Turner TV-1
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The Turner Microphone Company, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, started out in 1931 making PA systems and grew to be one of the top microphone makers in the US. (They also were the largest maker of embalming machines!) Like many companies, they got into the TV booster business in 1951 as a way of expanding their product line (and probably in response to the fact that Cedar Rapids was a long way from the nearest TV station).
The TV-1 was Turner's first booster. It uses a single 12AT7 dual triode tube and a Mallory Inductuner for continuous coverage of all TV channels, plus FM and the Ham Radio 2-meter band (labelled "Mobile" on the dial). The tuning was quite non-linear, resulting in channels 7-13 being compressed into the rightmost 20% of the dial. A selenium rectifier made the plate voltage, through a small transformer. The TV set could be plugged into the back and turned on with the Turner's function control. The odd plastic cabinet material resembles particle board, but is of higher density and slightly finer grain. |
Updated June 6, 2018