My 1950 RCA Victor 16" television Family set replacement.

[Bill Cahill]

 

Well, guys, my insanity started here. It was our family television set. In 1950  16" picture was a pretty good size. I was born in 1951. The tv was a little more than one year old when I was born.
The set gvave our family many years of faithful service before it kicked the bucket in 1964.
My mother once kept one of her table lamps on that set, but never the phone, though I think at one time the phone was briefly on a table near the tv.
I am presently working on a replacement for that tv. It has had many major problems, largely due to it being a factory lemon. Put with that years of hard life, it died a horrible smoky death in the early 70's....
I am presently resurecting this set from the dead, and, will be primarily using it to play dvd's, and, video tapes of favorite old tv shows, and, movies.
I have alot of fond memories of the original set. I want to share this with you..... To begin, how about some progress pictures?
Enjoy......
Bill Cahill

[Bill Cahill]

Here are some more pictures of the set....... 
Bill Cahill

[benhutcherson]

Looks like it has a pretty darn good picture, too.

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't today originally supposed to be the big day for broadcast TV?

[AET]

Love the set, I'm looking for one locally to put modern guts in and use in my room, since a LCD kinda sticks out in a room full of 50s furniture.

[Bill Cahill]

A properly restored antique can do just as well.
I'd reccommend against gutting.
Thanks, guys. It is slowly coming along. Another collector who was over a month ago found my intermittent short circuit in hv circuit.
It wa a factory installed resistor on the horizontal output tube. They left  the lead too long, and, sticking around pins of that tube, It was intermittently touching those pin. It would make a loud pop, and, hv would go out.
I also had a problem with nearly no volume on tv.
Found a mechanical short on Audio phase detector.
I have high hopes that this set is nearly done, now.
Bill Cahill

[McHeath]

Really nice set, it's really visually appealing.  My folks had a fab TV they bought when they first got married in 53', and kept it until 93' when they moved to Oklahoma.  It was like new, I mean like new, a great maple case, big 19" screen, all the style of the time, and worked fine.  When you turned it off there was this little white dot in the middle of the screen for a long time, so cool.

They yard sold it for $25.

[JimH]

Bill, I have an RCA TV from about 1950, also.  I got it out of a house they were going to demolish about ten years ago.  I'd always thought I'd like to get it working, but never got to it.  So it sits in my basement:

[Bill Cahill]

Looks like it has a pretty darn good picture, too.

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't today originally supposed to be the big day for broadcast TV?

The end date has been changed to June, but, stations are allowed to change before then. Almost all the stations in my area opted to change last night.
I wonder if "big brother" will now tell us we have to get rid of our tube equipment.
They have in Japan...... 

Bill Cahill

[Bill Cahill]

Bill, I have an RCA TV from about 1950, also.  I got it out of a house they were going to demolish about ten years ago.  I'd always thought I'd like to get it working, but never got to it.  So it sits in my basement:

Ah, yes. Model 6T71. A lower priced set with the budget in mind for the customer.
Still a good performer, though. Good video circuit.
All these sets featured 4 video I F's,  2 Audio I F's,  and, full  range fidelity. All these sets featured the famous RCA "Synchro phase" horizontal oscilator circut for a stable picture, and full stability between channels. A very good feature in my opinion.

Don't re finnish front. That's all photo finnish. It does look very nice, though.
Clean polish hardware, and, wax it, and, you will have a nice looking set.
Set's a nightmare to work on, but, if you don't mind the expense, it will be a good performer.
The parts to look out for that fail the most, follow:
Yoke
Flyback
HV insulated fil. winding for damper on power transformer. Easy fix.
Vertical oscilator transformer. Easy fix.
Tuner
Power cord,
electrolytics
capacitors
mica caps
resistors
and, of course, tubes...
This set has a cabinet power on light below that lights red when set is on.
There is a push-pull on off switch on the contrast control to turn on a light that lights the dial escutcheon.
Set features a Victrola jack on the back so you may play records through tv,
a 12" full range speaker,
2.5 watts of audio power,
tapped volume and tone controls, the volume control acts as a loudness control.
Full 12 channel function  2-13.
300 ohm balanced input, or if wiring change is made at antenna at tuner end, it willalso work as a 75  ohm un balanced input.
Has adjustable agc switch for stable agc switching.
Bill Cahill

[Dan/Panther]

Bill, I have an RCA TV from about 1950, also.  I got it out of a house they were going to demolish about ten years ago.  I'd always thought I'd like to get it working, but never got to it.  So it sits in my basement:

Jim;
I have a set just like yours.
D/P

[AET]

I've been sorta keeping my eye out for a 1951 Admiral Console, with the built in Hi-Fi and everything.  My grandparents got one when they got married in 51 and thought it would be neat to find a match.

[McHeath]

Only PBS here went to digital, the others are still broadcasting analog.  We put a massive antenna on the roof last Fall to get better digital reception, seeing as how we are way too cheap to pay for cable.   

[JimH]

Thanks for all the great info, Bill...I'd like to get it working someday.  I guess now I'll need a digital converter box, of course unless I have it hooked up to cable.

[Bill Cahill]

Looking at UHF, I am wondering if now UHF converters might become popular.
Dan, you have two like that. One, the basket case with the blue grill cloth.
Bill Cahill   

[bingster]

UHF channels aren't going away? Just VHF?  I have a converter... what can I do with it after the transition?