Anybody want to own a genuine TV repair shop?

[Chad Hauris]

We care very deeply about the legacy and history of old repair shops. Most of the inventory of parts and tubes we have at our shop were obtained from shops and Radio Shacks we have visted in the small towns of West Texas and New Mexico. We have photographed and talked with the owners of many of these shops. We got the idea to start our shop after a repair shop which specialized in old radios and phonos closed down after 50 years in business. If you visit our website you will see we are an institution completely devoted to the kind of historical preservation you are speaking of.

[Bobby Brady]

I will visit! It is good to know others also care about the people behind and around the TV's/radios as well.

[Captain Video]

Originally Posted by Bobby Brady

It's Sheldon's TV. Owned by a great guy named Bob Rinker and located on Federal Highway(Broadway) in Riviera Beach, Fla. An authorized RCA and Zenith Dealer since early 60's and recently Zenith dropped him claiming he had too few claims. Apparently his business is steady and good with long time customers. Surprisingly to me there was very little there older than the '90's as far as parts or TV's. The shop is small so I can imagine tons of valuable stuff was tossed over the years. He recently tossed a bunch of stuff. I did not press for details even though I wondered about my just missing the boat again. I was a little disappointed by the neighborhood. However, the building is secure and I believe the neighborhood will get better and better(remember "RCA is making television better and better."?). It is located near Singer Island which is a special place and he services that area. There is a new huge condo complex very close. Bob has a bum knee and needs time away or I think he'd stay longer.

I found the pictures of his TV shop very interesting, and I noticed that the TV's he got there for repair are decently stored. Here in Brazil TV repair shops are usually very chaotic places, where the owners put dozens and dozens of TV sets on top of each other, forming true "TV walls" . Do american owners of TV shops do the same, or the way he stores the TV's in his shop is the normal way in the US?

[Bobby Brady]

Bob's shop has about as much clutter as possible but he is careful with his customer's sets which are mostly big screen sets. I would keep my showroom very clean and free of clutter. I am sure Bob's was that way in the past as some of the 70's RCA decor(curtains/displays) is still in place. There are many photos throughout this site showing shops in America stacked just like you described which is not how I would do it but everybody is running out of space. I try to be as careful as possible with anything nice treating it like a museum piece.
Do you think there are any round screen color sets in Brazil?

[Carmine]

Originally Posted by Bobby Brady

Based on the lack of response to this thread and other stuff I have found here I think those who use this site are here just to get info, parts, TV's and whatever else they like but the history behind the sets and anything about the many TV men seem to be uninteresting to them. I am very surprised to not find more written that would indicate much concern for anything outside the products and their values.
I believe I like this electronic stuff for all the same basic reasons most here do but I mainly like having something to present to other people to start conversations. In other words The stuff I take from here is to help me interact with other people for entertainment and to learn how to be a better person. I expect some of you reading this agree that I need help in that area.

I'm just in this hobby for the money! Bling Bling, Yo!

[Bobby Brady]

Oh he's a regular wise guy.

I bet he thinks I am greedy and I bet he won't admit it.

[Captain Video]

[QUOTE=Do you think there are any round screen color sets in Brazil?[/QUOTE]

There are VERY few of them...I only know of of two. One is with a collector who is a friend of mine. The other is with a guy who collects movie memorabilia. From what I have been able to learn, some 300 color TV sets were imported from the USA to the city of São Paulo in 1963, and were sold to rich people, so they could watch some experimental color transmissions that were conducted by two TV stations of that city.

[Bobby Brady]

That is real neat that you know such info. I would think that there could be a fair # of those 300 sets still there. I get the impression that a place like Brazil has an extremely large percentage of low income people and those are the types that may keep such old stuff. I imagine the rich, who originally bought them, would have gotten rid of them a year or two after first getting them. So, then they would likely give them to relatives. The relatives would pass them down to the poor relatives or anybody else to get rid of them. I imagine the poor in Brazil being much more likely to keep something like an attractive nonworking TV in their home than the poor Americans. I expect many of them were gutted to use cabinet for other purposes like in many in America. However, crazy as my speculation may seem, I just think there could be some roundies in Brazil for someone who may want to look for them.
Here's something almost as crazy: I live close to Miami and I love the history of Miami and I love being there. I have always been very comfortable with Spanish/Latin people but I don't speak the language. My life involves much stuff to make it hard for me to take time out to learn Spanish so I put it off. It is kinda akward to be with Latin people who are my "freinds" when they speak their own language. In Miami I have seen homes and business that are full of old stuff, more than I see in "American" peoples' places. So, I am going to try to learn Spanish to go to old TV shops and maybe I will get lucky! I mean to find a TV not sex(haha). The Latins love to make love!
The old RCA shop I recently posted info on was operated by a great man named Bob Rinker and when I spoke of a CTC-15, etc. he seemed to respond as though he thought I might be a little nuts.

[David Roper]

Do you get that a lot?

[Bobby Brady]

Originally Posted by David Roper

Do you get that a lot?

I think you guys think alike!

Been reading my posts?

[Carmine]

Who told you I was Siciliano Bobby? More importantly. . who showed you my tax records? Or are you just making dumb stereotypes, Like everybody in brazil is poor? (Its one of the wealthiest countries on earth, you tool.) . . . and for the record, I drive Imperials and New Yorkers. More of a drivers car, and the trunks are still big enough to get the job done.

[Bobby Brady]

Originally Posted by Carmine

Who told you I was Siciliano Bobby? More importantly. . who showed you my tax records? Or are you just making dumb stereotypes, Like everybody in brazil is poor? (Its one of the wealthiest countries on earth, you tool.) . . . and for the record, I drive Imperials and New Yorkers. More of a drivers car, and the trunks are still big enough to get the job done.

I am glad he doesn't have my address!
If I were to judge him by his words I'd say he may even be the mafia type!(lol)

For starters: Who do you know who named Carmine who loves spaghetti who is not Italian? Is there something wrong with being Italian? I love Italians as well as all people who try to do the right thing by others.
Your writings strongly suggest you have alot of money and plenty of free time. Is there something wrong with that? I don't think so. Sounds like you are extremely fortunate to say the least. It would not surprise me at all if you deserve all you have.

Brazil is one of those countries that is more or less devoid of any real middle class. You are either very rich where you can become educated and do all you desire or you are more or less dirt poor and lucky to have a servants job.
Is the Oprah show a suitable reference to support that? I think so.
Do Italians not drive Imperials and New Yorkers? I certainly would. I love Chryslers too!

Are you going to tell us that Cadillac in your avatar is not yours? Maybe it is your daddy's car? It is very sharp. Does it also have the sunroof?

I am always amazed by those who want others to think they have little money. I am sure I have come across that way in other posts I have written. Most who claim to be budgeted usually have enough money to do anything they want. Is it possible that the fact our country has at least 6.5 million millionaires something that helps support my observations?

I would not be one bit surprised if Carmine is a millionaire and again, I say, I would not be surprised if he deserves all of his great fortune.

I do not make "dumb stereotypes". I speak about what I gather from a multitude of other sources to get feedback to help me become a better person for myself and others as well. Is there something wrong with that?

I have faith in my heart and mind that I will become educated welll enough to always do the right thing by others and thereby become able to have all I need and maybe some of what I want.

[Carmine]

Well Bobby, lets just all make nice and get back to the tv's.

[Bobby Brady]

Very good advice!

[Captain Video]

Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I really didn't get evidence to support the idea that more of those 300 sets have survived. I really don't have much of a clue to the behavior of people about preserving old stuff, but it seemed, for example, that many 50's and 60's black and white TVs survived in the city of São Paulo, and almost none in the city of Rio de Janeiro...I don't know why, but I have this theory that the people of the city of São Paulo tend to be more conservative than that of Rio, because São Paulo is rainy, cold, above sea level, while Rio is hot and have beaches...here in Brazil people joke and say that the people of São Paulo "carry the country in their backs" ( are very hardworking people ), while the people of Rio stay on the beach all day long, don't work at all, just play soccer, music and look for beautiful women. It's all stereotype, of course, but it gives some perspective on the character of the people's of the two citys. I can't post a picture of the round color TV my friend has, because he lives very far from me, and I only seen his TV once; the other guy I don't know him, I just saw his collection of movie related stuff and early TV years ago in a TV programm.

I did a little researching on the Net about those 1963 color experiences, and I could only find three photos. One is very tiny, is an ad for RCA Victor color TVs; the other is an ad promoting the color broadcasting of "Bonanza"; and the last one shows a lady that is in brazilian TV since day one in 1950, in fact she still apears in soap operas today, and in the picture she is posing with one early color TV camera - I never seen this model of color TV camera in the many sites devoted to the subject, anyone is familiar with that one?