GE Portacolor TV's $249.99 and 25 pounds!

[Cybrvanr]

I went to an estate sale this morning, and saw a beautiful GE porta-color televison that had an excellent picture with a price tag of only $25 on it. I drove back to the house (less than 1/2 mile away) because I had forgot my cash. But when I came back to get one, it was gone someone else had snagged it!

I've always been intrigued by these little sets, as they were the first "portable" color television set made, and the LAST mass-market vacuum tube electronic device to be manufactured. They had a production run from 1966 to 1980 with relatively little changes. Most changes were only cosmetic. They were also the first television to feature an inline gun picture tube that did not need a dynamic convergence system.

One of the neat things I learned about these sets too is that they were manufactured right in my "backyard" in Norfolk VA!

I remember seeing these sets everywhere, as they were popular second TV's As they aged, many got relegated to garages, basements, and shops, but I guess being tube sets, attrition is doing them in, and many are being thrown out now due to deteriorating performance. I hope I can save one, as one would be a really neat addition to my electronics collection

 

[tolivac]

Yes!! I remember those-A good freind of mine had one-we spent many weekends watching shows and movies on it-the largest and HEAVIEST "Tummy TV"!I have also owned a couple of these TV's-sold them off-the ones I had were DISCARDS from TV repair shops-remember those?Just replaced a few tubes and caps and the sets worked fine.Now I wished I kept them.thought they went SS in later years-the original design was a series strung tube chassis with a voltage doubler rectifier.thats interesting on the "in-line" pix tube-thought Sony had originated those-but the idea could be credited to GE.that would explain the HIGH QUALITY picture on these little sets-some TV stations had a few of them around to serve as "off air monitors" in the days before Sonys.Oh-just thought of it-Keith's Portacolor had the nicest roll around stand--was so nice.That was their only color set and they rolled it around the house.Another problem for these grnad old TV's the shortage and faster declining of the odd filament voltage tubes for these TV's-the tube makers discontinued TV chassis tubes YEARS agoesp those for series strung filament TV's--tube numbers such as 35LQ6,3GH8,and so on.The voltage doublers in them just had a couple of silicon diodes that rectified the 120V line voltage and "doubled" it -the rectifier was essentually to half wave units in series.electrolytic caps in the rect circuit would fail and cause the rectifier diodes to fail as well.When you replaced the caps and diodes-the set usually worked OK.and I wonder if the pix tubes for these are still available?

 

[paulg]

Compactron

I too had a resurrected 1966 Porta-Color as a kid. I still admire the design of those units. Full of compactrons but they worked and worked and worked.
A 10" in-line gun color tv that was truly portable was quite the innovation. Most people were still watching their round-tube 21" sets. Hooray for great American innovation.

 

[tolivac]

The very sad thing is that No tube maker today builds "compactron" tubes.The tube makers now focus on audio tubes for Hi-fi and musical instrument amps,and transmitting tubes.Its wild you can more easily get a 4CX15000 transmitter tube more easily than a new Compactron.

 

[whirlcool]

Those little GE Portacolors were really great sets. Of course the space between the dots was very wide, so the picture wasn't all that detailed, but you still got the "60's" style color picture.

Anyone remmeber the radiation scare with the 25" GE color sets around 1964? It seems a bunch of the sets left the factory with the power supply voltage improperly adjusted (too high) and the sets were giving off radiation into the room. They had a huge recall on those. I think that kind of doomed the large screen GE sets for awhile in the eyes of the public.

 

[chad_hauris]

Some of the later 25" GE sets had lead encased HV rectifier tubes to protect against X-rays. The tube is very heavy (3DB3)?
There are fortunately a lot more "new" tubes being made, thank goodness for us in the Jukebox repair business. Several types of tubes used in many types of jukes such as the 7868 and 6973 are being built new. The 7868 is almost a Compactron, it is a large 9 pin Novar base. These tubes were almost impossible to find in the late 90's and if you did they were an arm and a leg.
In our business we see hardly any tube type TV's still going and it is getting harder to find used ones as so many were discarded. However many people want to get tube type phonographs, jukeboxes, and antique radios repaired.

There does seem to be a fairly large NOS base of Compactrons still around that were made for replacement use though.

 

[Cybrvanr]

My Dad's old Fisher stereo receiver uses 7868's They are reading a little low on the tube tester, and I might think about replacing them here soon. I was thinking about replacing them with sovteks, but I also heard that Sylvania is making 7868's again.

 

[chad_hauris]

I don't think Sylvania exists anymore except in name...the last production "Sylvania" U.S. made tubes from the 80's are branded Philips ECG.
Do you have any more information on the Sylvania 7868's?

 

[Cybrvanr]

Sylvania exists as a lamp manufacturer under the name "Osram sylvania". I have heard that they still operate a vacuum tube plant in Williamsport Pennsylvania that is the only vacuum tube plant still in operation, and they turn out a handful of common audio tubes that find their way into the small market of vacuum tube HiFi gear and musical instruments.

I know I encounter many sylvania lamps that are being used in LCD projectors at work. They seem to be one of the largest suppliers of xenon arc lamps for this industry.

Sylvania Home

For over 100 years, SYLVANIA has delivered lighting expertise with reliable headlights and enhanced visibility—putting light where you need it. Shop LED bulbs, fog lights, and off-road lighting from the #1 aftermarket automotive lighting brand in the USA.

www.sylvania.com

 

[tolivac]

Radiation in earlycolor sets-also another HV tube in color sets was a "shunt regulator" tube connected in parallel across the output of the HV rectifier.It served as a "variable load" across the HV rectifier to regulate the HV rectifier output to the pix tube.6BK4 was an example-was commonly used.These tubes--like the 3A3 HV rect-could generate X-Rays-and in some sets the HV rect and shunt reg stages were in lead foil lined "HV cages"And some tubes were in a lead based outer casing.
I used to have a Sansui HiFi receiver that used 7868 tubes in the outputs.You could replace the tube sockets and rewire the stages to use 7591A tubes-these are hard to get as well-but easier to get than 7868.
And of course the Sylvania-Osram lighting equipment plant-another one of the largest maker of HID type lamps.Not only xenon projection lamps-but they also make the more common high pressure sodium,mercury, and Metal Halide lamps for commercial lighting.They also make a wide line of flourescent bulbs and ballasts.