05-01-2011, 06:08 PM
I'm not an old TV collector, but man, does this set bring back some memories! I had one of these sets when I was a boy on northern NY. My Da got it from his TV repair guy, even in the 60s this set was considered just an old set, maybe good enough for a kid's room.
I managed to get an antenna for it by walking the streets of Potsdam during trash day. Back then you could find old radios, tubes, lawn mowers that people left on the curb for trash pickup.... junk to adults but gold to a kid like me.
I climbed an old and very tall elm tree that was near my bedroom window and re-assembled the antenna near the top of the tree, and ran a paired antenna line into my bedroom window. The reception was still crappy, as back then you only had 2 stations up there to select from. One in Canada and one in Burlington, VT. BUT, it was MY tv and MY antenna. I was pretty proud.
My parents either didn't notice my antenna or didn't care. Probably didn't notice, as I always had somthing going on. This was around the time that I thought building a flathead V8 engine in my bedroom was a good idea, an idea that DID get my parents notice and immediate disapproval. Like I said, I always had somthing going on......
Anyway.... months later I was watching the Milton Berle show during a lightning storm. Lightning struck the antenna, smoked the TV, and d**n near started my room on fire.
Interesting in that it also smoked the radio in my brothers room and a clock in my parents room, and blew nearly every fuse in the basement. Our house was full of smoke.
Also interesting how lightning can significantly raise the interest level one's parents have in one's TV antenna.
I took what was left of the antenna system down the following day.
I managed to get an antenna for it by walking the streets of Potsdam during trash day. Back then you could find old radios, tubes, lawn mowers that people left on the curb for trash pickup.... junk to adults but gold to a kid like me.
I climbed an old and very tall elm tree that was near my bedroom window and re-assembled the antenna near the top of the tree, and ran a paired antenna line into my bedroom window. The reception was still crappy, as back then you only had 2 stations up there to select from. One in Canada and one in Burlington, VT. BUT, it was MY tv and MY antenna. I was pretty proud.
My parents either didn't notice my antenna or didn't care. Probably didn't notice, as I always had somthing going on. This was around the time that I thought building a flathead V8 engine in my bedroom was a good idea, an idea that DID get my parents notice and immediate disapproval. Like I said, I always had somthing going on......
Anyway.... months later I was watching the Milton Berle show during a lightning storm. Lightning struck the antenna, smoked the TV, and d**n near started my room on fire.
Interesting in that it also smoked the radio in my brothers room and a clock in my parents room, and blew nearly every fuse in the basement. Our house was full of smoke.
Also interesting how lightning can significantly raise the interest level one's parents have in one's TV antenna.
I took what was left of the antenna system down the following day.
