Category Archives: Television History

1949 Air King Model A-2012 TV

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1949NovRadioRetailingSeventy-five years ago, this was one of the lowest prices on a console (or, to be fair, a “consolette”) teleivision. The Air King model A-2012 featured a 12-1/2 inch screen, and more importantly, a retail price of only $239.95 (or ten dollars more if you wanted mahogany).

You would undoubtedly be the first on your block to have a television, but even this budget model was expensive, since the price tag translates to over $3000 in today’s money.

But things were booming, and you could always cash in a war bond or two. This ad appeared in the November 1949 issue of Radio Retailing.



Motorola Radio & TV, 1949

1949Oct17Life

Seventy-five years ago, if you wanted to see the most exciting radio and TV show, all you had to do was go to your nearby Motorola dealer. This ad appeared in Life magazine 75 years ago today, October 17, 1949.



Patton Bros, Benton Harbor, MI, 1949

1949SepRadioNewsSeventy-five years ago, these servicemen with the Patton Brothers firm of Benton Harbor, Michigan, speed up television repairs thanks to the use of modern test equipment. Because of the 6 MHz bandwidth of the TV signal, this includes the need for a sweep generator covering the entire TV broadcast range, with a sweep of at least 10 MHz.

The device is discussed in detail in the September 1949 issue of Radio News, on whose cover this illustration appears.



Starting a Home TV Repair Business, 1974

1974AugPEFifty years ago, the August 1974 issue of Popular Electronics offered some pointers for hobbyists thinking of going into business for themselves repairing televisions. It reminded that in some jurisdictions, a license was required, and that high voltages were present, so you had to be careful. But for those who wanted to ease their way in, the initial investment might be as little as fifty dollars for a set of tools, and the most common tubes. As you eased your way in to the business, you could upgrade, and the magazine gave recommendations for the parts, equipment, and chemicals you should keep on hand.

The magazine also reminded that in some cases, the experience and test equipment required might be out of your league. Therefore, if possible, it was wise to make a deal with a full-time service shop to tackle the jobs you couldn’t handle.



1964 Admiral TVs

1964Jul17LifeSixty years ago today, the July 17, 1964 issue of Life Magazine carried this ad showing the 19-inch offerings of Admiral TV. Shown are the Catalina (P9750 Series), the Spectator (P9640 Series) and Futura (P9430 Series) models. All featured all-channel tuning (channels 2-83) and private listening earphones. The Catalina and Spectator featured timers to turn the set on or off at a pre-set time. All were “portable,” in that they could be moved from one place to another by one person. But they spent most of their time in the same place, near an electrical outlet of course.

The set I watched as a child resembled the “Catalina,” although ours didn’t have the timer or the earphone.



1974 British Video Game

1974JulPracWirelessFifty years ago, this duo were among the first Britons to enjoy playing a video game, thanks to the project shown in two issues of Practical Wireless, starting in July 1974. The game, dubbed Tele-Tennis, appears to be a clone of Pong, which first hit arcades in 1972. The home version didn’t hit American Sears stores until 1975, so these two were way ahead of the curve. The construction article was careful, however, to avoid the “Pong” name.

The magazine noted that the television, the most sophisticated instrument in most homes, wasn’t living up to its potential being used only to watch Bugs Bunny or Coronation Street. It noted that the game was sweeping pubs and clubs in America, and that the British experimenter could duplicate it.

Initially, the author was afraid that the circuit might be too complex for the amateur constructor. But thanks to a careful design, the use of IC’s, and a printed circuit board, the project could be undertaken by anyone with reasonable soldering ability. Both the circuit boards and cabinet were available for purchase.

1974JulPracWireless2



TV Chassis Cart, 1954

1954JunRadioElectrSeven decades ago, the job of TV repairman involved a lot of manual labor. More often than not, a home service call meant hauling the set back to the shop for repair. And since the set was contained in a large piece of furniture, it wasn’t necessary to haul the whole thing back. The chassis could be removed. Sylvania offered this cart to get it safely to the shop. It would accommodate up to a 27 inch picture tube, and cradle it, protecting not only the TV, but the customer’s floor and furniture.

It was a value of $19.95, but Sylvania would give you one for free in exchange for purchasing your tubes from them.

The ad appeared in the June 1954 issue of Radio-Electronics.



1954 UHF Antenna and Converter

1954AprRadioNewsWe can’t think of anything that could possibly go wrong in this picture, which appeared on the cover of Radio News 70 years ago this month, April 1954.

It shows one Walter Schott assembling a Walsco Model 4450 UHF Corner Reflector in sunny California. On top of the set is the UHF converter made by the same company.



Syncom Satellite

1964JanPESixty years ago this month, the January 1964 issue of Electronics Illustrated noted that it had been just over six decades since Marconi bridged the Atlantic without wires or ships in 1901. In the intervening years, the job had been done with satellites such as Telstar I and II.

But on July 26, 1963, a new experimental satellite, Syncom, had been launched from Cape Canaveral. The satellite was new in that it was synchronous. Its orbital period was 24 hours, so it seeming hovered at the same longitude. Since it was launched from 33 degrees north, it actually did a figure 8, hovering between 33 north and 33 south. But that was good enough to be continuously visible from both America and Europe and 22,300 miles.

The magazine noted that if such a satellite were launched from the equator, then it would stay above a single point on the earth’s surface. The magazine didn’t use the word, but this is what we know today as a geosynchronous orbit, although most geosynchronous satellites are today launched from other locations, first into a geostationary transfer orbit before being maneuvered into geosynchronous orbit.  According to the magazine, the satellite’s two transmitters put out about 2 watts on 1915 MHz.



TV Stations On the Air 1948

1948DecRadioNewsHere is a snapshot of which TV stations were on the air 75 years ago. The coasts were where most of the action was, but it was clear that TV would soon blanket the nation, as there were stations on the air in places like Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Texas. This listing appeared in the December 1948 issue of Radio News, and lists the stations on the air as of November 1.