I got an Avanti

[veg-o-matic]

At least I think it's an Avanti. Like an idiot, I didn't bother to write down the model number and now that it's in place, I really don't want to drag it back out and check. I did note that it was manufactured in August of 1979.

Anyhoo, I got if off Craigslist for 50 bucks and a two-hour trip to Pennsylvania. It works really well (the seller was watching Speed Racer when we picked it up), even though I neglected to take a picture of it in operation... When I got it home I pulled off the back to vacuum out the dust and was pleasantly surprised to note that it was clean as a whistle inside.

Does anyone know what the remote for this set looks like? I want to check ebay for one, as the universal remote I got for it doesn't work. There's apparently a Zoom feature that looks like it might have potential. I'm also confused about the settings on the remote switch. Off and Remote I understand, but Manual? Is Off the same as a "vacation switch" that turns off quick warm-up?

Here are the few pictures I did take:

veg

[kx250rider]

That's just about the very last Avanti made. Kind of rare! Most of the ones I see are either Chromacolor I or II, with the occasional hybrid. Nice!

Charles

[radiotvnut]

Nice! I didn't know that Zenith made an Avanti into the system 3 era. I can tell you that the remote for that set will be of the ultrasonic variety. I don't think Zenith switched to IR until '80-'81. I wonder when Zenith actually discontinued this style of cabinet.

[andy]

---

[zenithfan1]

Originally Posted by andy

It's hard to tell, but it does look like it has an ultrasonic remote receiver. If it's covered by a grill, it's ultrasonic, if it's covered by a plastic window, it's IR. I believe this is the remote you need to look for.

Yep, that's the one.

[Adam]

I didn't even know Zenith made a system 3 in the Avanti cabinet, I always assumed they quit making these cabinets at the same time as the chromacolor 2 sets. The basic cabinet even looks the same (except for the controls) as my '74 with the horizontal ss chassis. I used to have the smaller 19" Avanti with the vertical chromacolor 2 chassis, but I've never seen an older Avanti with the hybrid chassis either.

And that one even has the zoom, I've had a lot of Zenith system 3s, but never got one with the zoom.

[ctc17]

I have that exact remote siting right here. Ill have to see if it goes to anything I have.

[veg-o-matic]

Thanks for the assistance and the kind words. I'll keep my eye peeled for that remote--the Zoom button will remind me what I'm looking for. Def. an ultrasonic remote, as I can see the mic for it and it's covered by a grill. Kinda sucks that neither the set itself nor the remote will let you scroll through channels. And you have to press Enter every time or it'll flip right back to 2.

veg

[zenith2134]

Thats the same exact set as my 79 system 3 although mine is a wood cabinet. the remote is certainly Ultrasonic. The zoom is a cool feature and they make a good pic as long as the crt ain't weak.

[veg-o-matic]

Originally Posted by zenith2134

Thats the same exact set as my 79 system 3 although mine is a wood cabinet. the remote is certainly Ultrasonic. The zoom is a cool feature and they make a good pic as long as the crt ain't weak.

Zenith, you wouldn't happen to have a copy of the owner's manual would you? I want to make some adjustments to the picture and I can't seem to get it to the point where I really like it. (The problem is that black/dark areas in the picture are really dark, making them hard to see. I like a little less contrast, myself.) I tried adjusting the black level and that helps some but not enough.

veg

[bgadow]

A perfect set for you! If you don't have luck finding that remote, let me know. Fairly good chance I have one here.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by veg-o-matic

At least I think it's an Avanti. Like an idiot, I didn't bother to write down the model number and now that it's in place, I really don't want to drag it back out and check. I did note that it was manufactured in August of 1979.

Anyhoo, I got if off Craigslist for 50 bucks and a two-hour trip to Pennsylvania. It works really well (the seller was watching Speed Racer when we picked it up), even though I neglected to take a picture of it in operation... When I got it home I pulled off the back to vacuum out the dust and was pleasantly surprised to note that it was clean as a whistle inside.

Does anyone know what the remote for this set looks like? I want to check ebay for one, as the universal remote I got for it doesn't work. There's apparently a Zoom feature that looks like it might have potential. I'm also confused about the settings on the remote switch. Off and Remote I understand, but Manual? Is Off the same as a "vacation switch" that turns off quick warm-up? veg

If I remember correctly, the Manual position of that switch disables the remote receiver so the TV will work from the front panel only. This is handy if the batteries go dead in your remote or if it gets broken or otherwise damaged; when these sets were made the universal remote had not yet been invented (today's universals will not work with ultrasonic remote control systems anyway), so if not for that defeat switch, the TV would be completely unusable if anything happened to the hand unit. I'm not sure what the "off" position was used for, although it makes sense that it would defeat the instant-on feature. If I had one of these TVs and were going on vacation, however, I wouldn't trust just that switch to kill all power to the set; I'd pull the plug. Unless the switch actually does open the power circuit entirely, there would probably still be a small amount of voltage going into the set--for preset channel memories and the like.

From what I have read about the Zoom function on high-end Zenith color TVs, it was just a frill that served only to raise the price of the sets and probably wasn't used much. The same could be said for the Space Phone system built into some high-end Zeniths; this feature was often included with the zoom function. Most of the time the Space Phone feature of these high-end sets probably went unused anyway, since most American homes have a telephone within easy reach of the couch in the living room or else the family keeps a cordless handset on an end table.

[andy]

---

[Carmine]

I have a Avanti system 3. Posted the pics a years ago on the old forum.

I believe it was always either SpacePhone or Zoom, but never both on the same TV.

I've also seen some mention by more that one person of a hybrid Avanti... To my knowledge there is no such thing... In other words, Avantis are SS-only.

I'm sure Doug knows for sure.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by andy

I'm not sure what you're talking about. With the remote switch on, the front panel buttons still work (like on any TV). I have never known a TV that disables the controls on the set. The inclusion of a remote on/off switch was mostly a carryover from the old days when the remote chassis used a lot of power. Also, ultrasonic remotes can misbehave under certain conditions, so it's not a bad idea to be able to disable it.

Ooops! My bad. I must have been thinking about Zenith or RCA console TVs with "direct address" tuning (one of which was mentioned in a thread here some time ago); these had no controls whatsoever on the set itself (they were all on the remote), so if anything were to happen to the controller, the viewer was out of luck.

You are correct as to the occasional malfunctions of ultrasonic remotes. There are cases on record where these systems have been activated by such things as jingling keys, a dog's ID tags bouncing against each other, etc., causing the TV to switch on or change channels in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep; a defeat switch for the remote receiver would eliminate this possibility by disabling it entirely. I can just picture a family having gone to bed after watching a movie (or the late news) on their Zenith Space Command TV, only to be awakened at 2 a. m. by either a test pattern tone or an announcer reading the station's sign off, simply because the family dog had walked in front of the set and activated the remote receiver with its tags.

Zenith's Flash-Matic, introduced in certain models of their high-end sets in 1955 and only lasting a year in the product lineup, was the company's first attempt at wireless remote control of a television receiver. The system worked after a fashion, but had at least one very serious flaw: if stray light of any kind hit one or more of the photocells at each corner of the CRT mask, the television would literally go wild.

It is little wonder (and a blessing, in a way) that the Flash-Matic system was discontinued and did not return the following year--or ever again. The company had better luck with its ultrasonic SC remotes that followed, and better yet when IR (infrared) remote signaling became the industry standard; after all, an IR remote system cannot be falsely triggered by stray ambient light or by incidental sounds in a room such as dog tags, ice cubes clinking in glasses, or even the set's own horizontal oscillator being off frequency ever so slightly. The last sometimes caused random, unpredictable triggering of ultrasonic remote systems; harmonics of the 15.75kHz horizontal oscillator frequency would be interpreted (or misinterpreted, if you wish) by early SC remote receivers as control signals. The television would change channels, mute and unmute the sound, etc. for no apparent reason; this more often than not left the family baffled as to why their set, which worked perfectly well in all other respects, was acting so strangely.