RCA TRK-12/120
(click on picture for high resolution image)
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Screen Size |
12 inch |
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Year Made |
1939-40 |
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Quantity Manufactured |
1779 |
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Original Cost |
$600 |
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Number Still in Existence |
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Cabinet |
Reinished |
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Chassis |
Restored |
The TRK-12 was introduced, along with 3 other less expensive sets, at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. The TRK-12 cost $600, more than the cost of a modest car at the time. The picture tube was mounted vertically, with a mirror in the cabinet lid, because it was so long that, if mounted horizontally, the cabinet would have been almost three feet deep. Click here for technical information, schematic diagram, owner's manual, or for a picture of the set on RCA's assembly line.
The set had four chassis: one for the television circuits, one for the television power supply, one for the radio and one for the radio power supply. One photo from a 1939 magazine shows a fifth chassis, the purpose for which is unknown. RCA also made an experimental projection version of this set in 1941. Click for a 1945 modification, apparently for a brighter picture.
In 1939, RCA installed a TRK-12 in an airplane, and demonstrated television reception over Washington, DC. The set even inspired a Valentine Day card and appeared in several magazine advertisements.
During World War Two, RCA put TRK-12s in hospitals in New York to entertain injured servicemen. After the war, an unusual set was made using a TRK-12 cabinet.
RCA's service manual for this set described how the set should be viewed:
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The location of the receiver should take into consideration the viewing by the whole family group plus a party of friends. A minimum viewing distance from the screen to the first row of chairs might be on the average two to four feet...Seating might be arranged as follows: first row 3 chairs; second row 4 chairs; third row 5 chairs |
The set came with an instruction card inserted behind the television control knobs.
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The Cabinet Before Restoration