1964 Zenith video

[electra225]

This video is titled for TV, but at about 8 minutes, it shows the big "240 watt peak power" Zenith stereo. I thought maybe you would enjoy the video. The audio is not very good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGSBLcWAHV4

[TC Chris]

That "peak power" claim, popular among manufacturers, is what led the FTC to create their trade regulation rule defining how amplifier power output could be determined and advertised. The numbers had become increasingly far-fetched and untruthful. The public had no way to know how inaccurate the data were. I've told the story before about my buddy who took his brand-new Olson "100 watt" amp to the Mac clinic and found that it was capable of maybe 10 watts total, both channels, continuous. (My Heath AA-22 matched its advertised output, 20 WPC, total 40, at the same clinic).

Chris Campbell

[Motorola minion]

I saw that posted on videokarma. IHMO - Zenith was well on its way that year to burying the competition in color TV. RCA had just started being profitable after making some changes to their color set line. RCA was active and Zenith was attentive. Two areas RCA could not match Zenith in all their tube sets were brightness and high voltage reliability. When it came to fringe reception and good tuners, of more concern for color broadcasts, RCA nearly matched Zenith in this category, besides being easily serviced.

Unfortunately, it would be most of the other also-rans making color TV that Zenith buried, who then were sold 10 years later; Philco - Magnavox - Sylvania - Admiral - Motorola - others.

Two things I heard in this video 10:48 that confused me was the statement that a silicon rectifier replaced the "high voltage rectifier". I think Dave meant low-voltage rectifier because earlier Zeniths used a 3DG4 for LV rect. Second was the non-electric yoke magnet that reduces "fluctuations in fringe areas", actually these were the centering magnets in the yoke that are adjusted with plastic strings. Sales presentations always had something an Engineer would question, but thats OK.

Notwithstanding, Zenith had the BEST sets made then! I just resurrected this 1964 Z over the weekend

[electra225]

I worked for a Zenith dealer on Saturday mornings from 5am to 8 am when I was a kid. The test pattern came on Channel 10 at 6am. My job was to have all the TV sets warmed up and ready for convergence setup when the test pattern came on. Mr Wells would set up the TV sets on a bench with a mirror on the wall, with the backs to the shop. I don't know why he didn't own a B&K TV analyst. He may have done other adjustments that you needed over the air signal to do, I don't remember about that. I started working for him when I was 13 for the princely sum of $1.25 an hour. It was easier and cleaner work than pitching hay bales. Since I got there so early on a Saturday morning, part of my compensation was breakfast. The TV shop was in his walkout basement. His delivery vehicle was a '60 Ford Country Squire wagon.

[TC Chris]

That prompted a thought: how old do you have to be to know what a "test pattern" is? Once broadcasters were on the air 24 hours/day, nobody saw test patterns any more.

Chris Campbell

[Motorola minion]

Great story Electra - Being turned loose on new expensive TVs at that age!!!
I started learning electronics then but was almost 15 when I bought some GE parts at the nearest TV repair shop as its last owner was retiring, telling him I was the last kid in school that knew how to work on tube stuff, he asked "you want to help me over the summer 11-4pm", I said "why not, its 3 miles I can ride my bike here".

What a tough sell to the parents that was . So 4 days a week, I rode along in a 1976 Dodge Colt Mitsu-wagon, him smoking a pipe and making house calls in the country between town and no-tv Amishlands to our SW, he lived in Reading, yet few neighbors knew he was a TV guy. A WWII vet of Army trained at Wyomissing Poly-techinic, Red of Redtronics TV refused to work on anything with transistors. The 1955-70 heyday when four guys once worked in this shop, that's just TV guys on bench not including the appliance repairmen. I still own some of the tube caddy's and the RCA WO-91 oscilloscope- LOL

Channel 6 in Phila had an "Indian head", Sat mornings back when I sneaked into the attic playing with the "old tv" 2 hours before the parents were up thus I was not allowed to fire up the new 71 Chromacolor.
Funny coincidence but the "Cisco kid" came on at 6am and next was Chief Halftown hosting a bowling/cartoon show. Couldn't get CBS on it, or I'd watch the Warner Brothers Cartoons and "Scooby Doo" Channel 8 in Lancaster had the farm report then, so 6 was it!

BTW - The TV in my last post was screenshot on channel 6 WFIL-TV had the longest running kids show too https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traynor_Ora_Halftown

[walyfd]

I remember they'd play the National Anthem every night before signing off. I remember hearing it after Carson went off then it went to test pattern or snow.

[Motorola minion]

I remember they'd play the National Anthem every night before signing off. I remember hearing it after Carson went off then it went to test pattern or snow.

was that NBC on WBRE 28?

[walyfd]

Sure was!