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#1
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The very first Zenith "Transoceanic" radio
I did a trade with a friend for this rather rare 1942 Zenith "Clipper" Transoceanic 7G605 portable radio. This version with the sailboat stitched grill cloth was the first short run of this first Transoceanic radio. This represents CEO McDonalds original intent to have this for use on his sailboat. It was soon changed to the bomber-plane design due to the onset of WWII, which is the more common model. It took a lot of trail and error for the Zenith engineers to work the bugs out of this set, have it fit in such a small case, and have it work properly under very humid conditions. Besides getting a recap to fine working condition, this set appears to have never been cleaned and detailed. It has such a nice patina I really don't even want to touch it! I definitely wont polish-up the gold metal parts. I'm glad to have this piece of radio history in my collection.
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#2
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Beautiful set!
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#3
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Thank you. It evokes the WWII era for me and how so many people snatched-up this set to stay informed of the latest events wherever they went. The Transoceanic would become one of the most longest-lived type of radio of all time. It went from 1942 to 1981!
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#4
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She's a beauty!
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Let me live in the house beside the road and be a friend to man. |
#5
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Thanks. Amazing how a portable set like this survived 75 years without any serious damage! I'll get around to giving it a gentle cleaning and sprucing-up some time. I am really liking it as-is right now!
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Audiokarma |
#6
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There's just "Something" about a spiffy Tooob T/O...
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Benevolent Despot |
#7
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And this is not just the first Zenith T/O. you had to rub it in and score the early version with the Sailboat grill design, (later in the run changed to a bomber). It's also in beautiful condition to boot.
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#8
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Honestly, I'm only really learning about this set now that I have it! I didn't know just how scarce the sailboat grill-cloth version is, and how good the condition is in relation to what turns up before I bought it. I'm also glad that the grill cloth is not a possible swap-out. It has a nice aged patina. I did a trade/cash deal on it, and I realize now that my friend was quite fair with me. Although in general it has a utilitarian appearance, it has nice details that make it very appealing. A much more primitive look than the post-war versions.
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#9
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They don't make them like this anymore. If they malfunction or break you throw away and buy new. Not my tube sets: not EVER!
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Rick (Sparks) Ethridge |
#10
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Quote:
You are so right--they don't make them like that anymore (metal chassis, socketed transistors in the SS TOs, etc.), and I for one, being a Zenith radio collector, was sorry to see them go; all the more reason for those of us with well-built tube and SS T/Os to keep our sets in working order. These radios represented a level of build and sound quality we will never, ever see again, especially from Zenith, which no longer exists.
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Jeff, WB8NHV Collecting, restoring and enjoying vintage Zenith radios since 2002 Zenith. Gone, but not forgotten. Last edited by Jeffhs; 05-31-2017 at 11:37 PM. |
Audiokarma |
#11
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Wow that is an impressive score!
That and a fairly short run post war variant are the only two tube TOs I need to have the complete tube line. IIRC last year a dealer at Radiofest had one that they wanted ~$800 for.
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Tom C. Zenith: The quality stays in EVEN after the name falls off! What I want. --> http://www.videokarma.org/showpost.p...62&postcount=4 |
#12
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Quote:
Wow. With the trade and cash, this one probably cost me a little over $400. |
#13
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Its great to see the first one after working on a few others. Thanks for sharing.
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"When resistors increase in value, they're worthless" -Dave G |
#14
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You're welcome. I have a H500 myself and enjoy seeing how much more primitive the pre-war model looked, which I find more appealing. It seems after the war that Zenith wanted the T/O to look more upscale and modern.
Last edited by decojoe67; 05-25-2017 at 04:54 AM. |
#15
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I've found that a lot of the better Tooob stuff is a lot more robust & serviceable than its given credit for.
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Benevolent Despot |
Audiokarma |
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