zenith: (Ch=5H01); H511 Consoltone with "Tube Life Saver

Dear Friends:

I was preparing photos of this radio when I noticed this is a special model and not just a regular H511

 

My exemplar has a "Tube Life Saver" device, which is nothing but a "slo-start" which protects the tubes from the initial current inrush. I believe this is an NTC but of course I have not opened it to take a look. The radio plays fine.

The device is placed within the filament string and it takes this radio aproximately 80 seconds to warm up and play. here is a close up on the label on the back:

Because the device drops aprox. 6V, the tube lineup in this radio is the following: 12BE6   6BA6  12AT6   50L6GT and 35W4.  This is a view of the chassis showing the device attached to the back and protected by a red metal box:

 

Now I am sure the chassis is 5H01 because the chassis is stamped as such:

But the question is: shall we upload this as a variant since it has a different tube lineup and a device that the other chassis don't have? None of the schematics we have show the device.

 

Mario

 

 

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.

 Mario,

I recently purchased a Zenith K725 that has the same device and the same label.  Your's is the only other one I have seen.  I'd be curious to learn more about this too.  The red metal box on mine is mounted on the outside of the back panel, and plugs into the chassis when the replacing the back panel.  I'm fairly certain that this device is original from the factory.

 

Dave

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.

Dear Mario
This is a very nice looking model, congratulations.
You have proved that this is an original Zenith H-511 Consoltone with the chassis 5H01 in a very good way. I looked at the other pictures and to me it is obvious that this is an interesting variant.

The right way is now two things - I first wrote - see below. But fortunate I was going to see Zenith H511 a bit closer and here we have the model already as H511Y - with the same device and color. The suffix is normally the color. I don't know at this point if there is also an H-511Y without somewhere - if yes, my notes below are just right. So let's wait some days for a better answer - I change this to a question. If we don't find an "ordinary" H-511 (with Y as color) then you just add the pictures and write to the notes of the existing H-511Y. We also carry the general model H-511 for guests and members who not know about the suffixes because the model often does not show the letter. It might be that in principle the 50C5 is for a model without device and the 50L6GT for one with. If that is the case we would have to extend the H-511's as shown below generally.

Slusser (7) shows only H-511 and H-511W. No details. 

1
Please enter this as new model H-511Y and put in your tubes. You give exactly the same name and chassis as the existing BUT you add Tube Saver to the field "Variant".

In the notes you describe a little bit the difference (in tubes, back wall etc.), also referring to the "ordinary model". Later you load up your pictures to it. You have heard from Dave Turner that the "Tube Saver" model is rather seldom and you can also enter the fact as such to the model.

2
Most important is now that you do a model change on the existing model.
This should also get an information in the field "Variant". You could for instance write "ordinary". This shows that there must be "something else"!

Then it would be good to fill in a text to the notes explaining about the other variant, the "Tube Saver".

At this point I would like to ask Dave Turner if he can do the same with the Zenith K725 (this seems to be without dash?). Dear Dave you could also write that there is an other example for the Zenith model H-511. Mario could do the same vice versa. When looking at the picture with the original writing on the bottom I see that Zenith called it H-511, not H511. Please use this since nowadays the SEs like Google do recognize something with a dash as being with or without dash or space. Therefore we enter only H-511 without (H511) or so!

All this helps making us to be a real reference work, helping all collectors. You have to know that this device does help in normal cases but if a child or adult switches it off and on again within a minute the device will not help much since it is still warm. So don't do that for a test.
 

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.

Ernst and Mario,    I have added the "Tube Saver" information to the K725 model as you had requested, with the reference to this H511.  Hope what I did was the way you requested it?

Thanks for the guidance.

Dave

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.

Thank you very much for the responses. Here is another picture I should have posted earlier, sorry that I didn't:

 

Unfortunately, the label is entirely gone and what you see are just some glue residues, however, we still have that stamping that reads "MODEL H511". I have examined it very closely and it doesn't look like there was something next to the H511, shall we still upload this as a variant of the H511Y? I will wait a few more days and, if no new information comes up, will do as Ernst says. Thank you!

 

Mario

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.