Help identifying early 60s Motorola TV?

[DavGoodlin]

Very nice and clean set there!

Was it not rare to see a polarized plug on sets until the mid 60's?

I think Philco used those same blue-hex shaft vert lin/height agc pot clusters.

[compucat]

Is that a crack in the CRT bezel? The polystyrene used during the '60s doesn't seem to hold up well. It is a neat set, though and sure looks like a Zenith inside.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

Very nice and clean set there!

Was it not rare to see a polarized plug on sets until the mid 60's?

I think Philco used those same blue-hex shaft vert lin/height agc pot clusters.

The transformerless set makers started to use polarized power cords in the early 60's. They also started to switch the hot side of the power line at the same time. Less problem for U/L approval.
Regarding the blue hex shaft pots: They were made by Centralab and were also used in some RCA sets. They were a ceramic substrate with other resistors included.

[gdunlapsd]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

I looked at the SAMS on that set. It shows a 23" model. They used that same chassis in several different models. If it had a indicator light, it would have a small transformer mounted on the tuner assembly.
The set you have is the entry level model that year. The set was sold for about $130.00 at the time. A lot better set, than a lot of them, for the same money.

It's neat to know the original price; figured it's entry level, pretty basic set, but that's fine with me! The digital converter has all the fancy options anyway Do you happen to have a pointer to an ad for it, or what the model name was (if any) under which motorola sold it?

[gdunlapsd]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

Very nice and clean set there!

Was it not rare to see a polarized plug on sets until the mid 60's?

I think Philco used those same blue-hex shaft vert lin/height agc pot clusters.

Thanks! it was actually pretty dirty when I got it, but I cleaned it up with damp rags and AJAX, and took off the cover the used a vacuum and compressed air to get rid of most of the dust. I'm no restoration expert so sorry if this is really wrong somehow, but I've found that AJAX with bleach does a great job of cleaning up really filthy plastic. Obviously I kept the water away from the interior of the TV.

I used glasses cleaner for the plastic screen protector (works great for LCDs too). There are a couple of scratches in the screen protector that aren't too visible while watching TV, but are a little deep - it would probably require sanding to get them out, which makes me nervous; I've sanded and polished clear plastic before with good results, but nothing as large as this. There's a few spots of grunge on the inside of the protector as well, but probably just dirt which I'll clean off once I take the thing completely apart for the re-cap.

It's a non-polarized plug which I may convert to polarized when I work on it again.

[gdunlapsd]

Originally Posted by compucat

Is that a crack in the CRT bezel? The polystyrene used during the '60s doesn't seem to hold up well. It is a neat set, though and sure looks like a Zenith inside.

Yep, it's been dropped sometime in its life (this was disclosed when I got it). No damage I could find other than the crack, though there are also a couple of small chips in the bezel which may have happened at the same time.

The guy I got it from actually found it in a thrift store - it's probably a miracle it ended up on the shelf there instead of a dumpster, being an old tube TV.

When I have it all apart I'll clean the remaining dirt out of the crack and glue it together.

Any recommendations for the best glue to use on this kind of plastic? I'm also wondering if I should use plastic filler on the chips but not sure how well that'll work out. I'll have to search the forums for plastic repair tips!

It's doing pretty well as it is so far - watching the news on it right now in fact.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by gdunlapsd

It's neat to know the original price; figured it's entry level, pretty basic set, but that's fine with me! The digital converter has all the fancy options anyway Do you happen to have a pointer to an ad for it, or what the model name was (if any) under which motorola sold it?

I found my Motorola price sheet dated June 15th, 1962. 19" Tartan Tv. Polystyrene portable. Suggested list price, $139.88, dealer cost, $117.00.
The next model up, beige & white. $149.95, dealer cost, $125.00. It came with a MO-7, brass roll-about stand. Fun stuff!!!

[peverett]

I have two of these sets plus a parts set. I have not played mine for a while. At least one of them has a weak CRT. I have some 1965 Motorola portables also, one of which I play often. The chassis for the 1965 models is similar to this one. The 1965 model is a very good performer using the over the air DTV converter boxes.

From what I have seen, after 1965, Motorola(like many other manufacturers) became less interested in quality, mounting even the hottest tubes on PC boards. Zenith was just about the only exception.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by peverett

I have two of these sets plus a parts set. I have not played mine for a while. At least one of them has a weak CRT. I have some 1965 Motorola portables also, one of which I play often. The chassis for the 1965 models is similar to this one. The 1965 model is a very good performer using the over the air DTV converter boxes.

From what I have seen, after 1965, Motorola(like many other manufacturers) became less interested in quality, mounting even the hottest tubes on PC boards. Zenith was just about the only exception.

Some of the higher-end B/W Motorola 1965 models were hybrids. The 1966 models were all solid-state, except the H/V rectifier. There was a hospital that had those.

[gdunlapsd]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

I found my Motorola price sheet dated June 15th, 1962. 19" Tartan Tv. Polystyrene portable. Suggested list price, $139.88, dealer cost, $117.00.
The next model up, beige & white. $149.95, dealer cost, $125.00. It came with a MO-7, brass roll-about stand. Fun stuff!!!

Thanks! "Tartan" seems to be the key word here Found an ad for this TV in a scanned newspaper page online here:

http://news.nnyln.net/plattsburgh-pr...20-%200053.pdf

It's listed for $139.88 and given a model number of 19P35. They gave it a 1-year warranty - better th
an today's typical 90-day

EDIT: Found another ad here:
http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2...20-%200250.pdf