1936 RCA RR-359B Restoration

[bandersen]

Alrighty. Let's get this started.
First some background. RCA did a number of field trials starting way back in 1931 to test the feasibility of commercial television service.
These first sets were only 120 lines. Only 16 were made and at least one still exists. AM modulation for both audio and video with wide carrier spacing. No sideband suppression. Small experimental CRTs with green phosphor were used.

Much more info in TELEVISION Collected Addresses and Papers on the Future of the New Art and Its Recent Technical Development Volume 1. Published by RCA INSTITUTES TECHNICAL PRESS.




Field tests continued throughout the 30s and not just receivers. All aspects from studios, cameras, control booths, transmitters, etc.

Here's a slightly later 1933 model.




A few other experimental models were made over the next few years but none are known to exist.

Which gets us to 1936 when they used all they had learned and started making the model RR-359A using a 9" green phosphor CRT with 343 scan lines for another round of field test.
Come 1937 they upgraded most of the existing "A"s to "B's which included a 12" CRT and 441 lines. Seems they also produced a few more Bs.

Much more info and photos in Television Vol II





Perhaps 100 were made in total. It's hard to find exact #s. I'm combining multiple published sources and bits picked up from other collectors. Complicated by RCA send a bunch over to the Soviet union to help get their TV industry going.

What I can tell you for sure is that about 15 are known to exist around the world. Most in museums including two in the Smithsonian, one in Tokyo and several in Canada.

Only 4-5 are in private collectors hands. I am now one of them and will be restoring it to the best of my ability and sharing all the details along the way.