rca xl-100 score

[Jeffhs]

Speaking of RCA's XL-100, I've wondered for some time why the company held on to that designation for so long, and for that matter, when they finally dropped it. My RCA (Thomson) CTC-185 (bought new eight years ago) has "XL-100" at the upper left corner of the cabinet, above the CRT. I called RCA/Thomson's business offices in Indianapolis several years ago and asked what "XL-100" means these days, years after the original. Was told that XL100 is just a model designation, nothing more and nothing less. The explanation may be something very similar to why Zenith has held on to their "lightning bolt" Z trademark as long as they have; the trademark is still on the instruction manuals for televisions actually manufactured by LG, which may or may not have the lightning bolt logo below the flat panel displays.

[rcaman]

xl00 means extended life 100% solid state. steve

[Chad Hauris]

Looks like a Seeburg LPC-480 or PFEAU1 there too!

[sampson159]

good eye! thats a seeburg lpc-1.i got that from an elderly man in elyria ohio. he owned it for over 42 years.it was clean outside but the switches were so dirty it wouldnt even scan. cleaned it up and it works well. i have a rock-ola 432 coronado also. will post pics of it and my cavalier coke machine and the u.s. popcorn machine-the only known unit in existence!

[zenithfan1]

Hey Ron! I know we're getting a bit OT but man, it sounds like you have some really cool stuff! Next time I'm in OH I'm coming to your house!

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by rcaman

xl00 means extended life 100% solid state. steve

I understand that. But why is RCA (Thomson) still using XL100 some 20+ years after introducing the first 100-percent SS extended-life sets? My best guess is that they, like Zenith, don't want to see the designation go into the public domain; that or else RCA is still very proud of its original XL100 TV chassis design, and they want the world to know it. (Was RCA the first U.S. television manufacturer to have 100-percent solid-state sets in its product line? If so, the company is justified in hanging on to the XL-100 designation, well over 20 years after introducing the first sets with this chassis design.)

BTW, I believe the "extended life" claim in XL-100. My own RCA CTC185 is still going strong (original CRT with a beautiful picture, as well) after eight years of daily use, with only one repair (actually two repairs for the same problem) in all that time; the RF port to which the antenna/cable connects snapped off the tuner PC board, once IIRC in 2000, the second time [!] a year or so later. (Neither repair, however, was covered by my set's warranty; I had to pay out of my own pocket both times, and it wasn't cheap.) Even the on-board tuner hasn't been a problem since the ground points were resoldered the last time the set was worked on.

I'm expecting this TV to last years now (well into the all-digital age beginning next year), as the on-board tuner was the main sticking point in the CTC185s. Seems as if RCA/Thomson finally got it right (thank goodness) with the CTC203 and its successors, which have the tuner mounted separately from the main chassis. What gets me, however, is this: Why on earth did it take them so long to correct this problem? I'd have thought they would have known (or at least suspected) something was very wrong when the CTC185, and other chassis using the on-board tuner, were turning up for warranty service left and right with cracked solder joints around the tuner and corrupted EEPROMs. Since RCA/Thomson was footing the bills for each and every one of these warranty repairs, it could not have shown very well in the company's profit/loss statements either.

[andy]

000

[radiotvnut]

The solid state Motorola used the TS934 (IIRC) "works in a drawer" chassis. I think this came out in '67. The only tube in it was the HV rectifier.

The RCA CTC40 came out a year or two later and it also used a HV rectifier tube. The RCA was not a modular chassis.

I actually had examples of both sets years ago when I was a teenager. The CTC40 was an early version with "RCA Victor New-Vista color Solid-State" on the front. It had a burned yoke and severe CRT cataracts. I never did find a yoke and the set got tossed

The Motorola had a tuner or IF problem as well as a weak CRT w/ green halo. It, too got tossed. Every now and then, my parents would get on a tear and I'd have to clean out. I'd never toss an example of those two sets today.

I also had an early 19" solid state Trans-Vista color portable when I was an early teen. I think the chassis was CTC59 and it had plug in modules similar to the XL100. No, I didn't toss that one. It got fixed and sold so I could buy tube radios.

I've seen the XL100 logo plastered on RCA TV's as late as 2000. It was a basic mono 27" TV with no kind of A/V jacks. I also remember seeing "ColorTrak", "ColorTrak 2000", and "ColorTrak Plus" on RCA's up into the late '90's. I think the "ColorTrak Plus" designation replaced the "ColorTrak 2000" designation. All the newer higher end RCA's that I've seen are designated "Entertainment series". I guess the latter is what replaced the "ColorTrak" designation.

[1980'slover]

dang that thing reminds me of my two consoles tvs made by rca i forgot the models but one was made in 1983 and it was a colortrack, and the other was made in 84 and it had a remote

[1980'slover]

i would polish the wood on both every weekend the 83 was bigger then the 84 and it was a dark brown color, the 84 was a light brown

[bgadow]

Ron, I'm expecting the "10-cent" tour when I get out there!

[Chad Hauris]

I know the ColorTrak name was used beginning on some of the last delta gun sets (CTC-92 maybe?)
There was also AccuColor Solid State....AccuColor was usually used on some of the last tube type RCA color sets and AccuColor Solid State on some of the modular sets just before the XL-100 designation came out.

[radiotvnut]

Originally Posted by Chad Hauris

I know the ColorTrak name was used beginning on some of the last delta gun sets (CTC-92 maybe?)
There was also AccuColor Solid State....AccuColor was usually used on some of the last tube type RCA color sets and AccuColor Solid State on some of the modular sets just before the XL-100 designation came out.

I believe the first ColorTrak chassis I saw was, I think, a 25" CTC81 from '76. There was also the 19" CTC74. These chassis would fold down for service and the sets were heavy as lead. Two of these that I ran into had ultrasonic remote control with a motorized varactor tuner.

I also saw a couple of late '70's RCA consoles that had "XL-100 ColorTrak" plastered on them! I'd forgotten about that until just now. I think that may have been the CTC92 chassis.

[sampson159]

that colortrak from 76 was the top of line set or rca.had 2 of those back in the day.the best crt rca ever made.real wood cabinet,no expense spared.here in columbus,those were purchased from lazarus.very costly................and well worth it!