motorola color console nighmare?

[squinter96]

Nope...different person. I'm a female in Tennessee. I've posted pics below under this post. I have checked it out and everything works and the tv is in color. I took the back off and it has tubes

[squinter96]

Check out the pics under Motorola Solid State Console pics under this thread. It is located in Knoxville, TN, everything works and the tv is in color.

Originally Posted by DaveWM

think I will pass on it, too big, and I am really trying to be a bit more selecitive and If I get another monster I want a tube set. Its not that I dont like SS I just like tubes better, something about all the glowing going on. I like to leave the backs off so I can look at them now and then.

My wife is def at the critical mass point on all these consoles, so I better make sure the next one will take care of my fix for a while...

I have a possible lead on a VERY nice condition magnavox console with a color roundie (so I have been told). If I am going to get another monster I would rathter have that. The price is right (free) I just have to make a drive to TN to get it.

in the mean time I am still searching for a floor or table tube color set, I think I can swing that one with out too much dancing...

another project I would like to try would be to just build a tv set from scratch, as a science project with the kids. No tuner of course just a HV sweep video amp and detector.



We started with the crystal set, then a 1 tube regen, the a 5/6 tube superhet. That one was fun, did it on a piced of wood with tube sockets and term strips.

since no need for a tuner I think I could do that with a TV as well since no VHF anywhere.

[squinter96]

Where would I find the TS-918?

Originally Posted by stromberg67

If I recall, the chassis number of the first Motorola all-xistor set is TS-918. If that is what you have, you do have a historic tv. Could be a bear to restore, though.
Nice find!
Kevin

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by stromberg67

If I recall, the chassis number of the first Motorola all-xistor set is TS-918. If that is what you have, you do have a historic tv. Could be a bear to restore, though.
Nice find!
Kevin

The TS-918 was their last, mainly tube set.
The TS-915 was the first WID set. The TS-919 was, electronically the same set, but not WID. That model seems to be rarer.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by squinter96

Where would I find the TS-918?

Typically it is stamped on the back of the TV chassis.

The set on display here is the LK731C with TV chassis 22TS-918A. This set was offered in late-1966 with two other similar "tractor-trailer" sized models... the LK730C and LK732C. These three models came out in late-1966... several months after all the other sets using the 918 chassis. There were about 2 dozen models using that chassis.

The chassis is all tubes (with exception of the UHF tuner) and is completely independent of the stereo chassis. The amp in the stereo is 50 watts.

As mentioned previously, value is not much due to size. It's not uncommon for TV collectors to turn these down... even when free... because they are so large. A few years back, I turned down an awesome looking Curtis Mathes... simply because my space was limited. Typically, entertainment centers with round-screen color tubes are easier to get rid of than rectangular tubes.

[Combwork]

Originally Posted by RobtWB

yes. yes. we should all strive to live in the past, to live retro, to live in the utopia of the 50's and 60's --- a utopia that never existed ---
we should all go back to wearing mechanical wristwatches, twisted pair wired analog telephone service with rotary dial desk phones, drive those dinosaur rust bucket cars of the 50/60's that everyone salivates over and we should all have an outdoor teleevision tower and antenna and be limited to abc, cbs, nbc, and let us not forget the beloved and ever popular DuMont network

drive those dinosaur rust bucket cars of the 50/60's that everyone salivates over.

Now now; in the UK those boats are sought after. Why? Most have the stability of a roller-skate with worn bearings but people want them because they are rare. Nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong with mechanical wrist watches either as long as you think of them as things to collect, not for everyday use.

Old stuff gets a gloss; in memory most are far better than they actually were. Yes, I'd love to have one of those huge Motorola combination sets that get talked about, but only if someone who knew what they were doing rebuilt it, and it worked reliably (and the TV had a decent picture for day to day watching) for the foreseeable future. Were they ever this good or reliable? Or in general do you guys do what we do; wish ourselves back to a past that wasn't what it was.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Squinter-

Welcome to Videokarma.

Your console set is from roughly 1968 to 1971; others may be able to give you a better date. As others commented, it does not have a monetary value, because there are still many console TV/stereo units out there in people's homes. The stereo part may be solid state even if the TV has tubes. There large sets can be fun to keep and use; I have a 1965 RCA combo somewhat like yours.