1962 RCA B&W Portable

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by TUD1

My line voltage was actually 118 on the dot. I checked. If I run the window A/C or the space heater, it gets down to 105. I don't think I have this set's horizontal output tube in my tube box, but I'll check.

The point I was making is that if that history classroom has lower line voltage you get less sweep width/height, and if it has more you get more.

You can see this effect in action if a large appliance on the same circuit like a fridge or central A/C kicks on or off while you are watching the set...You will actually see the image grow or shrink and brightness change in step with it.

There is an industrial park roughly a mile away from me and I presume they have a device that can dip the grid a few volts and back a couple time a second continuously (since a while back that was a regular occurrence)...Once is interesting, but continuously can become annoying real quick.

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by TUD1

No. I'll take it apart tomorrow and see if I have that horizontal output tube. I know I don't have the HV rectifier - I already checked because it has a loose base.

If the gap is on one side but not the other, the pic
Could be off centre. Try an Indian head test pattern from a DVD and RF modulator and the cross hairs should be in the middle of the screen, if not you just have to centre it. The flat metal rings just behind the deflection yoke are how you do it. Rotate them using the tabs, until the picture is centred vertically and horizontally. I end up using a ruler to get this dead on usually, I never am happy when I do it by eye. Make sure linearity is perfect first though or you will be doing it again.
High line voltage could cause excessive width which would mask the problem of an off centre picture by filling the whole screen. This is a nice set, at this point I am restricting future collecting to only RCA made equipment... Not saying other stuff is bad but gotta have some focus to keep quantity from getting out of hand! Quiz for original poster, are you aware why your set is called a new vista?

Electronic M that is horrible! Friend of mine has same problem and resorted to powering critical loads through a toshiba commercial grade UPS. Talk about a brute force solution but works better than moving for the sake of clean power!

[TUD1]

Yes, I am aware of the Nuvistor on this TV and my CTC-25.

[Adam]

There's a coil you can adjust for horiz width on this set, it's on the chassis right above where the yoke plugs in.

[old_coot88]

Originally Posted by maxhifi

If the gap is on one side but not the other, the pic
Could be off centre. Try an Indian head test pattern from a DVD and RF modulator and the cross hairs should be in the middle of the screen, if not you just have to centre it.

That's assuming the linearity is perfect, which it usually isn't. Center it without a test pattern first.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by TUD1

That's a pretty neat little set, Adam. Somebody must have been an awful cheapskate back in the day to have bought my set. B&W, VHF only, no remote!

I've worked on a few of those sets. I never saw one with remote, but all had UHF. They all had the window for channel indicator.
The original owners, probably didn't have UHF channels, as a UHF tuner was an extra price option. It still was a base model, but good performer.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by maxhifi

Electronic M that is horrible! Friend of mine has same problem and resorted to powering critical loads through a toshiba commercial grade UPS. Talk about a brute force solution but works better than moving for the sake of clean power!

Within several months of that I got 3 VRT (Voltage Regulating Transformer) isolating transformers that I power my daily watchers through. They do a good job of killing those spikes and holding input voltage to the sets steady. It's been a while since those spikes were last noticed (I presume the utility got on them), but those VRTs are still useful in compensating for line sag when 4 or so sets are on simultaneously.

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Within several months of that I got 3 VRT (Voltage Regulating Transformer) isolating transformers that I power my daily watchers through. They do a good job of killing those spikes and holding input voltage to the sets steady. It's been a while since those spikes were last noticed (I presume the utility got on them), but those VRTs are still useful in compensating for line sag when 4 or so sets are on simultaneously.

Do those voltage regulating transformers make any harmonics? I've never owned one, would be curious how the output waveform looks under various loads.

[Bill R]

Before you make a lot of adjustments, check the B+ voltage. It could be low and cause that problem. Main filter cap or something in the power supply could be just showing as a problem. You may be able to compensate with adjustments, but the problem will still be there and it will bite you at the worst time.

[OvenMaster]

Originally Posted by Adam

The window on top is for the channel number and the circular hole below it is for the remote sensor. Here's a pic of my remote set which shows both.

Well, I'll be eternally damned. I stand corrected!

[Marco-nix]

Originally Posted by TUD1

I finally got a chance to plug in this little set. I had to afro-engineer a balun since I didn't have to right one, but it worked. I used Invisible Glass (great stuff, way better than Windex) on the CRT lens, and it shined up very nicely. This set has a very crisp, sharp picture.

Well, you have a nice clear image on it.. I would like to have one like yours, they become rare....All what we have here where i live, are new old CRT lol

[wkand]

Originally Posted by TUD1

Well, I've been bragging on this set for being in such good shape, but now it's having a problem. The horizontal deflection is insufficient on the right side. Weak tube? Drifting cap? I'd like to get this straightened out before May 17th, as I am taking this set to my history class in school so those 21st century kids can see what a real TV is.

Nice!!! Is this high school or college?

[TUD1]

High skool. I'm 17.

[zeno]

Easy thing to try is the hoz hold control. It can
shift the pix just a little & off center it a little on many sets.
Also watch for resistors in the osc. going up a little,
common on some newer RCA's.

73 Zeno

[TUD1]

First, I'm going to try adjusting the width control.