Any one here will still use the C.R.T tv's for every day wathcing tv?

[Jeffhs]

I have two CRT TVs in storage, a Zenith "Sentry 2" 19" and an RCA CTC185 -- both table sets. The RCA was my daily watcher from 1999 until I got a flat screen almost two years ago. The Zenith was my daily watcher for four years at my former home, then when I moved in late '99 I bought the RCA and put the Zenith set in the bedroom, where it has been ever since. It isn't used much these days, so it has four years of actual usage hours on it. That set, incidentally, was made during the period in the '90s when Zenith TVs had bad CRTs; however, my set still has its original tube, which is still going strong after almost 18 years.


For NowhereMan1966: What finally happened to your Sony TV?

BTW, I am impressed by the years and years of good service your Zenith System 3 TV has given you since it was new in the early '80s. (What does your set look like? Is it the console model or the one shaped to fit in a corner of a room? Just curious.) Those sets were made when Zenith was still an American company with headquarters in Chicago, so they were built to last. I had two 13" Zenith color portables that lasted many years, and a small Zenith b&w portable that lasted over twenty years and was still working very well (only thing wrong with it was the detent mechanism on the UHF tuner broke) when I got rid of it 13 years ago, due to space limitations in my apartment.

[dieseljeep]

That set, incidentally, was made during the period in the '90s when Zenith TVs had bad CRTs; however, my set still has its original tube, which is still going strong after almost 18 years.

I think the problems were with the 25 & 27" CRT's. It seems like the smaller CRT's lasted as long as the earlier issue tubes.

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I have two CRT TVs in storage, a Zenith "Sentry 2" 19" and an RCA CTC185 -- both table sets. The RCA was my daily watcher from 1999 until I got a flat screen almost two years ago. The Zenith was my daily watcher for four years at my former home, then when I moved in late '99 I bought the RCA and put the Zenith set in the bedroom, where it has been ever since. It isn't used much these days, so it has four years of actual usage hours on it. That set, incidentally, was made during the period in the '90s when Zenith TVs had bad CRTs; however, my set still has its original tube, which is still going strong after almost 18 years.


For NowhereMan1966: What finally happened to your Sony TV?

BTW, I am impressed by the years and years of good service your Zenith System 3 TV has given you since it was new in the early '80s. (What does your set look like? Is it the console model or the one shaped to fit in a corner of a room? Just curious.) Those sets were made when Zenith was still an American company with headquarters in Chicago, so they were built to last. I had two 13" Zenith color portables that lasted many years, and a small Zenith b&w portable that lasted over twenty years and was still working very well (only thing wrong with it was the detent mechanism on the UHF tuner broke) when I got rid of it 13 years ago, due to space limitations in my apartment.

Well, Mom had the TV repairman put a tube brightener on the Sony although the blues were very weak. It lasted for a week or so and then it kept flashing on and off again so we decided to put the Zenith back into service until I'm able to buy a new TV. I'll snap a pic of her and post it. BTW, the Zenith says on the back, "Zenith Radio Corporation" and was made in Chicago. She does have some minor issues, shows her age a little, I think there is a tempermental cap on one of the boards where the picture flicks red but it usually goes away and doesn't do it for a while and a few others small issues that minimize when she is warmed up, but after that, she still has a great picture. It takes her a minute to warm up where it took about 15 seconds when new, but hey, she's 31 years old. I once saw a 1984 model that looked like her on Craigslist, if I had the room, I'd snag that one.