Early to mid 50's MagnavoxTV

[Hydrolastic]

Hello Guys, I find these early combo TV's very appealing. I would like to get one to restore and get working it doesn't have to be a top of the line unit. This one the CRT seems even all across it and doesn't have the fading on the edge. (it's local) What model is this? Are we talking a monumental task to get working again. I know that depends on its condition but I am talking in general. Hydro

[electra225]

There should be a tag somewhere on the back, probably a metal tag, maybe on the TV chassis, that would list the model number. I would test the picture tube or have it tested, before I made the commitment. If the "jug" is bum, you might be out of luck. Otherwise, with time, patience and a bucket full of capacitors, you should be able to get it going. We would be happy to help if you get stuck. We have a member on this forum who is well-experienced with TV sets. Nothing quite like a Stereo Theater-like contraption. They are electronic works of art. You've gone thru a Concert Grand. You shouldn't have a problem getting the combo going again. Good luck.

[Motorola minion]

I have been working on this 17" rectangular crt Magnavox TV but this TV looks like a 12" round CRT, though the controls are similar.

The tag reads "model MV-33J" and there are no useful numbers stamped on the chassis. By luck, I found it in Sams # 151 under NONE of the numbers found on the set . Riders or Beitmans might have a listing by referencing chassis "CT301 or 104 series models"

The combination unit in that ad is pre-1952, missing the CD marks on the AM dial. I think it may have a similar chassis as the set I'm working on and if that is the case, I say go get it! These are well-designed and this one responded well to just a recap and repairing what I think is the original issue, an open vertical blocking transformer. I got a Merit NOS replacement from Moyers Electronics, when I was up that way last month.

[electra225]

It's nice to hear someone say something good about a Magnavox TV. Such comments are rare in the world of old TV restoration.

Most of the guys on the TV forum think only an RCA or Zenith is worth messing with.

[Motorola minion]

It's nice to hear someone say something good about a Magnavox TV. Such comments are rare in the world of old TV restoration.

Most of the guys on the TV forum think only an RCA or Zenith is worth messing with.

Stan Prentiss wrote a great TAB-books service manual for Mag's color sets 1964-69. Magnavox offered great factory support on their TV's before North American Philips bought them in 1974. As a junior tech, I worked for a few dealers that sold new sets 1979-84, as that support ebbed away for good, many franchises were dropped.

I generally considered Magnavox TV along with RCA due to many similarities. Sure they both were decently constructed but RCA had the edge on tuners and RF sections, compared to less-complex Magnavox. The problem was that the use of PC boards introduced heat-related connection failures when they were used long hours, like many others.

Been on that TV forum for 12 years and opinions are variable. The retired TV old-timers ( me included here) on that forum saw bad examples from ALL manufacturers. I have been able to fix both the extremes but I never insulted a customer's TV brand choice in their presence. Repair records listed in old consumer reports confirmed what many relate anecdotally.

Tradeoffs are everywhere in these old sets:

1. GE had slick marketing but only just "good enough" since 1957 when they stopped making dip-soldered, hand-wired chassis. And like Muntz, Airline, Silvertone they used fewer parts and more conventional circuits. It made them E-A-S-Y to understand and repair but ultimately they did not work as well or last as long.

2. Zenith and Motorola are bulletproof survivors, Zenith was just a tad more refined but could be very tough to diagnose due to more sophisticated circuits (extra parts). Motorola sold TV division Quasar to Matsushita in '74 and became competitive again. They were both forced to use printed circuit boards starting with the solid state transition.

3. Admiral, Sylvania and Philco were quality manufacturers from the beginning of TV but had tough competition by the 70s. Sylvania (GTE) bought Philco in 1974 and it became a discount brand then NAP bought both from GTE in 1982, accelerating their demise.

4. RCA was a pretty consistent innovator/competitor from the beginning but took a dive when GE's "Neutron Jack" flipped the apple cart . The CRT plant in Lancaster hemmoraged talent starting in 1985, when retirements were epidemic as evidenced by near-daily obituaries in our paper that mentions RCA as a past employer.

[electra225]

I haven't messed much with TV. We always bought RCA TV sets at home, partly because they were built in Bloomington. And everybody could work on one, parts and service information was plentiful. Plus, Cousin Calvin was an RCA dealer. Mr. Wells had the Zenith dealership, and would work only on Zenith. He also had a service contract with Mr. Sylvester, the local haberdasher, furniture dealer, jack of all trades, all under one roof who sold Magnavox. My future step dad was the GE/Packard Bell/Sylvania dealer. He would work on anything, but hated working on TV. We had good service from RCA. Only rich folks had Magnavox. You had to go into town before you saw anything like that.

[Firedome]

"Only rich folks had Magnavox." Curious as to why, if anything RCA and Zenith were priced as high or higher.

[electra225]

RCA and Zenith were not higher if you bought a Magnavox from Homer Sylvester. He charged extra for you to come thru his door and have the honor of his presence. His store was one of the neatest ones I have ever been in. There was a big fan running above the entry door. It was three story, with big staircases leading to the upper floors. Probably 10 or 12 feet wide. Appliances, TV's that kind of thing was on the main floor. Furniture on the second floor, clothing on the upper story. There were ceiling fans that ran with a long belt, all powered by a single motor. There were little cable trolleys to send money down to the cashier office on the main floor. He charged $7.95 for PF Flyers when you could buy them anyplace in Indianapolis for $4.95. Even L.S.Ayres was cheaper. You could buy almost anything you needed at Sylvester's other than a car or groceries. AND, it was high-priced. He probably got $1500 out of a Concert Grand if he ever sold one. He sold lots of Magnavox instruments.

[TC Chris]

There were little cable trolleys to send money down to the cashier office on the main floor.

The Bay City Cash store had the cable trolleys when I was a kid. Knepp's did not. You had to walk halfway up the back stairs to the mezzanine to pay the cashier there. Seems to me that Oppenheim's had a vacuum tube transport system. Yeah, modern life is not nearly as interesting as it was back then.

Chris Campbell

[Hydrolastic]

Hello guys, I have tried to contact the seller without success. It is a nice unit I like the idea that it could work again and done right it could make it to 100 yrs old.

[electra225]

Keep your eyes open, Hydro. Stereo Theaters come up for sale frequently. Good luck finding what you are looking for.

[William]

There is a beautiful Magnavox combination here in Michigan for sale, but they want too much for it and the shipping would kill you.

https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/atq/ ... 57468.html

Bill

[Motorola minion]

I don't think Magnavox made more than a few versions of that TV chassis, I must say it was a workhorse, just not as refined as an RCA.

Its hard to look up in Sams Photofact using any numbers you actually FIND on the set good luck.