Recommended television

[PaulR]

I have several old radios and unless something very special turns up I cannot envisage buying many more. Ii am therefore toying with the idea of overcoming my apprehension and trying a TV from the 50s - the smaller the better, and without mains EHT of course.

There are often several examples on ebay and iI would like some guidance on what sets are best avoided due to known weaknesses, and any that can be recommended. The other hurdle is SWMBO - I doubt that recommendations there would be helpful!

Any help wouild be greatly appreciated.

Paul

[Ed_Dinning]

Hi Paul, it can only be a TV22 or 24 by Bush. Plenty about and very easy to work on.

Ed

[PaulR]

Of the two I think I prefer the TV24, but what about LOPT problems with them?

[evingar]

Originally Posted by PaulR

Of the two I think I prefer the TV24, but what about LOPT problems with them?

The TV24 is going to be cheaper to buy by a long chalk - the internals of the 22 and 24 are essentially the same. LOPTs can be re-wound and the abundance of both sets means an increased chance of being able to get spares when sets with dead tubes are "broken up".

[Duke_Nukem]

As regards the TV24 being cheaper, there is a proviso; chances are the cabinet will be tired and The Better Half wont let that anywhere the front room looking like that. So unless you can do the woodwork yourself, TV24 + paying to get cabinet refinished is more than a TV22. Just a thought.

Don't discount the little Pye 9" sets. Not quite as common as a TV22 but not that far off and definitely more of them about than TV24's.

Also a quick vote for the Bush TV43 - larger screen than the TV22 but same size cabinet and having a rectangular CRT means a little cheaper too whilst being more watchable with its larger screen.

Alternatively, a mate has a vintage car. You know, I swear he secretly hopes it'll develop a fault, any excuse to get out there on a Sunday afternoon armed with a box of spanners ready to have a good old tinker with it. If that's your style I heartily recommend the HMV1807 / Marconiphone V53

TTFN,
Jon

[mark pirate]

I agree with Jon, the little Pye sets, such as the LV20 or LV30 are worth getting, the tubes always seem to be ok, and are easier to work on than the Bush TV22/24.

You could get a mid fifties set, but these tend to be a bit bulky, but are cheap enough for a first foray in to vintage TV.

Mark

[PaulR]

Thanks for the further suggestions. The TV22 always looks a bit "twee" to me hence my preference for the TV24. If the cabinet was tatty but basically sound I would be fairly confident in refinishing it.

Having said that I could very easily fall for one of the Pye sets. They look as if they are from a much earlier age - perfect!

I already have a classic car so maybe the EMI sets would not be for me.

Paul

[mark pirate]

The TV24 is a worthwhile project, they are basically a TV22 in a wooden cabinet with a larger tube, they are also affordable, I bought A nice clean one last month for a fraction of the price of a TV22

Mark

Here are some photos to whet your appetite....

[PaulR]

Yes, I think the TV24 is how I expect a 50s set to look

[Boom]

The main problem I have had with TV24's are that the 12" CRT's tend to have very fine cracks around the edge of some of them usually going almost right through the glass.

Maybe it is just my luck of the draw but I haven't come across one totally free of these (stress?) cracks.

[mark pirate]

I would not worry about the defects in the glass, they were like this from new
This seems to affect both Mullard and Mazda tubes, it is scary to see the bubbles and dings, but they have survived over sixty years like this, but it is still wise to treat them with great care (and eye protection!), I have not had one go pop yet....

Mark

[Boom]

Originally Posted by mark pirate

I would not worry about the defects in the glass, they were like this from new

No Mark these are not bubbles or dings they are actual splits in the outer rim of the glass of considerable length often going right through the glass with only the vacuum holding it together. I believe their cause is long term stress.

Strangely I have not seen it on 9" tubes.

[Nickthedentist]

That's a regular subject of debate on the forums, see here for example: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?p=391773

[mark pirate]

No Mark these are not bubbles or dings they are actual splits in the outer rim of the glass of considerable length

I have had a 12" round tube that had what appeared to have a crack at the very edge of the face plate, but when the tube was tried in a working set, it was possible to see that the 'crack' seemed to be just under the outer surface of the glass, as the tube showed no other visable defects and the emission was good, I fitted it to back in to the restored set, but marked the ends of the defect to see if it was spreading, but it shows no sign of getting worse over three years later, the set has seen use in that time, so it would have gone through a few heating/cooling cycles which I think could have caused it to spread further.

But I would stress that these tubes can be very dangerous due to a defect such as this, and could possibly implode without much provocation. I always handle with extreme care, if in doubt, don't risk it as your eyesight is not replaceable!

Mark

[Jonster]

It's well known that glass gets brittle with age, I would not be surprised if some of the earliest CRTs 'let go' of their own accord in the future. The oldest pre-war CRTs are nearly 80 years old now and I think that spontaneous implosion will become more of a problem as these sets get older.