So who has the oldest Daily Watcher?

[David Roper]

Geez I'd forgotten this thread until now. Tom still (?) has the oldest of the oldest daily watchers, but I can now report that it's by a much thinner margin:


I watch my 1949 Sentinel 12" console every day.

EDIT: Why yes, in fact I think I did forget which forum I was in. Sorry!

[ha1156w]

DRH4683: Wow! You have my TV! I just bought a set identical to your 1967 Zenith 20X1C38 at an estate sale. It looks just-out-of-the box and hasn't a scratch on it, even the remote! Boy that sucker is HEAVY! The brightness leaves a bit to be desired, but doesn't look as though the set's ever been cracked open for service. Eventually I'll get the time to give it a going-over and bring it back up to par. My 17 y.o. nephew got the biggest kick out of changing the channels by jiggling a set of keys, which he discovered completely by accident.

Originally Posted by drh4683

For me its a 1969 16Z7C50 chassis Zenith "Lundberg" with space command 600. Have been using this as the main daily watcher for the past 2 years. in the bedroom is a 1967 (20X1C38) zenith space command 600 table TV on the dresser. and in the computer room, a 1972 zenith (20CC50). The rest of the vintage TVs are on display and get turned on every so often.

[Sandy G]

Aww, man ! I remember the "Jiggling-keys" trick from when I was a kid...My grandad had a '68 Space Command in his office, & that was great jolly fun to make the TV turn on/off, change channels...I remember I could have had that set in '89 when he died, & they cleaned his office out, but in those days, I had nowhere to put it, & it needed a little "help" by then..But it was an extremely low-hours set, he only watched it when Something Big was going on...<grin>

[Bobby Brady]

Sandy,
What happened to your dad's set and what kind of work did he do to have an office with an expensive console TV in it?
Back in '89 I was also to uneducated to see much of the future.

[compucat]

It's not the oldest daily watcher depicted here but I think it rates honorable mention. I am currently watching my 1957 RCA Victor 8" portable. It is the version without the built in aerials or the tilt stand. I fully recapped it about five years ago and it is in pristine condition inside and out. It had obviously been well cared for. The CRT is strong and bright and it is like watching a new TV. I have it hooked to a VCR for all-channel reception. I plan to use it until I restore my Zenith color roundie.

[drh4683]

ha1156, Nice find! Glad you were able to save it. Just curious if yours has the plastic door like mine, or if it has the silver metal door. This set actually is the first table color set with remote control. Its the only year the logo on the bottom door says "COLOR TV (color emblem) ZENITH"

[NowhereMan 1966]

Let's see, I still watch a 1982 25" Zenith System 3 console but in my room, I have a circa 1966? B&W Sony VT-110 TV/Monitor that I run my Playstation on when I home home from work to unwind.

[ha1156w]

Mine doesn't have the badge, but it does have an AFC switch protruding through the door, near the UHF knob. I did finally do some more clue-searching and find out that the actual model number of mine was B6208-4 (huh?). The original model tag had faded so I assumed it was the same model as yours. I suppose it is in fact the later model. But my door is brown metal and woodgrained on the outside instead of silver, strange no? What year was this set really made? I'll get a picture up as soon as I'm able.

Originally Posted by drh4683

ha1156, Nice find! Glad you were able to save it. Just curious if yours has the plastic door like mine, or if it has the silver metal door. This set actually is the first table color set with remote control. Its the only year the logo on the bottom door says "COLOR TV (color emblem) ZENITH"

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by drh4683

ha1156, Nice find! Glad you were able to save it. Just curious if yours has the plastic door like mine, or if it has the silver metal door. THIS SET ACTUALLY IS THE FIRST TABLE COLOR SET WITH REMOTE CONTROL. Its the only year the logo on the bottom door says "COLOR TV (color emblem) ZENITH"

Admittedly off topic.
Maybe the first 25" Zenith color table w/remote. Although, I think, they produced a roundie table w/remote. RCA made the first color table model with remote. The 1958 CTC-7 "Whitmore" model.
Picture courtesy Ed Reitan's site.

http://www.novia.net/~ereitan/Galler...hitmore300.gif

-Steve D.

[kx250rider]

Yes, and there were early 60s Zenith roundie remote color sets in metal table model cabinets. But those were huge. Most of the ones of that type I used to work on had been bought as Built-Ins. There was one that they kept dragging out of the prop storage to use in The Rockford Files. The same black oriental 21" color roundie remote set showed up in several episodes, but in several different settings

Charles

[drh4683]

you guys are both correct regarding the first in remote sets. I should have been more specific, the set I have is zeniths first rectangular table set with remote.

ha1156, your set B6208 is from 1971 (the letter "B" designates the model year, in this case B is for 1971 models) Your set then would have the 14A9C50 chassis. I scanned the page out of my 1971 zenith product sales binder. The 1971 zenith products binder is the only one I have (about 2" thick) of nothing but color photos/specifications for every single product from zenith that year. You actually have the very last of this cabinet style. This styled of set was no longer available in '72.

[KentTeffeteller]

Hi,

My wife and I still use our 1962 Zenith Space Command Color Combo set. It's a roundie! Nice color even to this day! The remote still works!

[Carmine]

I don't think I've ever seen a combo/roundie Zenith set. Have any pictures?

Did you buy the set new?

[KentTeffeteller]

Hi Carmine,

I don't have any photos of it! We got it secondhand and restored it ourselves. The set belonged to a neighbor who bought it at G @ C TV in Knoxville, TN on 12-5-62. It cost $1,097 then new! The phono, AM, FM, and open reel recorder worked well. The TV had bad retrace lines and needed much work. The CRT tested 90% emissions! After recapping the set, replacing all substandard tubes and a convergence job, it gives us pleasure! The cabinet was super nice and needed no work. We overhauled the record changer, the open reel deck, and the stereo receiver while we restored the TV. We have another Zenith roundie combo we are restoring. It was made in 1964! Bought at the same dealer on February 13, 1964, my birth date! On this one, the TV and phono need work.

[Aussie Bloke]

My main telly I watch is a late 1970s Toshiba colour set which gives awsome pictures, it has the occasional brightness flicker and high pitch frequency squeal which can be fixed each time with a thump but it goes good. I've attached some snaps of my telly switched on viewing Paul Hogan Show, Countdown, An Evening With Fred Astaire (in PAL) and Howdy Doody Show (in PAL).

Cheers
Troy