1956 Magnavox Television Restoration

[@Warp2090]

That is a very pretty set

[@KPAproductionStudios1970]

As a person who loves old technology, including 80's TVs and cameras, I say that your videos make my day, even though they don't do anything but just fixing TVs. ❤

[@vinylhound43]

I live in the small city where Magnavox got its start, and I appreciate you saving this old slice of history. Their big marketing pitch around the year this set was made was about the high fidelity sound of their TVs, and it seems like that separate audio amp was in line with that. Some models from this time featured a primitive remote control. Great resto! Always appreciate your channel.

[@tomj4506]

Wow, that one was in good shape ! Right up there with the Zenith service saver console chassii LFOD !

[@oystercreek9]

Good to have you back, Jack. Another challenging resto on a great score!

[@billharris6886]

Nice work Jack! The low contrast and somewhat unstable sweep sync appears to be an AGC problem; the AGC is not producing enough signal amplitude at the detector. I don't know if this set has an AGC level adjust. In the US, the line voltage was kept at 108 to 115 Vac when that TV was manufactured. In the 1970's and 1980's, power companies raised the voltage to what we have today. Since TVs in that day had no voltage regulation, performance degradation was a common problem whenever the line voltage sagged. I use a resistor to drop the line voltage about 10 volts on old tube radios, although this amounts to a significant amount of dissipation with a TV. In addition to dropping the line voltage, the resistor also acts as a fuse and limits voltage surges. The deteriorating deflection yoke covers were a common problem with US made B&W TVs from about 1955 to 1965.

[@televisionforever]

Thanks! Yes, I was looking for an AGC level adjust and don't see one on the set or the schematic.

[@billharris6886]

​@@televisionforever What is the chassis number? I didn't see one in the video. I wanted to look up the schematic, I can tell you which resistor to tweak to change the AGC level if you are interested.

[@televisionforever]

@@billharris6886 That would be very helpful. The chassis is CTD447BA. Sams 291-8. I had to purchase it on Samswebsite but if you email me, I can just send it to you. My email is [e-mail]

[@eDoc2020]

AFAIK the line voltage variation is largely a myth. The 120v spec was officially adopted in 1954 and it reflected changes which had already happened. Here's an excerpt from a 1960 book (GETTING THE MOST OUT OF VACUUM TUBES by Robert B. Tomer): Twenty-five to thirty years ago the standard line voltage was 110 volts. During the years that followed, this voltage kept creeping up until a new standard of 117 volts was agreed upon. The increase is still in evidence today, and many sections of the country now report 125 volts, and in some cases, 130 volts as being not uncommon.

[@chetpomeroy1399]

*Fascinating* video! The higher mains voltages of today can wreak havoc on television sets of that era, and *also* put additional unnecessary strain on the components. I *highly* approve of the period-appropriate programming (The Twilight Zone) being piped into the set. Reminds me so much of the sets we had in the family living room of my childhood.

[@tarcisiomendes2658]

Que legal, peguei uma magnavox de móvel linda aqui no Brasil alguns meses atrás, só que é transistorizada.

[@mikefinn2101]

Great troubleshooting job thanks for doing this video. Nice cat.

[@alexinnewwest1860]

That’s a really nice looking set. Interesting that it’s so sensitive to voltage changes When you get more into refinishing. Don’t use grain filler. Use a sanding sealer and lacquer on top. Grain filler makes the finish more muddy and paint like, and can start to hide the beauty of the wood. Especially if it’s a higher end radio or tv where it’s more of an exotic veneer

[@migsvensurfing6310]

Lucky to have a friend contacting you when this set was available. You did a nice restoration on this set. As Bill Harris said down below AGC could easy be the reason for the way to low contrast and not syncing as well as it should, did you measure voltages ? and use an oscilloscope ? Off B+ and bad tubes can do the ssame. The circuitry simply needs more amplification in the video amplifier.

[@televisionforever]

I did test and change out the tubes in the IF. I'll take another look at the amp section and the 6T8 there. There is no AGC control on the set so I need to take another look.

[@EstefaneAo.Maldonato]

Beautiful love Brazil thanks 🥰👋👋👋👋👋🥰

[@eDoc2020]

That picture looks pretty good but it's just too washed out for me. I personally consider DC restoration necessary for a good viewing experience. If you manage to get more contrast I'm sure it would look better.

[@Kristian-uz8mq]

I have a question for something that interests me, how is the sound quality of these vintage TVs. They have Mono audio, but the speaker has a large diameter

[@bellytripper-nh8ox]

TO JACK SAUNDERS: **I IMAGINE YOU AND YOUR CAT VOMITING 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮 ON EACH OTHER WHILE LISTENING TO "ENDLESS LOVE" BY LIONEL RICHIE AND DIANA ROSS!!** --- ROSEANNE BARR