Sets that you feel sorry for.....

[Fairlane500skyliner]

I recently took pity on a 1960s HMV Rangemaster. The condition is so rough, I was regretting picking it up and planned on stripping out the chassis and CRT. I've since decided to undertake the massive project of restoring it, as it'll be a great experience and good challenge.

Chris

[playdrv4me]

Originally Posted by truetone36

I've got a Philco-Ford 12" b/w set and a late 60's Zenith b/w portable that were literally buried under 3 feet of debris in a house I recently tore down. They're sitting under my workbench out in the shed now. Most people would've probably tossed them, but then again us TV guys aren't like most people, are we?

No doubt, but at least the stuff you guys save is gaining in recognition as collectible. The stuff I collect ('80s and '90s Sony and Casio things, even TFT ones and Hi8 and 8mm camcorders and VCRs) really makes everyone I know scratch their heads.

Oh well.

[Fairlane500skyliner]

Originally Posted by playdrv4me

No doubt, but at least the stuff you guys save is gaining in recognition as collectible.

Very true I guess. When I formerly collected sets from the 1970s-80s, people would often ask me why I wanted to collect something so new and bland, as I guess most people don't consider them as being particularly "vintage" or stylish (despite other domestic items of the era being considered vintage and collectible). Now that I collect 1960s console televisions, one of the questions I get asked is "Where the **** do you store them all!?".

Chris

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by Fairlane500skyliner

Very true I guess. When I formerly collected sets from the 1970s-80s, people would often ask me why I wanted to collect something so new and bland, as I guess most people don't consider them as being particularly "vintage" or stylish (despite other domestic items of the era being considered vintage and collectible).

The 70s sets are the most stylish to me. I go into the 80s as well but I get more picky with sets from that time. If it wasn't for Zenith dragging their feet with technology and styling I wouldn't have my '88 console.

[Ed in Tx]

Here's one I'd like to save, been reduced to $20... (no affiliation)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...:B:WNA:US:1653

Had family friends in the '50s that had one of these RCA consoles. I recall being just tall enough to look straight into the pix tube and fiddle with the radio controls.

Later about 1963 they gutted it and installed a Sherwood S-5000II amp and matching FM tuner, and a Garrard record player.

[Fairlane500skyliner]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

Later about 1963 they gutted it and installed a Sherwood S-5000II amp and matching FM tuner, and a Garrard record player.

Ah, so now we know who to blame for the whole "Flat panel retrofit in a vintage television" trend...

Chris

[dr.ido]

Here's a Sony KV-1830AS I picked up the other day. It was laying on its back in a puddle. I don't think I've seen a KV-18xx with a good CRT in more than 20 years - I doubt this one will be the exception, but I couldn't just leave it there.

It has been drenched in the heavy rains we've had recently. The UHF tuner is frozen solid and the volume knob is missing, but considering where and how it was found it could have been worse.

I doubt I'll get to it anytime soon. Once it dries out I expect it will power up with a dim green or purple raster. Anyone remember that post from a while back where someone successfully rejuvenated a Trinitron?

[Username1]

Dr.Ido That is a nice Sony, I would have picked it up too......

Well I picked up a 13" Combo tv DVD tv today. An Emerson EWC13D4. Not entirely
surprised it Worked Just fine ! ! It was going to rain and I wanted to get in a quick
bike ride before hand. 16 miles down the street and around the block. At the corner
was a tv sitting on top of a steel fish tank stand. I thought, wow I can always use some
extra steel.... And the tv, well the wife wasn't home and its small enough to hide
somewhere..... I thought it would be a nice one for my office.... And something to play with
if it don't work... But she works fine.... Kinda disappointed.... well not really....
I gotta get a remote someday now....


http://www.amazon.com/Emerson-EWC13D...ref=pd_sxp_f_i

I'm happy I saved the tv from the rain that came less than 1 hour after I
picked up the tv and fish tank stand. They both have a good home now....

Now I feel bad about the 5 others I didn't pick up over the past year just as close.....

made in Malaysia, Nov. 2004

Picture from amazon.com

[Kamakiri]

I got suckered into two I felt sorry for, last night

Actually, I gave the guy $20 for both because I felt bad that he carried them up from the basement and brought them over!

A mid-50s RCA Super B&W....someone cut the pins off the picture tube and the safety glass is missing. The other is a 1952 Admiral 21F1. My guess on the Admiral is that very very long ago, someone fell asleep with the set on, and during that time it lost vertical sweep. That's about the only thing that would explain the ion burn in a straight line in the center. Picture tube actually tests very good too.

I might actually restore the Admiral, simply because not too many people ever restore bakelite rectangular Admirals, and I have the missing knobs and I think I might even have a pencil box door that will fit.

The RCA? As I remember those are actually good chassis in those. Maybe I'll test tubes and power it up on a variac just for grins and see if it's got any HV left.....

[truetone36]

What size is the RCA? I'm looking for a 21" set in that style cabinet, with the Super chassis and the controls on top of the set. I had one years ago.

[Kamakiri]

It's a 21". Picture tube is a 21AMP4. This one's pretty beat up, but if you want it you're welcome to it....

[Sandy G]

I dunno; You can name ANY era & find "Collectable TVs from it. Take the Eighties. Too new, nothing exciting, right ? Well, Bunky, don't be so hasty. Panasonic put out all manner of interesting sets then, you can have a pretty decent collection, just focusing on the myriad of those "Teeny-Tiny" 1 & 1.5" "Paperback Novel" size sets. They also made a SLEW of 3" sets, I like the one that they made to look like a TV camera, it also has an AM/FM radio. Most of the ones I've run across seem to be either lightly-used, or beat-to-shit, for some reason. But they're still plentiful, & most of the time, quite cheap. They even made COLOR versions, the unreal 1.5" CT-101 goes for SILLY money now, but its bigger brother, the 2.75" CT-3311 usually isn't as expensive, but MUCH harder to find. You gotta hand it to an outfit that would shell out the developmental bux like Matsushita did in engineering a color TV than was basically the size of a summer potboiler crime novel, never really expecting the product to re-coup much of its developmental costs.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

You gotta hand it to an outfit that would shell out the developmental bux like Matsushita did in engineering a color TV than was basically the size of a summer potboiler crime novel, never really expecting the product to re-coup much of its developmental costs.

You have to remember that Japan Inc. was in full "employment for life" mode, and they might as well give all those engineers something to do.

[Username1]

Less likely they were just "finding stuff to do" than in competition with their fellow
countrymen in the other Japanese companies inventing new niche areas within their
field to fill..... Japan had many innovations in electronics over the years. The 1 1/2"
color tv was pretty neat though..... I like the little cassette stereos, takin' tunes wit
me while ridin' my bike.....

Sandy is right there are plenty of sets from the 80's well worth collecting even if only
for your own personal reason. I'm slowly getting a nice little collection of Sharp tv's from
'79 on up to '87. I may even end up needing more room for them, and eventually sell off
some of the sets that will be more trouble like my ctc5, and Zenith Roundie.

I can see a day when I get down to a few 80's Sharps, my '58 Emerson's, maybe a few
other 50's metal sets still yet to be found, I would like a 4 tube hybrid Zenith again, keep my
'72 Zenith 20CC50, and the CRT sets from the late 90's and early 2000's we use daily in the
living room, and my office..... Gunna keep my 25" Sharp in the bedroom as long as she keeps running...


.

[Jon A.]

My '88 Zenith console isn't one of the most exciting sets, but it's not CTC157-common and it made it this far with so few hours and is in near-perfect shape, so it's not leaving my possession.