Salvaged [1983 Zenith Z1926W]

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

there were even 12" and 19" B&W Zeniths with non-cable ready keypad tuners with red LED channel display.

Only Zenith. Got to keep my eyes open for one of those as well. I seek the unusual, and they delivered.

[zeno]

All Zeniths with true RAT were cable ready EXCEPT the B&W's cited
by RTVNUT. IIRC the first RAT set was L-line 2nd gen (9-160) System 3.
1st gen K-line System 3 ( power transformer ) had presets.
They MAY have dropped in rats at end of K-line like there are a
few J-line System 3 25" top of line that did not say System 3. The early releases were often limited distribution area wise eg only in L.A. etc.

73 Zeno

[zeno]

OOPS there may have been a 13" with up / down not
cable ready but its been tooooo long

73 Zeno

[radiotvnut]

I had a 19" non-cable ready Zenith color TV with the 9-181/-186 chassis that had a standard pull on/volume knob, RAT tuning, and red LED that was not cable ready. I also had a 25" floor model that was the same way.

[zeno]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

I had a 19" non-cable ready Zenith color TV with the 9-181/-186 chassis that had a standard pull on/volume knob, RAT tuning, and red LED that was not cable ready. I also had a 25" floor model that was the same way.

I knew I should have said IIRC !
The 13" I think I remember was that vintage.
They were probably the odd-ball R, S, & T lines sold to big stores.
We never got spec sheets for them except the rare case when they sold
them to regular dealers. Usually almost identical to the regular line
but often looked cheaper & was missing something.

73 Zeno

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

I had a 19" non-cable ready Zenith color TV with the 9-181/-186 chassis that had a standard pull on/volume knob, RAT tuning, and red LED that was not cable ready. I also had a 25" floor model that was the same way.

I suppose converter use was a moot point back when these sets were made as cable still wasn't all that popular. Look at how quickly the popularity of cable exploded and then took a steep dive. I was told that my '88 Zenith console was never hooked to cable, and it shows. Looks almost showroom fresh inside and out. There's also the owner-added knife switch on the back for antenna selection.

[zeno]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

I suppose converter use was a moot point back when these sets were made as cable still wasn't all that popular. Look at how quickly the popularity of cable exploded and then took a steep dive. I was told that my '88 Zenith console was never hooked to cable, and it shows. Looks almost showroom fresh inside and out. There's also the owner-added knife switch on the back for antenna selection.

In our town back then the basic cable abt 30 channels were unscrambled.
Cable ready sets were popular for eliminating the box or adding
extra sets for free. Could also record anything while watching basic.
Basic cost abt $6 back then + $3 if you wanted remote. We made
a fortune selling Jerrold 400 & 450 handunits. Cost $5 and sold
them for $30. The Jerrold 400 box could also be modded in 2
minutes to get all channels by we never did it. That would get a
lot of attention !!!


73 Zeno

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by zeno

In our town back then the basic cable abt 30 channels were unscrambled.
Cable ready sets were popular for eliminating the box or adding
extra sets for free. Could also record anything while watching basic.
Basic cost abt $6 back then + $3 if you wanted remote. We made
a fortune selling Jerrold 400 & 450 handunits. Cost $5 and sold
them for $30. The Jerrold 400 box could also be modded in 2
minutes to get all channels by we never did it. That would get a
lot of attention !!!


73 Zeno

Funny, my flatty came with a Jerrold 400 box that I still have. Got to find my 450 remote one of these days to find out if it will work with the 400.

Found it already, sweet.