First, the Sylvania's days are numbered. Nobody seems to want it, I can't see putting any more time into it. Might just part it out this weekend
I continue to go on these wild goose chases, thanks to craigslist and freecycle. In recent weeks I had some promising prospects. First, a somewhat scatter-brained young woman advertised a couple free tv sets that had belonged to her grandmother. Because I was going to be near her house over the Easter weekend, I went for it. The fact that she didn't seem to know where she lived, and didn't have numbers on her house, did not help much. Lots of driving around netted a couple sets that I wouldn't otherwise have walked across the street for: an early 80s RCA console, dirty single-knob tuner, no color, weak crt. Cheap cabinet. The chassis got saved, the rest is now gone. The other set was an 86 Magnavox 19 incher. Clean and worked fine. At least these I can still find a home for, provided I give them away. It now resides with a family who lost everything in a fire. One of the reasons I drag this kind of stuff home.
This past week I went chasing after some sets a woman on freecycle contacted me about. She said that there were 2 stashed in her garage, and they had been there for some time. Also, if I wanted, there was a newer console I could have. So, I go out of my way to get there on time, and the first thing is to load up what I hope will be the least desirable of the trio, the console. Turns out to be a '90 Zenith 27 incher, one of those upright sets with a built-in stand. Very heavy and swivel base, so real fun to wrestle out to the truck. She then points around the corner to a set in the garage-okay, Bryan, don't be a choosy beggar-turns out to be a 10 year old 19" Sanyo. Darn. Well, there is still hope! About that third set? Oh, that. She remembered that some time back she had tossed it out! Said it was real heavy, too, and it was all she could do to drag it to the dumpster. Of course, it could have been anything, and probably not the holy grail, but still...
The first sunny day this week (today) I put the Zenith on the curb and it was gone by the time I got home. I should have the Sanyo gone very soon.
The funny thing is that every time I go all over heck and creation looking for sets, one shows up right under my nose. No exception this week. Today an elderly gentleman who I have known for years stopped by my office, asking if I still fool with old radios. He had once given me a set (late 60s Silvertone (Arvin) table model transistor) and now he had found another, a 60s Admiral AM-FM tube type, wood cabinet, made in Japan. Anywhere else I wouldn't have given a dollar for it but since it was him I paid $10. This prompted him to ask if I would be interested in the console radio/phono he had. Well, you gotta look, right? See, he is a widower who recently remarried. Cleaning out lots of stuff in the "spare" house. The radio turned out to be the stereotypical (pun sorta intended) hi-fi stereo, smallish tube-type Olympic. Pretty cheaply built, but works just fine. You almost have to pay me to take these things. But, again, this is a friend of mine, a nice fellow who took the time to think of me, and he got $35 for his hi-fi. But...he did throw something in to sweeten the deal. A TV, and while it still qualifies for the solid state thread here, it is the oldest TV I've drug home in a recent months. A Magnavox 19" "suitcase" portable, BW, 100% solid state. This must be pretty late, just before Philips took over-American made, click-stop UHF tuner. I had to try it; powered up with several problems, and before I could start adjusting smoke started drifting out. An electrolytic let loose, I suppose. Should be easy to fix up. Not exciting, but further proof that old TV sets can find you, if you let them!