Zenith experts....help ID a radio !

[anden]

Thought I'd try Audiokarma's radio forum to find info on a rather unusual Zenith wood tabletop from the mid 1950's. It's AM + 2 shortwave bands. Has 6 tubes with a 6K6GT output tube, is a transformer set, not AC/DC, 3 speakers, an 8 inch & two 3 inch drivers. Chassis is marked 6Y61B. Cabinet is the same as the model Y832 AM/FM of 1955.

On another radio forum - folks thought everything from it being an Export, to a domestic set that did not sell and was discontinued with few made, or a millitary sales unit.

I even wrote an article for ARC on this radio, but have never figured out exactly what market this Zenith was sold in. A company archive or internal documents must have details - Anyone have Zenith reference material from the mid 50s that lists this radio?

[Reece]

I had seen your article some time in the past and was interested in it. I have no specific information about this model, but note that many other countries have nominal 120 volt electric grids so the voltage switch would allow for domestic and varied foreign markets. This looks as if it were designed, as you noted, as competition to some of the European sets, many of which were sold around the world.

[anden]

Heres the article on the set... http://www.antiqueradio.com/Sep08_Hayden_Zenith.html

[Sandy G]

Nice article...Nice set ! Would be nice to know a little more about it though, woudn't it ?

[Jeffhs]

The first time I saw that article, it threw me for a loop because of the shortwave band where most Zeniths of this design have FM. (This radio otherwise resembles Zenith's Y832 table model AM-FM set, down to the tone control in the center of the tuning indicator.)

My first thought was that this must have been an export model, designed for European markets in which the FM band was either nonexistent or was significantly different from the North American one -- the latter, of course, being 88-108 MHz; the former, in many countries, was 86.5-100 or 88-104 MHz.

[Electronic M]

Most FM stations were in large cities until FM became popular in the 70's so it is possible this was made for a rural market where Short Wave was a bigger selling point than FM.

[anden]

Well I tend to strongly lean to it being an export due to it's switchable 115-215 volt transformer. What's most curious is that in 5 years of looking, I've found no Zenith documents on it. In fact, it's hard to find info on Zenith exports...be it a 1930s,40s or 50s set. Recently I showed it to a guy who owns 140 Zeniths, and he made a pretty darn good offer on it, but I like the radio too much to let it go....really one of my favorites.

I did see a Ebay auction several years ago of a plastic cased model much like the early 50s Zenith AM/FM K731, but it was a AM/shortwave. Thats the only other set I've seen which comes close to mine. Where ever these shortwave tabletops were sold, not many were made in my opinion......you just don't see them out there !