Oldest TV you're still using - Page 2

xraffle: A few days ago, I bought a 1992 vintage Sony Trinitron KV27TS35 at a "PC Recycle" shop for $20. Very nice SD CRT, but it weighed almost 90 pounds to lug home. Nice addition to the house!

My oldest analog tube set is a Proscan PS27122 built in April of 1994. Used daily, with one repair about 5 years ago. This set has a great digital comb filter and puts out a better picture than new cheapo tv sets. I don't notice scan lines on this set nearly as much as current CRT analog sets.

I'm still using a 10" General Electric color TV I bought new back in 1982. Its never needed a repair and will probably outlive me. I love its simplicity and the fact you don't have to have an engineering degree to use it. There's something very satisfying to actually use knobs to turn it on, change channels, and adjust the color.

My dad used to have an old RCA CRT with the big dial knobs on it for changing channels etc., I swear it had a higher resolution tube than my 2001 model analog Sony wega CRT ..the RCA didn't have any visible scan lines and everything just looked a lot crisper and detailed.

We have a 34 year old 19" Sony Trinitron floating around the family still. My parents bought it in 1973 and was the main TV in my household until 1985. In 1985 they handed it to my brother and then a year later I got it. Since I was a kid living at home I thought it was pretty cool having my own TV in my bedroom. A few years later I started my AV hobby and bought a cheapo 25" set and the old Sony made its way into a guest bedroom. Finely over the years as TV's were replaced the old Sony had to find a new home. So it was donated to a family member or two and it now resides in my uncles garage so he can watch TV while he works on his cars and motorcycles. This garage is not heated and fairly moist so it can't be good for it but last I heard it still works. You gotta love that Solid State technology as it had it plastered below the channel and video adjustment dials. Oh BTW it had an auto mode for the hue. No idea what that really did but the picture never looked right with it on.

A few years after buying the first Sony my folks bought a 13" version for the bedroom and later it founds its way in the kitchen. It was much the same but looked a hair more modern. The 13" set died around 1997 but it was on pretty much 16 hours a day. This 13" set was replaced by a 32" Sony Trinitron in 1997 that died in 2005. So Sony don't make them like they used to it would seem.

These 2 TV's started a trend that every TV had to be a Sony. This lasted until 2001 when Sony bought a company I worked for and then ran us into the ground and everybody got laid off. So no more Sony for me if I can help it.

I have a 1968 Montgomery Ward 12 inch Airline color tv. It was in regular use until 1977, stored unused for 2 years, put back in service in 1979, retired again in 1984, back in service again in 1989, retired again in 1993, back in service again in 1999, retired again 1 year ago. Still in working order, but picture doesn't fill the screen completely anymore. I am going to get an ATSC converter box in case I decide to use this or other old tv's again. I have several old black and white tv's (oldest 1978) working but in storage for many years. I also have a 1985 Zenith VCR that still works and is used occasionally. It had one repair in 1994. I have a 1984 Quasar microwave oven that still works great and is used regularly. I also have a late 40s vacuum (bought used, I'm not that old) that is used about once a year to suck up dust and spiderwebs in the garage. The oldest thing of all that I own is an 1825 50 cent coin.

Retired a 12/1990 SONY KV27HSR10 27" Trinitron CRT to the Palm Beach County, FL Solid Waste Authority last year. It apparently developed the infamous SONY IF block problem (cracked solder joints) so the tuner didn't work any more. It still had great video from its line and S-Video inputs but you had to wait 15 - 20 minutes for the sound to come on. Sometimes the sound never came on...

I really liked that set and I was going to get it fixed but it weighed 180 pounds and once I got it down the stairs from my 2nd floor condoI decided that it's never going back up! So now I'm watching the Y2K 20" SONY WEGA that used to be in the bedroom until I decide which plasma TV to get. (Probably one of the new Panasonics that are coming out in the spring.) I also own a 1985 SHARP 9" AC / DC set that still works but it's in the garage.

RCA must've made a good tv way back cos we still watch an old b&w RCA now and then.
Not sure exactly the age however its in all of my baby photos and I'm 44

It says "New Vista" on the top and its dark grey and white and says "RCA Victor" below the screen which is about 15".

Like you say prossi, it really warms a room!! But she always fires up.

PS I should mention that ours is an affirmed CRT household. They range in size from 13" to 34" (the Sony KD-34XBR970) We have a total of 8 around the house, even the basement.They are all working tv's and used on a regular basis.

I have a Sony KD-34XBR2 it's a 34" 16:9 with built in HD tuner. And a Loewe 38" Aconda.

i have an Sony KV-1442ME2, i am using it last 20 years

I'm a professional restorer (since 2002) and hobbyist collector (since 1978) of vintage NTSC televisions, both B/W and Color. The oldest RESTORED / WORKING set in my personal collection (viewed about once a week) is a 1947 RCA model 721TS with a 10" round CRT and "Channel 1" poosition on its dial. Channel 1 was decommissioned for TV broadcasting by the FCC in 1948 and its frequencies re-assigned to other classes of service since then (the 10-meter Amateur band, and 46- and 49-MHz short-range consumer radio devices such as cordless telephones, R/C toys, etc.).

The oldest set in my collection (awaiting restoration, delayed by shipping damage after its purchase on eBay) is a 1946 RCA model 630TS, which is also a 10" B/W "Channel 1" model.

As for Color sets, the oldest that I personally own and watch regularly is a 1962 Dumont model C100. That set is actually a "clone" of the RCA CTC-11 chassis, marketed under the Dumont name under license from RCA. My oldest Color set not based on an RCA chassis design is my 1963 Zenith (featuring the rare Zenith 27KC20 chassis). Since I just acquired that one (about two weeks ago) and the cabinet will need quite a bit of work, it's not in the Restored category yet. My oldest RESTORED Color set in the Non-RCA Design category is my 1965 Zenith chassis 24MC32.

I've seen a working 1954 RCA CT-100 at the Early Television Foundation museum (earlytelevision-dot-org) where I attend Collectors' Conventions annually.

This 1947 Stromberg-Carlson model TV-12 belongs to my girlfriend, Jamie. Her collection now consists of three Restored B/W sets, one Unrestored B/W set, but no vintage Color models (yet).

The 1958 Sylvania model 31C304M (restoration in progress) belongs to my Cabinetry Specialist, Todd. The '58 Sylvania is the earliest Color set in Todd's collection. Todd also has several vintage B/W sets in his collection. His oldest Restored set is also a 1947 RCA 721TS. My Assistant Technician, Dave, has a restored '59 RCA model CTC-9 in his collection, his oldest working Color model. Dave also owns several working B/W sets and multiple working Color sets. As I remember, Dave's oldest working set is a '49 model.

Actually, I have two fully-restored 1947 models in my personal collection. This is my other '47, a Dumont model RA-103D "Chatham" nicknamed "the Doghouse" for its distinctive "trapezoid" cabinet shape. Also noteworthy about the Dumont and Jamie's '47 Stromberg-Carlson is their use of a continuous-coverage tuner. Dumont sets and licensed "Dumont clones" like Jamie's set used a Mallory "Inductuner" which tuned continuously from 44-216 MHz (TV channels 1-13) like a radio dial. TV channels 1-6 were individually marked on the dial between 44-88 MHz, the 88-108 MHz FM Broadcast band was next, then Aircraft/Police frequencies (not individually marked), and finally TV channels 7-13.

The oldest set I've personally restored to date is a 1946 RCA model 621TS (for a client in California). The RCA 621TS is a 7" B/W "Channel 1" model, which was an earlier version of the circuitry eventually used in RCA model 721TS. The 621TS is also noteworthy because its original design dates from 1941 (originally intended to be introduced as "model TT-7" for the 1942 model year). The 621TS cabinet was designed by famed "Machine Age" cabinetry artist John Dos Vassos, designer of cabinets for all of RCA's Pre-WWII models (tabletop model TT-5, and console models TRK-5, TRK-9, and TRK-12).

The NEWEST set permitted in my home is also almost Vintage. It's a 1990 Magnavox MTS-Stereo/PIP Monitor/Receiver, "Assembled in Greenville, TN." Since we're celebrating Independence Day here in the U.S., I'll mention that my personal opinion is that American-made consumer electronics have a well-deserved reputation for the best quality in the industry, backed up by the fact that it's still possible to bring exceptionally old American sets back to working order with just a few hours' work devoted to simple maintenance.

Despite being nearly 20 years old, my 1990 Magnavox set has NEVER needed a single repair. The only times I've ever removed the back cover were for routine dusting of the chassis once per year to maintain adequate ventillation and prevent other possible problems associated with the accumulation of household dust inside electronic equipment.

1987 or 1988 Mitsubishi 20-inch set. It was out of service for a couple of years because of a blown fuse. It's been been passed between my kids but is now in a bedroom where it's used almost daily. Main TV now is a 27-inch 2006 Toshiba D47 standard def w/NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners which replaced a 1995 Zenith 27 inch which overscanned to the point that news crawls were invisible.

1969 Vintage Sylvania D12 25" with many tubes inside it. It's not the best picture, but works well enough if used on occasion.

Have a 1982 portland 13" tck405p rotary tuner color that i have in my shop. still going strong and has a decent pix and sound, haven't had a problem yet. Channel 3 a bit snowy, corrected by spraying tuner contacts. volume on/off knob missing, don't know where to get replacement.

1980 Hitachi 20" crt non remote used in spare bedroom sparingly but still looks good.

Generally the progession in my household has been the older tv's get passed down to the kids, as the new ones replace them....So finally my 4year old daughter has the last tube tv in use in the house(with the exception of the kitchen tv, a 13" color tube).....My son finally earned a 37" flat panel LCD set so his younger sister got his 32" JVC D-series tube set that was circa 1998-2000... The set was not HD ready but did have component inputs, and the picture quality is still just like new!!!!!

Can I be a child in your household?

LOL....Sure, dont worry my wife looks in my son's room and shakes her head too..........

I have a 1979-model 26" RCA Colortrak in a massive 4-foot-wide pecan console traditional-style cabinet in my living room. It is attached to a satellite receiver through its single RF-only input. Although it has channel 2-69 (non-cable) digital tuning, I remember that the same model with remote control was a $100 option. Back then I decided that the remote was an expensive frivolity if I was too lazy to get up to change to one of the other 6 or 7 OTA channels of that time (long before the advent of cable/satellite channel surfing!)

God I miss those old Disney shows! I wish they were available in DVD or BD, those were the days and would love to show them to the grand kids.

Mike

Hmm, i was never too much of a Mickey Mouse fan, but Tom & Jerry FTW.

I believe i've posted here earlier but i can't find my name so... I have a 21" Nokia TV that i got for free from my neighbours and fixed for $15. It had this reddish tint to it (tube partially shorted) but a couple months ago, when i was watching a documentary on paranormal phenomena (nice coincidence), the red went out, and a few seconds later it came back, but it came back without the reddish tint, the picture was perfect. Since then, when i turn it on, for about 10 minutes it'll have the red tint then it goes away. It's made in 1990 btw.

@ Amptech Systems, great collection you have there. I want some of those!

1954 RCA ctc5 deluxe chassis.Wideband chrome demod. wide gamut ntsc phosphors.Not to bright but excellent color.Works like new.Better reds than my KV40XBR700.Better blacks than ptae3000 projector on 114" carada 1.3 gain screen.

1983 Magnavox 19" w/fake wood grain cabinet. Still has a great picture that's pretty sharp. Sharper than most 19" tubes I've seen lately.
...Just took it in for a power relay replacement... it's worth keeping around. Could've done it myself, but couldn't find the darn part anywhere; figured a local shop would have one, and that it'd be something fun for them to tear into. Basically when I first got it, it wouldn't turn off sometimes (who cares), but lately has been deciding to turn itself off randomly (not cool).

Made in U.S.A. too. Can use a universal remote on it, as I somehow lost the original that took a 9 volt and had 3 emitters on the front. Coolest remote ever, and I lost it long ago

Also have a 27" Panasonic from '01 w/component input still has a great picture too. Not getting rid of that thing until it dies completely! Even "HD" from cable looks fantastic on the thing (S-Video or Component... currently using S-Video as Component is for DVD).

...The old Magnavox (and plenty of older tubes) were more "grey" in color when off, whereas the Panasonic (and newer tubes of many types) are "black tinted" ...what does that actually do to the picture besides increase contrast a little? Is it actually "better" to have a black tinted tube? Just got me curious I guess... Can't seem to find much on the 'net about this subject either...

The new tubes have anti-glare treatment. The brightness actually goes down, the contrast is improved a little, but ambient light or sunlight reflections are greatly reduced.

However, as the anti-glare treatment is simply a plastic film on top of the glass tube, you'll be REALLY pissed off when it starts tearing. So my advice is to be careful what you use to clean the "black" tubes. I just bought a 21" IBM P275 monitor (Trinitron tube) and it has a little scratch in the anti-glare film. It's not enough to be annoying, but i will take off the film sometime soon. Window blinds have been invented for a reason.

Or i wish i could grab some coating from another display and patch it into the scratch. I have no idea of what glue to use though.

I have a 1972 Sony Trinitron KV-1201 that is semi-retired in our guest bedroom. I bought this set right out of college and it roamed the country with me until around 1980. It now only gets used a few times each year. The picture isn't as sharp as when new, but for a 36-year-old it does quite well.

A few weeks after I bought it and mailed in the registration card, I got a hand-signed letter from a Sony bigwig, postmarked Toyko, thanking me for my purchase.

I have several 20+ yr old CRTs in use!!

I have an early-mid 80s NEC 26" tube, still used often...

I have a mid-80s Mitsubishi 26" tube in a CONSOLE that I have tucked into the closet of the office (with the sliding doors removed). The audio seems to take a while to come up these days, but I use the RCA preouts with an old NAD receiver and it's all good.

I have an early 80s 13" MGA (Mistubishi) that I just took out of commission.
It still works, and will be the seasonal garage set at the new house.

RCA/Proscan MM36110 HDTV..................2002 and still going

A 1/2 mile move and a year later, my 26" JVC is still pumping out a fine picture.