For those who have "done this" for awhile...

[rca2000]

Anyone who has been in this hobby for awhile, we have seen a lot of "good and bad". I got serious about this hobby in the early 1980's and actually began in it in around 77 or so.

Back in those days--and for that matter now--people who did not really know better...often would tell me.."don't bother with those old tv sets. The picture tubes are always bad by now".

At FIRST..I believed this, as a young lad. It made sense. After all, who would expect a picture tube over 10-15 years old to be any good. IN the late 1970's as a kid...I believed this.

THEN...I began to acquire old tv sets. I was SURPRISED to see how many sets STILL had good tubes This was about 1980 or so. Needless to say...this encouraged me to look for more tv sets. As time went on--this pattern did NOT change--and STILL has not. Sure some sets ALWAYS have bad tubes, they were no good from the start. And some tubes simply get "watched to death"..

But I AM REALLY surprised at how many CRT'S --especially TODAY--now that the NEWEST of the stuff we collect is apprachai8ng 35 or so years old, and the "jewels" are OVER 50 year sold--and they often STILL have good tubes !! 35 or so years after I decided to get serious about tv collecting--this pattern of about 65-70% of useable CRTS--has NOT really changed !!

I just looked a 1949-50 philco set, and put the 70 on the tube. I expected t be at least useable. I ALSO expected it to be asleep. this set had the ORIGINAL philco tube, probably a 12LP4 or so, from what I can tell.

Well...it was asleep..but EASILY "woke up" after only a couple of MINUTES--on 8V. ...it was well into the good range. And, after dropping it to 7 volts, then 6.5 volts and finally 6.3,,,it STILL showed --and HELD--fair emission !! Not perfect--but WELL useable, with NO rejuv needed. The outer dag coating is coming loose in some laces--but most of it is still there.

Am in the ONLY one--who has seen this pattern?