What's more you can't get them OEM anymore. You are going to have to get it from Asti Magnetics, and they are not cheap. Also they are aftermarket and installation is problematic, and if not done right can blow the new part.
This is one of those cases where you might be better off going to a competent independent shop. They are out there. Maybe walk in the door and ask them, give them the model number and just say straight out "Can you get the HV block for this".
On that set, I can give you a killer tip that won't hurt the business. Save a bunch of money.
If you look carefully you will see that you can take the entire works out of that thing in a convenient box. You unplug the keyboard and speakers and take out four screws. Any shop should cut you a break. We don't want to be responsible for your screen, finish and the wheels that break all too often in transport.
They may insist that you do pay for one service call so a tech can reinstall it and touch up the alignment etc. Also, we have a special cleaner for the mirror in those sets because they are the stretched mylar type. Very delicate.
Tell you this also, in my position, top tech pulling down top buck I do not clean mylar mirrors. I REFUSE. That has been agreed since I started this job a couple years ago. They are too delicate, and cost alot to replace. The damn thing is only worth about $10 but they want hundreds. Nobody else in the shop will touch them either, we make the owner of the company do it, really. I am not kidding.
If you decide to pull the box, be very careful, don't rip the wires off of your speakers or keyboard. I do it in five seconds because I've done it hundreds of times. Also, they do not need your speakers or keyboard. If the sound was OK all they have to do is make it run and check for the usual upcoming faults. The remote reciever remains mounted at the top of the box so they can turn it on and control it.
When you pay that money for the guy to install the box, it is more than just plugging it in and screwing it down. Generall I check the convergence and the control range on the crosshairs. When installed at the final location and orientation I center the range on the crosshairs and converge with the neck magnets, this makes the convergence outputs run cooler. Usually have to touch up some edge convergence here and there. Make sure the optical focus is correct. Grey scale. Things like that.
There are also three caps that need to be changed in the power supply. We have decided to always change them. There are two near the SMPS IC and a 39uF towards the chopper itself. The 39uF MUST be changed if it is original. Most of the time they will put a 47 in, which is fine. Also the main 143V filter should be scoped and if there is excessive ripple it should be changed now.
You see, you can see the apparent problem, sure. But you can't really see the entire job. Like looking for cracks in the FCB (the 204809). If the shop doesn't do all this, no matter how perfect the job of replacing the 205064, when you see a TV not working a couple months down the road, what you see is a non-working TV, whatever the reason.
Tell you this much, when the PTK/CTC169s came out I was not all that happy with them. Sticking with that chassis for a while and there market share resulted in techs getting used to servicing them. Now they are praised because we have seen the new stuff. We know the ins and outs, we know what goes bad.
As long as you are happy with it, keep it. I think those are one of the last half decent bigscreens that came out, longevity wise. Also, the true life of a bigscreen is set by the life of the tubes, and these things are solid as a rock, characteristically. I have been working on them since they came out, and the only CRT I have ever had to change in one was due to focus leakage. That is very rare. And I am sure I have fixed over 1,000 of them, and I mean different units. Not recalls.
If you're not a pro, or don't want to learn the whole damnthing, in the yellow pages look for the small ads under TV shops. Perhaps visit them. Ask them straight out if they still service RCA CTC169s, if they yell to the back and get a reply "hell yes, they were the best thing designed in decades", you may be onto something.
When the bill is $200 don't think it is high. They have to look for coolant, check the bellows and maybe even bleed one or more of the coolant chambers. Messy job but.....if not done you can have really bad problems. Even if the bill is $300, so be it, as long as it is done right. I know a company that will actually still sell service contracts on these sets. Despite their age.
So, as long as you are happy with it, try to keep it. When you get a bug up your ass for an HDTV, well, it will probably still be running. As long as it is fixed right this time.
JURB