Zenith Porthole on...

[jeyurkon]

Another Zenith Porthole on the bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=230343362637

No affiliation. I'm clueless as to what these are worth.

John

[Eric H]

Originally Posted by jeyurkon

Another Zenith Porthole on the bay.



No affiliation. I'm clueless as to what these are worth.

John

Not that much.. not in that condition.

[zenithfan1]

Did it get burned on the side or what?? Another one thinks they have a gold mine. Maybe a 100 but not 5. If it has a good CRT it would be worth fixing up but geeze....

[WISCOJIM]

Originally Posted by jeyurkon

Another Zenith Porthole on the bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=230343362637

No affiliation. I'm clueless as to what these are worth.

John

This one's more realistic: http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ280362556914

[John Marinello]

Originally Posted by WISCOJIM

This one's more realistic: http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQitemZ280362556914

Zenith had 2 16" mahogany combo sets that year, and that one is the crappier one. The doors are fake wood grain, and the radio has 8-tubes, instead of the better 10-tube that has push buttons on either side. The 16GP4 is cracked also.

[Tube TV]

Originally Posted by jeyurkon

Another Zenith Porthole on the bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=230343362637

No affiliation. I'm clueless as to what these are worth.

John

500 bucks , the seller is nuts !

[Phil Nelson]

I've never been able to get excited about the porthole combos. The postwar Zenith radio design is fugly. And, as with all roundies that lack a mask, you either look at a rectangular picture in the middle of the screen, or overscan the vert/horiz so that you fill the CRT and miss the corners of the picture.

On the other hand, if you can't live without a combo, I guess there are uglier ones

Phil

[David Roper]

The sets are equipped with a switch which allows you a choice of normal scan, which shows in the pumpkin shape of any roundie but with unmasked black wedges above and below; and full screen, which stretches only the vertical, giving tall skinny people and egg-shaped circles.

[Sandy G]

Still would like to have a tabletop 10 or 12" "Claridge" model....They are just SO "1950" looking...

[ha1156w]

Wouldn't that be the awful 16BP4 metal-cone tube in that thing? The one that is unobtanium and usually gone to air if you can find them??

[John Marinello]

Originally Posted by ha1156w

Wouldn't that be the awful 16BP4 metal-cone tube in that thing? The one that is unobtanium and usually gone to air if you can find them??

Perpetuated B.S.

If you store them in a damp location long enough, they will rust, and that may cause the faceplate to crack. Note the crack in this one at the 1 o'clock position, and note how rusty the back & chassis are:

http://cgi.ebay.com/_W0QQcmdZViewIte...lenotsupported

Also notice in the photo, one up from bottom, there is a screen above the speaker that is completely clogged up with nesting material! Whoever pulls the TV chassis is gonna be in for a big surprise!

I have a pile of 50+ year-old metal tubes that are still under vacuum, and I have NO doubt that they will still be under vacuum 50 years from now.

The mahogany Zenith uses the 16GP4, and the blond one uses the 19AP4.

[Tube TV]

I've always wanted a porthole , but never got on local .
I can imagine the $$$ one would cost to ship ,not to mention a combo ...

[ha1156w]

Well what was the tube type in the Dumont sets that everyone talks about being impossible to find and prone to failure? RA-109 I think?

[John Marinello]

Originally Posted by Tube TV

I've always wanted a porthole , but never got on local .
I can imagine the $$$ one would cost to ship ,not to mention a combo ...

Update your location to something other than "At large again", and I, for one, would be happy to keep an eye open for you.

[John Marinello]

Originally Posted by ha1156w

Well what was the tube type in the Dumont sets that everyone talks about being impossible to find and prone to failure? RA-109 I think?

Dumont made some of the best quality sets at the time. They also developed & manufactured CRTs, and most of these were unique to their sets: 12JP4, 15DP4, 20BP4, 30BP4. Dumont & others used the metal 19AP4, which is probably the one you are thinking of. Not mant rebuilders want to fool with metal CRTs either, because they require a longer oven cycle when they are rebuilt, otherwise they may implode. This is why some tubes are so scarce.

If you are considering restoring a vintage television, it's best to do a little homework first, and bring a CRT tester with before you buy the set.

The last I checked, B&W CRTs were a minimal of $250 (+ shipping) to have rebuilt, metal CRTs were $450. Not many sets justify that kind of expense.