Can I get a manual for this?

I just aquired one of these Zenith corner models. It seems to work just fine. I'm going to use it in my summer place with rabbit ears and an RF Modulator to a DVD player.

The model # tag has been ripped off so I don't know what it is. It has the phone thingy and possibly the zoom feature. The panel inside the door has a programming button, but I haven't the foggiest notion of what or how it programs. As far as I can tell the highest channel number it gets is 44. Is this normal, or have the higher UHFs been proggrammed out?

Any info I can get on this set would be appreciated.

[Chad Hauris]

If this is the type with a row of illuminated channel numbers you need to have a UHF channel indicator tab in the window if you want to tune UHF...if there is a VHF number in there it will only tune VHF. If there are individual knobs for each channel you tune the knobs to tune in each channel...if a UHF number is in the window it should tune all the way up to channel 83.
Have not seen a Zenith of this age with a different type of channel selector except the motorized knob type tuner which I don't think this has.
If it does have a totally electronic/digital channel selector it should have a "normal/cable" setting...if you want to get UHF, this has to be on "normal".
If it is a digital selector there should be actual number buttons on the remote...if it an older preset or motorized tuner the remote will only have "channel higher" and "channel lower".

The remote has numberd buttons, indicating it's electronic tuning. The set has a tiny green LED that blinks when it's plugged in, probably indicating that the remote sensor is active. Here's a shot of the tuning panel. Wish I knew a model number for this puppy.

Looking at the controls I'd say that set is circa early 80's. If you had put "Zenith" in the title of this thread I think some of the Zenith experts on this forum would've popped in here and offered their assistance already.

Other than to look thru a bunch of SAMS until you find a match, the only thing I can suggest is to pull the back off and look inside for the model number.

Anthony

Originally Posted by heathkit tv

If you had put "Zenith" in the title of this thread I think some of the Zenith experts on this forum would've popped in here and offered their assistance already.

I live and learn!

I'll have some time this weekend to pop the back. I never thought that the model # would be INside. Damned rude of them!!

[andy]

That looks like a first generation infrared space command set. The channel numbers should be white on screen. You will need to set it to "CATV" if you're using cable, or "b'cast" if you're using an antenna. You should always be able to change it to any channel by typing in the number and pressing enter. It also probably has a way to add, or delete channels from the +/- channel scan. It might default to having all channels deleted, which would make it look like the channel up/down buttons aren't working. The highest channel it will be able to get in CATV mode is probably between 36 and 46. It also might be able to change to higher CATV channels than it can actually receive. There should be basic instructions on the inside of the control door.

[Jeffhs]

Even if you cannot get your set to tune above channel 44 (which seems strange, seeing that yours has the keypad and programming controls behind the trap door on the front), there is still a way to get every station in your area regardless of how many channels the set's own tuner can receive. If you have cable, just have the cable company put a converter box in, set the TV's own tuner to channel 3 or 4 (whichever station the box is set to output to), and there you are. (I have an RCA 19" set in my living room I use this way with a digital cable box; it works great on the cable system in my town.) Of course, as Andy mentioned, if your TV is cable-ready and will receive most if not all cable channels in your area, all you need do is hook up the cable directly to the antenna connector in back of the set, set the CATV/antenna switch (if there is one) to CATV (cable) mode, and again, as the saying goes, you are good to go.

Of course, if you want to get premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, etc. you do need a cable box ahead of the set (your cable company's technicians will know how to rig this up). However, if you go this route, you will almost certainly have to select channels (broadcast and cable, as well as the premium channels) through the cable converter, as I am not aware of any kind of setup which uses the cable box only for the pay channels. I don't know how the cable TV system is set up in your area, but the cable system here uses cable boxes with a selectable "RF bypass" option on the setup menu. However, I'm not sure how it is used; to bypass the box so that the set can be used on a standard antenna, or whether it bypasses the box to connect the TV directly to a VCR or other video source such as a video game or DVD player. I don't know whether or not this will allow the use of the box as a dedicated tuner for premium channels, while still permitting the use of your TV's own tuner (and your original Zenith remote) for cable and broadcast channels; I'd check with the cable company for more info on that.

BTW, I just took a look at the picture you took of your set's channel keypad and programming controls. There is in fact a sticker right on the inside of the control panel door (as Andy mentioned there should be, and in fact as all TVs with programmable tuners ordinarily have, so as not to leave a set owner in the dark if he or she should lose the instruction manual), which will more than likely tell you all you need to know about programming the tuner, channel scan and possibly other functions.

The Space Phone function is a rarity among Zenith TVs. It was included in Zenith's high-end sets for just a couple of years in the '80s, then disappeared, as did the zoom feature. If you have a telephone line at your summer home, all you need do is hook the phone jack on the back of the set to the phone jack on the wall or baseboard with an extension cable (using a line splitter if you want to use a standard phone at the same jack), and you're in business. I'll never forget seeing an ad for Zenith Space Phone, which appeared in national magazines shortly after this feature was introduced. It showed three men sitting on a couch in a suburban living room, watching a football game (I think) on a TV equipped with Zenith Space Phone. The men were engrossed in the game when suddenly, the sound of a ringing telephone cuts in over the audio, through the speakers. One of the men hands the remote to the man in the middle and says, "Hubie, answer the television." Man, those Zenith ad copy writers had some wild sense of humor.


Kind regards,

Although I am not familiar with this particular model Zenith, it seems a lot of older CATV ready sets only received channels 02-36 or similiar. I had a VCR from as late as 1991 that only received channels 02-36, and 95-99. I have a 1985 SL-100 Super Betamax VCR that does 02-66 and 95-99 CATV. I also have an early 1985 model Magnavox that only goes up to channel 56 CATV.

If you can't get any channel above 44 or so on CATV, maybe using a cable box or a VCR will work fine instead.

[kc8adu]

i dont remember the chassis number but that set has the imfamous 9-160 module.
iirc the tuner only goes to 36 on cable.
i have a portable that plays well and has space phone and zoom.
the only thing annoying is lack of both bias and drive controls.
cant get perfect tracking.

[H2s04]

I had an exact copy of that set, but it was a chroma color II model with the option of an ultrasonic remote.Unfortunately, I didn't have the space for it, and after about 3 months of trying to sell it, I had to actually drop it off at the dump

Since no one else has asked....what's the 9-160 module? And why is it so infamous? Are the replacements any better than the original, and what other model sets did it come in? Thanks

Anthony

[andy]

The 9-160 was the power supply/deflection board for most Zenith sets made in the late 70's and early 80's. They were plagued with problems, mostly caused by bad soldering.

Thanks for that Andy....so are the replacements superior to the orignals? Or will the same problem re-occur?

Anthony

[andy]

From what I've seen of Zenith boards, you should always carefully check for bad soldering and other problems. I've had very bad experience with replacement Zenith boards. Unless it took a lightning hit, it's usually easier to get the original board working than to replace it with a rebuilt board.

[kc8adu]

i repaired so many of the 9-160 that i can now do them in my sleep.
bad solder joints,caps,ect.
the 19" set i got recently had dozens of bad joints and BOTH sections of the filter cap were open.had a note that the fly was bad.
how the hell did they come up with that?
set had 60v b+
and they expected it to run???