1950 Zenith Porthole Television Restoration

This was a long project in the making. Really happy how the set turned out. Had a lot of troubleshooting to get this set working perfectly. Thanks for watching!

[@jeremytrumble2341]

I have just cleaned my Grandparents barn and I found one of these, however it also has a radio and a record player in the frame as well. I'm in a desparate search to find someone who can restore it. Honestly it's one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

[@ericbelanger6900]

I have Zenith H3475R porthole TV, Cobramatic changer and radio I am restoring. Changer and radios were restored about 10 years ago but I never dared to tackle the TV. Now that I am leaning about these vintage TV circuits I am ready to start on it. Will refinish the top in the spring when weather permits as it is badly damaged. The rest is pretty decent. Nice set with mahogany doors and lion heads pull handles. ❤

[@jeremytrumble2341]

@@ericbelanger6900 would you like to purchase for a small amount the one I have and maybe use it for parts?

[@tra-viskaiser8737]

I was lucky to find a 1921 cabinet radio about this size, everyone at the auction thought it was a liquor stand. Even had the original manual. Finding something like this porthole TV would be a dream. And if it was restored into working condition, I would watch it. A lot of 60s TV shows look better in b&w.. just more relaxing. You guys are so lucky to find such awesome tvs..

[@fixitfox5218]

Absolutely positively gorgeous television. I would sell my soul for such a TV. I look every single solitary night to try to find one of these beautiful Zenith television. But to no avail hopefully the search will end soon with one as beautiful as this one.

[@bauertime]

That movie, Down Sizing, was such a surprise. Great movie.

[@justinellison4214]

Zenith means the best ! FORGET THE REST....

[@danno4081]

You have such an amazing knowledge to be able to bring these things back to life

[@televisionforever]

Thank you so much! I love doing it and I'm learning more everyday

[@whstark]

I loved this , in the past I repaired the small philco's and some other, but mostly old radios and console systems with 75 rpm turntables. Also all the console transistor ones. Old car radios to. But you went so far on this tv, alot of work. thanks for the view of it.

[@televisionforever]

Thanks! It was definitely worth it

[@indigohammer5732]

A Seventy two year old Telly! Wow! Very impressive work, thanks for sharing

[@televisionforever]

Thank you so much! I'm still learning everyday but glad I can get most of my projects working again.

[@misantezdenek5589]

This is AWESOME!

[@seanmeeks412]

Extremely cool TV! You brought it back to life with such a fantastic picture. I often imagine all the historic events these old sets displayed during their life. Excellent job and keep posting!

[@televisionforever]

Thanks so much! It's so rewarding getting these sets working properly again. I'm still learning more and more everyday about these pieces of history.

[@rexjolles]

Dad falling asleep watching Jack parr ramble on about stuff

[@norsemanshorn3988]

​@@televisionforeverWhat state are you located in? I have a early Packard Bell I'd like to watch old stuff on once restored.

[@steventrosiek2623]

Your videos are so interesting and informative. Reminds me of the days when I was a young tv bench repairman back in the late 1970s and 1980s. Miss those days. It was a lot of fun and it was rewarding.

[@televisionforever]

Thanks so much! I wish I could have been around when this was still a career. It is very rewarding

[@z06rcr]

Great work! I recall being 6 or 7 years old and watching this exact set in my grandparents house. Recall the channel selector having a jumper mechanism to skip unused channels. Also recall it always had a bit of buzz in the sound.

[@televisionforever]

Ahh that sounds like a remote set. Maybe a Zenith Space Command set

[@georgef551]

The white lines in the image that fade are part of the copyright protection put into the vertical retrace bar (which was showing in the beginning of this video). To prevent a VCR from dubbing this video, the content has 4 super black/white rectangles in the vertical retrace bar. These cause the VCR to not sync up right, producing an unstable, or at best, a very distorted, noisy mess of a picture. As you mentioned, older TVs (up to the 70s, perhaps?) did not blank the video signal on retrace, so when these super black/white rectangles are drawn in the retrace bar, you see them overlap the image in the retrace lines. TVs of the era had vertical blanking, so you didn't see them.

[@Funkylogic]

Back in the 90s I found this sync chip made by Elentech that was excellent for stripping out the anticopy hammers in the vertical retrace blanking period.

[@evelk5233]

Blank the Signal on Retrace is my new band name

[@maryrafuse3851]

A beautiful restoration. A work of art & science. In many communities across North America TV's were displayed in store windows on Main Street. People would gather outside looking at the pictures and marveling at what they were seeing. For a generation raised on radio this was truly wonderous. Neighbors would gather at the home of the person with the TV. Watching the same shows meant lots of discussion at the office. Today's flat screens have no character or personality. Congratulations on your good work allowing us to see an artifact from our past.

[@televisionforever]

I completely agree televisions these days have no personality. I love that sets from the 1950s-1970s had a sense of character and acted as furniture. I wish I was alive when these sets were first being produced. I bet it was a huge culture shock moving from radios to televisions.

[@maryrafuse3851]

@@televisionforever The shock I think was immense and some of the radio stars could not make the jump to TV. Marshall McLuhan described Radio as a hot media since the human mind had to fill in pictures and color. TV showed pictures and told the story, often far less demanding for the viewer. So McLuhan described TV as cool. I think TV news played far more on the emotional connection and had a more powerful shock effect. Powerful images shaped the viewer's reaction to the story. The study of the end of the radio era and the beginning of TV is fascinating. Also in Britain the BBC had begun TV broadcasts and then with the evacuation of Dunkirk and the Blitz TV broadcasting was shut down for the duration of the war. I think WW2 also ended early TV broadcasts in America & Canada?

[@televisionforever]

@@maryrafuse3851 I also remember reading somewhere that the Vietnam war was really the first war with a lot of footage being broadcasted to people all around the world and showed how brutal war actually was. A stark contrast to how the Army presented itself at the time.

[@maryrafuse3851]

@@televisionforever Sadly my husband remembers this TV coverage, even in black & white it represented war as hell. My husband had 2 US cousins who were in Vietnam. Boy was that a hard time for their families. One was the bomb aimer, sorry I don't know the correct term, the other was a medic. They had different views on the war, one returning to a clean bed after a mission and only seeing the war from thousands of feet in the air, the other seeing the suffering much more directly. Later in life they did get together but it took a long long time.

[@sabbath7081]

Nice find on that static issue. That's a fantastic old TV, KZbin is definitely the place to learn this art I hope this art doesn't die with the old people that used to do it, it's up to all of us now that are still alive to preserve this old stuff.

[@televisionforever]

Absolutely! The people who I’ve talked to who used to do it are usually very helpful and happy to pass their knowledge along. Antique Radio Forums have definitely helped me out with many projects too

[@Asubuhi]

Yeahhh thats a cool tv. I love things from the 50ties. You did a good job 👏 🥰👍

[@cathrynm]

Nice restoration, case is lovely too.

[@maryrafuse3851]

Jack, I have to say how much I enjoyed reading all the comments you have elicited with your beautiful restoration. Like you I appreciate the beauty of the early sets, especially this Zenith. In Canada we had fewer Zenith Sets as RCA and Philips were bigger sellers. After WW2 Philips made a lot of electronics in Canada. This might have been because the Dutch Royal Family lived in Canada during WW2 and the Canadian Army liberated Holland. Just a guess. Your Zenith is mid century magic.

[@televisionforever]

Thanks so much! I really think 1930s RCA radios had the best sound quality and Zenith televisions were built like tanks.

[@maryrafuse3851]

@@televisionforever I noticed your RCA. In Canada RCA's were built in Montreal.

[@fraggit]

I don't remember the picture being that good, back in the day. I suppose it's the transmission quality that has improved since then as well. Stunning picture for a CRT, well done fella.

[@televisionforever]

Thanks so much!

[@frenchmarky]

Yes, you can watch a DVD or use a tuner for today's digital broadcasts. Viewers way back then would have loved to watch TV without the static, interference, weak fuzzy stations etc. I have two portholes that I recapped, fun to watch old shows on these old sets.

[@JasperJanssen]

If you’re generating the analog signal then and there from a pristine video file through a software defined radio, the quality is gonna be sooo much better. In the old days, the “video files” (read: film strips) were already relatively shit quality, then they had to be converted to analog video signals, that’s a lossy process, then they’d have to be amplified and transmitted, that’s a lossy process, and then you’d have to receive the signal, that’s a lossy process, and even if you were right next to the transmitter the picture would have been relatively crap. Let alone if you were some distance away, receiving a weak and several times reflected by mountains signal. No doubt you can tell the SDR to introduce all kinds of signal distortions to make the picture realistically shit.

[@hardyboy1959]

I'm an old dude who remembers the old sets were very prone to static. Just my mom using her mixmaster in the kitchen would produce static on the picture. And who else remembers what happened when an airplane flew over?!

[@gregmonks9708]

The old tv's I used to see as a child in the 1950's were build like domed radios and had tiny round screens.

[@eringatewood5062]

It's painful to watch the guessing what's the exact problem, yet that does eventually work. Very nice set. By the way, not all DVD's have that macrovision garbage. I could never quite get that buzz out of the sound on the one l had years ago.

[@tubespring]

That was a great restoration! Enjoyed watching you progress through the problems.

[@lenbeedle]

Stellar work dude! It's as if you have revived the dead. 😊📺

[@televisionforever]

Thank you! I love doing it.

[@paulb4uk]

Superb picture and a good looking set .

[@televisionforever]

Thanks so much! I love it

[@ignatiousmary8413]

Cool TV!

[@juliangerardcascio1111]

Zenith TV 📺 Radio 📻 & Stearo, s are just the best 👌 👍!!!!

[@vintageradioman]

Love the tv 📺 I really wish I had one very cool. Oh and I like your car too:)

[@semarugaijin9451]

Absolutely beautiful

[@TheGmr140]

wow that's amazing. good luck with restoration

[@RussellFlowers]

"Oh baby, that's what I'm talking about!" "Jennifer Lawrence in nightclothes?" "No the picture on this 70 year old TV!"

[@Inflec]

Cool TV! Here are a few pro tips to help you out: Get the Sam's Photofact set for this television. It is chock full of need-to-know technical data that is indispensable for a project of this sort. Something that would be good to know and will be mentioned in the Sam's is whether this set uses a "split sound" audio chain or an "intercarrier" system (on a set this old it could be either). Knowing which one you have dictates how you fine tune your signal. With intercarrier systems you fine tune by adjusting the control until the picture begins to show "sound bars" (interference that changes in time with the audio). When you see this pattern, adjust the control in the opposite direction while watching the sound bars fade away. The point where the bars _just_ disappear is the point of best fine tuning, giving best picture and sound. If you have a split sound system you pretty much ignore the picture and adjust the fine tuning for clearest sound, much like tuning a radio. You had mentioned a buzz control. This is adjusted for lowest buzz after the channel is properly fine tuned. The AGC control is adjusted using a strong signal until the picture loses synchronization and becomes overloaded (excessive contrast). Then the control is backed off until the picture solidly locks in again. This will provide strong, clear contrast. You may have to retouch the buzz control one more time after doing this to get the best adjustment for clearest sound. Finally, the "hash marks" you saw on screen are artifacts of Macrovision, an obsolete anti copy system that was implemented to thwart copying material with a VCR. If you adjust the vertical hold control to get the picture to slowly roll downwards until the vertical blanking bar is visible you will see what looks like several "blocks" within the bar that change their contrast every few seconds, going from white to gray to black and back again if the signal (DVD) is encoded with this ridiculous system. A TV as old as yours is suseptible to traces of this signal bleeding into the picture. There used to be devices available which would strip out this encoding but these were outlawed years ago, though you might be able to find a used one in a flea market or yard sale. Hope this all helps you

[@televisionforever]

Hey man thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I have been working off of the Sam's Photofact for this set. It has tremendously helped me out throughout the project. Unfortunately, what helps me most is the scans of photos under the chassis to show how everything is hooked up. Some of these early sets and lesser know sets don't have those. They always have the schematic but the photo scans help of what it's supposed to look like to second guess what you're doing. I think I have the set working pretty nicely where it is now. Fine tuning will always be a thing moving forward but I love being able to use this set now with no issues. And yes, Macrovision is a huge pain. I would love to find a device you mentioned that would strip the encoding but I'm sure they are hard to come by.

[@chrisw8069]

Excellent.

[@ki4dbk]

Great to see this!!!!

[@PRH123]

Very very cool…. I would watch that every day…. I used to have a gramophone horn from the 20’s that I rigged up with a speaker and connected to radio, the sound was just awesome…

[@user-nd3jb5pv6z]

Hello good afternoon beautiful Zinith love love love Brazil 🤔💞

[@daleburrell6273]

4:05...it certainly helps if you have an identical working set to refer back to!! Recently, I was trying to fix a Bulova transistor radio: there was no servicing literature available- but I was lucky enough to find an identical working radio on Ebay- but it was stolen from the mail in this building, along with another vintage transistor radio. ...THAT was a real kick in the head!!! I was back to troubleshooting "the hard way", and with persistence- (and a little luck) I discovered that the 2nd IF transformer had a primary to secondary short. The radio is working now. I'm glad that YOU are doing better...(!)

[@byrnejr]

There are a few guys who’s brains I pick. Shango066 and banderson. Nice job

[@visitandolosclasicos]

Found your channel by pure luck and I'm glad it happened,loved this video!

[@JimNichols]

Not in a bad way but you are absolutely insane in the membrane

[@televisionforever]

Thank you haha. I’ve been shocked plenty of times but have learned where not to put my fingers when a set is turned on

[@JimNichols]

@@televisionforever I have had my share of fun working on locomotives when coming across a bad dielectric. Those old TV crts work at some godlike voltages and how I found that out is a whole 'nother story involving cursing, squealing and a small quantity of urine being ejected from me.

[@oacmaadro]

Incredible friend congratulations. Very beautiful. I am a new subscriber. A greeting from Venezuela

[@Peron1-MC]

23:49 holy shit thats clean :)

[@sleeplessengineer1450]

Easily my favorite TV design of all time. I have a few 70s TVs and a tube zenith radio all of which I would like someone to repair.

[@gochagamsahurdiya8225]

Очень интересно и очень нравится восстанавливать старую аппаратуру это круто 👍

[@johnharrill1]

I saw one of these when I was six years old.

[@Nekodaisuki88]

One like for the kitty

[@pieciagoras]

My tumb up is for the shitting cat at the corner. Love that!❤

[@televisionforever]

Thank you! Haha unfortunately my workshop also has the cat boxes.

[@pieciagoras]

@@televisionforever Don't worry, I really like cats. It was such a funny moment when you caught a cat doing a box job.

[@SharpblueCreative]

I want to watch Casablanca on that set.

[@6JM6tube]

Algunas veces las resistencias de alto valor interetapa o las que polarizan los tubos alteran su valor hacia arriba y ocasionan dependiendo de la etapa en que estén conectadas sincronismos críticos que no enganchan correctamente,el AGC también se puede ver afectado por esto, las líneas de retrazado también pueden ser causa de esto si están conectadas a los electrodos del CRT,comprueba este punto. De todas formas el televisor se ve y se oye muy bien,la calidad de la imagen es extraordinaria.👍👍

[@televisionforever]

Thanks so much! These late 40s sets and early 50s sets usually don't have a blanking circuit so the retrace lines are inevitable unless I modify the set which I don't currently know how to do. I've read into it a bit but not enough to do anything about it. I think the image looks pretty good right now. I'm surprised how well the image turned out in the end for being such an old set.

[@stevebabiak6997]

@@televisionforever - blanking circuits tend to apply voltage to what I will call G1 (grid 1), since the voltage involved on that element will not be as high as on G2. You then have to decide whether you would use tubes or transistors to do the job.

[@shiroumxm2052]

jesus.. you are basically some kind of electronic wizard

[@overtaxed79]

You have way more patience than me.

[@dasboot6935]

nice washing machine,,,, l guess these did not become very popular, washing clothes and watching TV at the same time. very cool....

[@TuiCatNZ]

Lines from the dvd player are probably macrovision copy protection.

[@blitzroehre1807]

Spot on! Those old TVs couldnt blank them out.

[@loganjorgensen]

Curious test videos, what no Being John Malkovich or Powder?😄Great job, not easy to massage out static and buzz issues on old TVs. I'd love to get a restored antique TV but out of my price range most of the time, c'est la vie. Cute name for them "porthole" TVs, sure did lose a lot of the corners through a circle shape even with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Was watching a video about old bloopers and lots of in-frame crew members visible probably because the original bezel crop hid them lol.

[@juliangerardcascio1111]

That's a good Zenith TV, I would keep it , I am not a RCA Guy !!!! If you could find 1 to go with your Zenith TV, a Dumont would go Great 👍 👌 !!!!

[@intel386DX]

those round CRTs are so cool :)

[@hotpuppy1]

One thing about static in the picture on old TV's (analog) can be due to all the switch mode power supplies and high frequncy computer stuff that are in everything these days. Picture on analog TV is AM so it can be subject to picking up all kinds of things that the original designers couldn't have anticipated. Of course with analog TV, if you are on the fringes of reception or the weather is bad, you get ghosting, but at least you can get some kind of picture, not like digital where it freezes at best or drops out completely. I had an odd situation years ago with noise in the picture of a late 80's RCA 26 inch. The blinking Christmas lights on the gutters outside put out a lot of trash that the TV picked up.

[@bikdav]

Based on my observations, the horizontal and vertical hold were chronic problems up to near 1980.

[@tomeasterbrook9486]

Seeing this chassis set up on the bench & not in its cabinet just screams electric shock risk!!

[@blitzroehre1807]

No risk, no fun

[@johnnytacokleinschmidt515]

I believe the hash marks are the copyright protection anti-pirate coding on the media.

[@televisionforever]

Makes sense. I found that out when I put on another DVD and didn’t see those lines.

[@video99couk]

Fades in and out just like Macrovision.

[@televisionforever]

@@video99couk Yeah I can't stand Macrovision and the effect it has on these old sets.

[@philipturner5100]

Copy protection on the DVD screws up the blanking period. Causes all sorts of problems

[@donbest5024]

This copy protection crap that's in hdmi cable's sends a single through the cable that pairs to inputs on tv,if you got more stuff attached to tv and left on when switching inputs it will short out your hdmi connections in your tv,that's why I now have 4 tv hooked up to separate to each device,example 1tv blue ray,2 tv satellite, 3 tv dvr off air etc,this new digital stuff is all garbage,Bluetooth audio sux to because of audio delay.when I hooked my stuff up individually using only 1hdmi port,no more problems.

[@journeyon1983]

Another KZbinr has the exact same Zenith porthole tv you have and he said that he cannot totally eliminate the audio buzz. The only time he now hears it is when the background tv show has quiet part in it. His video is entitled "1950 Zenith Porthole Television" and his KZbin name is fwdstuck.

[@televisionforever]

Interesting. I’ll check it out. I actually got rid of the audio buzz actually after I setup a Blonder Tongue transmitter instead of hooking up a DVD player directly. Also all the DVD player, RF modulator and tv were all very close together which I think caused some interference. Now that the set is just picking up the signal with an antenna, I don’t hear any buzz.

[@johnnytacokleinschmidt515]

You do need a test speaker and a cathode current meter for your bench. Check the horizontal output tube cathode current while adjusting horizontal linearity coil. Clean all of the vacuum tube pins with an Emory card or nail file. Overall signal strength still seems weak. Gain in the IF could still be an issue. I thought I heard corona or arcing or discharge. Check in the flyback cage and high voltage rectifier. Make sure the aquadag grounding strap is properly in contact with the tube. You need a couple of good books on TV repair and an oscilloscope. Also make sure you have an isolation transformer. You are very well on your way. I wish you much more future success.

[@televisionforever]

Thanks for the advice! Flyback cage and rectifier are not arcing and the aquadag grounding strap is connected to the picture tube. I might look into the IF stage again, not sure if there is a general IF gain I can easily adjust right? I have a good amount of books I still need to go through and I'm saving up for an isolation transformer. Still learning my way around my oscilloscope but I do have one.

[@johnnytacokleinschmidt515]

@@televisionforever You're doing great and more than I've done in a decade! Stay at it! IF gain not adjustable in a general sense. AGC may effect one or two stages and the RF amp. Tuning on IF stage effects the response curve and overall gain. A gassy tube will cause difficult to trace gain and sync problems. Other items effecting grid bias will cause gain trouble. Somewhat beyond my knowledge and experience.

[@stevebabiak6997]

If there is corona discharge or arcing, you will smell ozone. If you’ve never smelled ozone before and you get a smell in the air around the high voltage components, you will then know what ozone smells like.

[@dontknowbrian]

Wow, just found your channel today! (Sunday, 4/10/22. I had a set similar to your porthole Zenith. I never got to work on my set as it had parts of the high voltage cage missing. It had a metal picture tube. What I always wanted to know was what was that button on top of pictures tube bezel used for? Also do you know a tv guy named bandersontv ? This guys had his channel on KZbin for years and knows tv’s in an engineering way. I don’t know you yet so please don’t get mad at me for saying this but give this guy a nudge if you can’t figure out weird problems with any of your sets as this guy is really knowledgeable and helpful too. Again, it’s my first day watching you there.

[@televisionforever]

Hey thanks so much! Yeah I believe some of the models originally used a picture tube with a metal shield. The button on top of the bezel is actually a knob that spins an internal antenna on top of the inside of the cabinet. It's a flat circular antenna that spins and that knob makes it spin. Unfortunately my set is missing the antenna but I've seen another set that has it. Fortunately, it's not needed since analog channels don't exist anymore. I actually watch bandersontv and shango066. They're my idols and teachers for this hobby. I'm not mad at all haha I'm not an engineer and they are much smarter than I am. I'm still learning more everyday and they help me out a lot with my projects.

[@60gregma]

I was watching "Flea Market Flip" a few weeks ago and someone picked one of these at a flea market. It looked to be in pretty good shape. They desecrated the poor thing by gutting it and turned the cabinet into a bar. Blasphemy!

[@televisionforever]

That's very sad to hear. I hate how these old sets are being gutted.

[@kevtris]

I am guessing those lines are the DVD player's macrovision. The TV is expecting vblank to be, well, blanked and the DVD player is inserting some white in there. The reason for it is it screws up a VCR's automatic black level/AGC, making the recording get brighter and dimmer.

[@livingwaterministries9319]

That's 🔥

[@ShowsOn]

Are those lines from the DVD player caused by Macrovision analog copy protection? How exactly is the DVD image sent to the TV? Perhaps just change the DVD player to 4:3 pan and scan mode?

[@televisionforever]

Those scan lines are Macrovision from the DVD itself. Not the DVD player since other DVDs didn’t have that affect

[@Simcore999]

🤙

[@southernflatland]

Bruh, use a plastic screwdriver to tweak the adjustments! Metal interferes with things while adjusting plus it's a hell of a lot safer for you and the set!

[@user-rt8lw8qw6g]

Телевизор с иллюминатором это самый ранний из всех телевизионных приёмников, у нас 👯таких сроду не было.Даже в советских телевизорах экран был значительно больше,а расстояние от кинескопа до краёв корпуса(на лицевой стороне)были меньше(Ваш постоянный зритель Андрюша Потапов).

[@984francis]

Deoxit and fader lube.

[@Sc0teeBe318]

This is a very helpful video! I actually have a 1952 Zenith tv that I'm working on. It works pretty well but the sound is a bit distorted. It mostly distorts with lower frequency sounds. I've replaced the 6BN6 tube and 12AT7 tube with known good tubes. That didn't help much. The speaker appears to be good. I don't see any holes or tears in it. Any ideas what could be wrong? My tv was electronically restored about 25 years ago. I'm sure by now there could be some things starting to fail again but I'm not sure what to look for. I'm pretty new to these older tube sets. Any advice would be appreciative. I should also mention my tuner knob can be touchy. If it doesn't stay in just the right place the picture will get static or lines flashing through it. I have to go and jiggle the knob to get it clear again.

[@breannafaye6466]

Can you share what an average restoration costs? Or what you charged for these projects? Thanks!

[@makyhsmakyhs6766]

You should reply to the followers demands whatever the answer is. it was just a question , not a big deal !

[@PurpleLover101]

Hello, so I really need your help. I picked up a 1955 motorola, and it has rat poop and pee all over the board, including a rats nest. Of course, I should clean up the rat nest, but what do I do about the layer of rat poop and pee on the circuit board?.

[@litoboy5]

A jewel

[@m.k.8158]

Looks great-you might want to touch the centering up a bit-looks like the image is a bit too high and a bit too towards the right.

[@televisionforever]

I agree. I should hookup my B&K 1077B to display the circle pattern. That definitely helps me the best when it comes to making the image perfect.

[@stevebabiak6997]

@@televisionforever - in the vertical axis, we tended to call it centering. In the horizontal axis, we tended to call it phase, because the adjustment is made to the horizontal oscillator to move the point where the edge changes on its waveshape.

[@MacStalker]

I just got one from an estate but doesn’t work. Looks like it has all the bulbs and stuff but no picture on screen. Can hear static. The switch on the front is loose so that might be broke too. No idea what do from here.

[@televisionforever]

Refrain from turning it on again. It most likely needs to be restored. First thing that usually fails in these sets are their electrolytic capacitors. Located in the power supply. I would reach out on the Vintage Television Collectors group on Facebook and see if there’s someone near you that can help you out.

[@Rangerman9404]

I find it odd that you don't have a test speaker kicking around for situations like this where the speaker is mounted to the cabinet instead of coming out with the rest of the chassis

[@televisionforever]

I agree. I didn’t want to remove it from the cabinet cause it was just another thing to put back. I probably would have if I had a bigger workspace. I’m currently working in a two bedroom apartment with a small workspace so space is limited.

[@baileybroton4800]

I just bought one of these and have been looking to get someone to get the picture working.. who would do something like that? Television repairmen?

[@televisionforever]

I would post photos and location on the Vintage Television Collectors group on Facebook. Plenty of people in that group that also restore sets all over the US.

[@rogertyler3237]

Have You Checked All The Video Tubes? Sometimes Like What You Said It Could Be A Peco Farrot Cap. &The Tuner can Cause Issues. I Temember My Folks Had An Old 1967 Zenith & That Thing Lasted Till 1983. Now That's A Dammed Good Track Record For Lasting Almost 16 Years.

[@tableseven8133]

Retrace line are from to high of brightness gain or the high voltage is to high.

[@JoseBarbosaa]

Muito bom gostei 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@danforbes3573]

Nice Job. Cool Tv too. How did you manage to hook up ypur digital tv box to it?

[@tomfranco4866]

Vertical circuits are very touchy you've got to replace Parts with the identical values of everything

[@evelk5233]

The Commander was still alive in 1950

[@joacwoot]

Connect a modern PC to it! Bet a video like that will get a TON of views. :)

[@swifty1969]

Playing gta v on that thing.

[@stevebabiak6997]

Might be hard to do. A conversion circuit of some sort would be needed, since these TVs had something like 525i resolution vertically (262.5 lines, with interlace “doubling” that) at most since that includes the blanking interval, and at most 700 pixels horizontally (again, blanking interval is included). Not impossible, but the high resolution graphics of today can’t be displayed crisply on such an old TV.

[@joacwoot]

@@stevebabiak6997 Oh yeah, it will probably suck and not be practical at all. But could still be a fun thing to try :)

[@pedersteenberg2010]

wow smokes wow

[@finlayfraser9952]

Can you still get an analog signal?

[@televisionforever]

No I can’t. Analog channels are dead in my area and most of the US

[@makyhsmakyhs6766]

Hi Jack : continous problem : How to get rid and eliminate the interferences and broadcast noise in the majority or all the vintage antique radios, thanks .

[@televisionforever]

Most likely it is the capacitors that need to be replaced. Most likely the electrolytic ones before anything else. Also, spraying the potentiometers with electronic cleaner will help.

[@makyhsmakyhs6766]

@@televisionforever thanks Jack it's a common problem in all the vintage antique radios even the repaired and restored one, some technicians say its because of the antenna but most of them when they sell on KZbin videos , they claim that all the components are replaced , but the interferences still exist. so what is the precise final solution please !

[@TravellingNomad81]

How did you convert modern TV signals to work with this TV? Thanks.

[@televisionforever]

A VCR or DVD player with a coax cable output and a 75-300ohm transformer converter will display a signal just fine.

[@katej.velvet4609]

it looks like the screen of a "homemade" terminal from Fallout 4

[@eddiejones.redvees]

How things have changed over the years we got a good discount on a Sony 3D when they were all the rage we never use the 3D part now found it gave you an headache I have now been retired from the telecommunications industry for 3 years now when I left fibre to the home was being installed in the U.K. but it is taking a long time to get around to everyone so the is still a lot of copper wires in use

[@johnharrill1]

That was 1952. Not many people had tv sets.

[@dream4845]

Today guys I will be beating Minecraft on a 1950s tv

[@longhairscorpio3976]

ahh yes the "radiation king!!"

[@dazzfromaus4797]

Try to pass you're knowledge on to the younger generation in order to preserve these fantastic vintage sets as well as their history while we still can.

[@televisionforever]

I’m only 28 so I’ve still got a ways to go in learning and passing this info along. I try to help anyone who reaches out for info on their sets

[@plutoicoc]

Best

[@stephenf3952]

Do you ever sell these restored tvs?

[@televisionforever]

I've sold many restored tube televisions. Mostly because I don't have room for all of them.

[@bubbapaws1]

Potty mouth is not necessary, other than that, great job

[@stevebabiak6997]

Be very careful in anything to do with that picture tube - it predates the use of tension bands on the faceplate that limit the electron gun being shot out through the faceplate in the event of an implosion.