Porta-Color!

[colortrakker]

Couldn't resist telling you about this nice-looking Porta-Color I spotted on the 'Bay. One owner, limited use, and a starting bid of $15. It's on the way to Atlantic City. Bryan? Wanna go for triplets? Same model as your two...

[andy]

It's amazing how many people don't know you can connect any TV to the cable and receive 2-13.

[Pete Deksnis]

Thanks for the heads up re the GE; i made a bid. It'll cost another six bucks in gas for a round-trip from Asbury Park if I do win.

Pete

[bgadow]

Colortrakker, Two's company, three's a crowd! As a matter of fact, around here 2 is getting pretty crowded!

[Sandy G]

WTF is a "Cable bow" ? I've got 2 Porta potties, one is SS & was made in Portsmouth Va, in July '84. Ok, Ok, I know it isn't strictly a Porta-Color, but it looks awful close to one-roundish CRT,not-so-good picture, no AFC, no automatic color, no nothin'. Think I gave a whoppin' 10 bux for it offa You-Know-Where.-Sandy G.

[colortrakker]

Winner got it for $71.98! Yowza!

Congrats!

[colortrakker]

Wasn't me...I'm just a stunned onlooker!

Ooops... lol... sorry, was half asleep when I read that. But still, 3 bids going from $15 to $71. Wow, you're right

[Dave A]

I confess, I bought it. I think I got caught in a high bid scramble. Sorry Pete, but at least you did save the gas money. Mike, you can breathe now. I am picking it up over the weekend and will post a pic using my cable...not a cable bow. Bowtie antenna I suspect was the intention. And the tv cart does not belong to it as I remember, so it will hold some other set up in the air.

It does not appear on the only Porta Color website, unlike the clock model from a few weeks back;

http://www.rwhirled.com/portacolor/

so I am not sure of it's date. My Sams master book should reveal it when I get it.

As a geek kid in the late 60's I sold these when I worked for Osco Drug Store in Rockford, Illinois in our small electronics aisle and was always fascinated by these sets. I remember them going for $199.95 in the early fake woodgrain cabinet. It was a short aisle full of everything we are now bidding on. Mostly GE radios, clock radios, and the miracle portable color tv.

Just before that, I remember seeing the early delta versions of the set in the Nihan and Martin Drug Store near my home. GE in drug store aisles. Great exposure and marketing to the masses.

We also had a camera counter where I sold 35mm's and transistor radios. Oh to have one of each now. I did manage to get another Yashica Electro 35 camera a while back.

And if anyone is in need of an 11SP22 tube for this set, let me know. I have a NOS in the box. The later stripe version.

It is truely a one-of-a-kind design in the history of televisions, so please give us afficionados a bit of ebay sympathy.

Dave A

It is truely a one-of-a-kind design in the history of televisions

That's why I've also taken a liking to it. First luggable portable color TV of it's time, last known tube type TV made. I'd really like to get a hold of that solid state Porta Color II and that one GE AA chassis portable from the late 70s early 80s that used a similar picture tube as the original Porta Color line. That and I kinda have a thing for GE TVs, despite their reputation.

Congrats Dave that you got it

[Dave A]

I need to correct something I noted earlier. This set was never a true delta tube per se, but always an in-line design on a delta dot pattern with the dot size and pitch of the day. The early CRT's using the dot screen were the worst picture possible. Just imagine a full picture cut from about 1/5 of the 21" roundie of the day.

Not so long in the history, GE changed to the stripe to improve the CRT. The lack of DC restoration continued to the end as I know. $$$. Convergence is simple with the in-line, but focus varied with the models. Never more than a voltage tap on a terminal strip.

Save your Compactrons! You will need them when you see the light and decide to get your own Porta Color.

Dave A

[andy]

In the 70's they changed to a high focus voltage CRT complete with a real focus control. The focus voltage was split off the anode voltage. I'm sure this improved things as those low focus voltage CRTs were not usually very sharp.

[Whirled One]

Originally Posted by Dave A

I need to correct something I noted earlier. This set was never a true delta tube per se, but always an in-line design on a delta dot pattern with the dot size and pitch of the day. The early CRT's using the dot screen were the worst picture possible. Just imagine a full picture cut from about 1/5 of the 21" roundie of the day.

It's true, now that I actually have examples of both, the original dot-phosphor CRT used in these sets really is pretty coarse for its screen size, but the later version (like that used in the clock-equipped model on eBay recently discussed here) has a very noticably finer dot pitch. Too bad the stripe-phosphor CRT that GE replaced it with was such a step backwards again in resolution.

It's amazing how durable those sets are though. I wonder if the group that designed the original Portacolor chassis would have ever guessed that TVs based on that very design would have stayed in production for so long.

Me, I'm still looking for an actual 1980 Portacolor. Hmm... I wonder if there's any chance that anyone at GE or Thompson customer service might be able to at least tell me when the last sets having the 10HE (late-version Portacolor) chassis ceased production...

[bgadow]

I'll have to dig out the service bulletin I have at home, put out at the time of the introduction of the later ss portacolor. It says that production had ended on the HE chassis & was dated 1977. But I have seen the claims of later sets so who knows? Leftover stuff that was warehoused until it sold?

You could have a nice little collection, in more ways than one, of Portacolors with just a little space. I would still like to swap one of my twins for another model for a little variety. I, too, have always had a soft spot for GE sets & these little buggers are a convenient way to own one.