet. He was an electronics hobbyist like many of us here today.

Later around 1960 he got what I think was a Magnavox console TV chassis with a 21 or so inch CRT, but no audio amp. Replaced around 1972 with some random B&W someone tossed. Had that until my brother got our parents a Heathkit color TV from a friend of his around 1975.

But they are perhaps the ugliest sets with that chassis....The damn things weigh so much I can only justify having 1-2 of that family, if I had to have one it would be an 8TS30. The 8TS30s are my favorite 10" RCA cabinet, and if you ever own a 621 the 8TS30 will look stylistically more at home next to it.

According to the RCA installation manual this thing weighs 98 pounds! I strapped it to a hand truck to get it into the house.

I've had a 9T246, and have an 8T2--. I can carry them just fine, but it seems that my legs always develop some problem during or shortly after handling those beasts....

Tom, I am 67 and still rather healthy. I am very careful to NOT bend over to pick up things. 98 pounds is a lot if one is bending over and trying to grasp that big set. It is huge and heavy.

I bought his 9T246 ... I had to take it apart to get it out of the
car and up to my bench. Its only been together sitting on its final
stand.

I'm just over 1/3 of your age....I've had enough knee problems that I routinely scare folks by lifting with my back..

Glad that you are able to do that. I just wish I could grab things and move them the way I used to do. I guess it is the price of aging. I have no complaints however and marvel at how docile some people are, especially grabbing heavy items and ... well ... they just get the job done. I know so many of my friends who have back problems and I sense that it could happen easily. Truth be known, I hate the loss of agility.

Viva la youth!