Interesting stuff on the 90s RCAs, but I don't really care. Anything made after 1990, as well as all other electronic makers besides RCA, is considered to be cheaply made, and most will not exceed 20 years. 1980s-made all the way.
Looks like 1983-1984 might be the highest peak quality year for RCA. Now, my only trouble is, what VCR should I put for my CTC-121 TV? Should I put in a Panasonic-made 1982 top-loading RCA VGT650 4-head Dolby stereo or Hitachi-made 1983 RCA VJT700 4-head Dolby stereo? I am determining right now which of the two Japanese makers could make a VCR for me that can run for another 60 years from today (excluding belt changes) until I die. Hmm, Panasonic or Hitachi? Each has its own pros and cons. Would you go for Panasonic or Hitachi?
RCA VKT650 is a really bad VCR in terms of design, and it is definitely not worth repairing (IMO) when it first breaks. I collected more than 25 top-of-the-line vintage Hi-Fi VHS VCRs, and the RCA VKT650 is the most disappointing I have seen. It uses a lot of surface-mount capacitors on the video board, which is completely unacceptable to put on in 1984, but what's 10 times worse, the board was sealed with black covering hard glue all over around, and all technicians I spoke with will not service this board. They would need to order a new board. Oh wait, didn't they just tell me that the board is no longer available. This VCR is now toast, I have no more video, no more beloved tapes I can play, and it ends up being a boat anchor, thanks to Hitachi's stupidity. I forgot to mention this in my original post, but the VCR is not actually working. There are vertical invisible white bars and fuzzy marks all over on the screen (no, it is not the video head), and sometimes it is hard to see the text. I suspect the problem is at the video board. Does anyone know if the VJT700 used any surface-mount caps? I don't know about the VJT700, but I know for sure that VGT650 (Panasonic PV-1780 equivalent) does not use any surface-mount caps.
Please help me choose my VCR. I don't want to throw out my CTC-121 just because I can't find the proper, matching VCR for this TV. I was born in 1984, so the TV has to be made in 1984, and no other year can be considered. Originally, I wanted a Panasonic 27" stereo to match with my PV-1730 VCR, but the TV has pretty much been vanished in people's home today and is impossible to find one used. Next I considered was a Sharp 25" stereo Linytron to match with my VC-489U VCR, but it's like Panasonic similar and has already been vanished. Next I looked at Hitachi, but neither the TV nor VCR still exists in people's home today. VCR is VT-88A, and you don't know how many times I get the same e-mail from sellers, "Sorry, I threw it out a long time ago because it broke. I only have the remote and manual left." Then I looked at Mitsubishi, and I was able to find one, but I passed because I was told by Frank in Studio Sound electronics (diyvcrparts.com) that their 1984 VCRs were super bad and buggy. Then I looked at Zenith, but JVC didn't make a 4-head Hi-Fi VCR for Zenith, and one of the idler tires is no longer available, according to Frank. Finally, I ended up with this RCA TV and bought it home happily assuming that 1984 Hitachi VCRs were built like a tank and can run forever. Surprisingly, it does not apply to the VKT650. I didn't look at NEC, Sanyo, Sony, and Toshiba because they only made Beta VCRs.
05-12-2008, 01:20 AM
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