zenith transoceanic royal 1000 - transistors, circa 1960

[Snade]

Found this guy at a garage sale this morning. It was very dirty, sitting on a table with total junk. Asked the owner and he said $5.

When I got it home I opened it up and the inside was near perfect. Zenith made a great protective case for this puppy.

I am listening to the Cubs game on AM right now. Installed the 9 "D" batteries. Lucky for me the battery case was empty and not full of 40 year old batteries.

I just cleaned it with a brush, damp cloth and some canned air. There is some rust and pitting, but it is very nice.

See the before and after photos.

Cheers, Snade

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Snade

Found this guy at a garage sale this morning. It was very dirty, sitting on a table with total junk. Asked the owner and he said $5.

When I got it home I opened it up and the inside was near perfect. Zenith made a great protective case for this puppy.

I am listening to the Cubs game on AM right now. Installed the 9 "D" batteries. Lucky for me the battery case was empty and not full of 40 year old batteries.

I just cleaned it with a brush, damp cloth and some canned air. There is some rust and pitting, but it is very nice.

See the before and after photos.

Cheers, Snade

I have a Royal 1000 also, an eBay score about five years ago. It works well and looks/sounds great; the only thing wrong with it is the dial cord is broken, so I have to open the back cover and turn the tuning pulley manually to change stations. (I have the service manual with the dial stringing instructions, but I'm not looking forward to actually going ahead and doing it -- it looks like a big job.) Mine was originally without the battery box, so I had to look around online to find a used one, but eventually I did and now the set is complete -- well, almost. The external SW Wavemagnet antenna was missing when I got the radio, so I'll have to look around for a replacement -- hopefully I'll find one eventually on eBay. (The radio has the original Waverod antenna for shortwave and the original AM broadcast antenna, so I'm in no hurry to find the external Wavemagnet.) The set came with the original Zenith AC wall wart power adapter (metal case) as well, but the AC adapter jack was flopping around loose inside the cabinet; I temporarily taped it in. One of these days I'll find the correct small nut to fasten it properly to the cabinet.

I am amazed at the sound quality these portables have, though I probably shouldn't be, as all the early Zeniths were built for high-fidelity sound and excellent RF sensitivity, with an RF stage ahead of the antenna, push-pull audio output, and all on a metal chassis inside a metal case. (I have several other Zenith radios, including a model R-70 11-transistor AM-FM portable from 1980, that sound every bit as good as my T/O.) They don't make them like that anymore. Some day I'd like to get the Royal 3000, which had FM in addition to AM and SW. Oh well, one of these days . . .

[KentTeffeteller]

Jeffhs,

The Royal 3000 is a really nice radio. You'll love it. The Royal 1000 is nice save for lack of FM. One thing to be careful of both models, don't pick up the set by the handle. They are a known weakness in both models and corrected with the Royal 7000 line. The Royal 1000 was $260 new back then. Nice set you own.

[Robert Grant]

Definitely agree on taking good care of that handle. I've heard that an intact handle alone is worth more than a T/O with everything intact but the handle. I own one with a broken handle. An uncle gave his Royal 1000 (after he bought himself a 7000) to my older brother. He went to college, and a drinking buddy in his dorm room used the radio as a makeshift seat. The dial cord got broken too. He abandoned the radio in the basement and I restrung the cord later.

Nice thing about these, with with their push-pull output circuits and point-contact transistors, is that a set of alkalines will seem to last forever in one of these radios.

Sad things are that the very same transistors have a "whisker syndrome" that cause them to fail in about 60 years - right about now. I also have found that my Royal 1000 is far more susceptible to RF overload on shortwave than my tube T/O.

[radiodayz]

Nice find, Snade!

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by KentTeffeteller

Jeffhs,

The Royal 3000 is a really nice radio. You'll love it. The Royal 1000 is nice save for lack of FM. One thing to be careful of both models, don't pick up the set by the handle. They are a known weakness in both models and corrected with the Royal 7000 line. The Royal 1000 was $260 new back then. Nice set you own.

I just put a bid on a Zenith Royal 7000 (on eBay) this afternoon (yesterday, if anyone reads this after midnight April 30). Always wanted a TransOceanic with FM. The only difference I can see between the 3000 and the 7000 series is that the latter has its innards on PC boards, whereas the 3000, and its variants going back to the Royal 1000, used a metal chassis and sockets for the transistors.

I notice the 7000 has some refinements as well that the earlier sets did not have, such as tuning meters, BFO, variable RF gain control, etc. (Should I win this one, the BFO function will come in handy for listening to stations such as W1AW for code practice, so as not to get rusty with the code.)

The 7000 I'm bidding on still has one day and 20-some hours left on the auction as I write this, and in fact someone did outbid me after the very first bid I placed on it; I learned of this by way of a popup on the website the second I hit the "enter" key on my keyboard after placing that bid. Needless to say, I immediately placed a slightly higher bid, which to date hasn't been met or exceeded. I'll keep you posted.

I don't know how rare the Royal 7000 is compared to the earlier, metal-chassis T/O's, but I doubt it is worth more than $100 on the used market. The older sets would probably be worthy of higher bids, but since the 7000 (and its offshore-made cousin, the 7000-Y) has PC boards and is less sturdy than the older T/Os, I believe one would be paying far too much if he/she bid more than the $100 figure I mentioned (and which is my exact bid on the 7000 I am after).

[AdamAnt316]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I just put a bid on a Zenith Royal 7000 (on eBay) this afternoon (yesterday, if anyone reads this after midnight April 30). Always wanted a TransOceanic with FM. The only difference I can see between the 3000 and the 7000 series is that the latter has its innards on PC boards, whereas the 3000, and its variants going back to the Royal 1000, used a metal chassis and sockets for the transistors.

I notice the 7000 has some refinements as well that the earlier sets did not have, such as tuning meters, BFO, variable RF gain control, etc. (Should I win this one, the BFO function will come in handy for listening to stations such as W1AW for code practice, so as not to get rusty with the code.)

The 7000 I'm bidding on still has one day and 20-some hours left on the auction as I write this, and in fact someone did outbid me after the very first bid I placed on it; I learned of this by way of a popup on the website the second I hit the "enter" key on my keyboard after placing that bid. Needless to say, I immediately placed a slightly higher bid, which to date hasn't been met or exceeded. I'll keep you posted.

I don't know how rare the Royal 7000 is compared to the earlier, metal-chassis T/O's, but I doubt it is worth more than $100 on the used market. The older sets would probably be worthy of higher bids, but since the 7000 (and its offshore-made cousin, the 7000-Y) has PC boards and is less sturdy than the older T/Os, I believe one would be paying far too much if he/she bid more than the $100 figure I mentioned (and which is my exact bid on the 7000 I am after).

Are you referring to the Royal 7000, or the R-7000? The Royal 7000 series, as I understand it, was the last series of Trans-Oceanic (and possibly the last production radio ever) to be factory-built in a metal chassis using point-to-point wiring, as seen here. Zenith thought that buyers would choose hand-made quality over the cheaper printed circuit board construction of the radios starting to stream in from overseas; sadly, they were wrong. The R-7000 series which followed switched to PC board construction and, after a number of radios were built in the US, production was moved to Taiwan. The D7000Y, which I own an example of, has "MADE IN U.S.A." on the bottom sticker. Wonderful radios, BTW.
-Adam

[Sandy G]

The chrome on these is prone to get "Bubbly" & the vinyl trim shrinks/gets oily/sticky, too... I don't think it was Zenith's fault, per se, just the way things were then..Still, I'd LOVE to have a nice working 3000 some day...

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by AdamAnt316

Are you referring to the Royal 7000, or the R-7000? The Royal 7000 series, as I understand it, was the last series of Trans-Oceanic (and possibly the last production radio ever) to be factory-built in a metal chassis using point-to-point wiring, as seen here. Zenith thought that buyers would choose hand-made quality over the cheaper printed circuit board construction of the radios starting to stream in from overseas; sadly, they were wrong. The R-7000 series which followed switched to PC board construction and, after a number of radios were built in the US, production was moved to Taiwan. The D7000Y, which I own an example of, has "MADE IN U.S.A." on the bottom sticker. Wonderful radios, BTW.
-Adam

Sorry about that. I had reference to the RD-7000Y, the model with PC boards rather than a metal chassis and socketed transistors. I'm hoping the one I am currently bidding on (time left 23 hours and 45 minutes or so, when I checked the listing just before starting to write this) is one of the American-made RD-7000s and not an offshore-made one, although if I wind up getting the latter (offshore-made, in Taiwan) model I won't complain -- as long as it works halfway decently or better. At this point all I know about the R-7000, etc. is what I have read about the radio on Phil Nelson's site and at RadioJayAllen.com.

The only thing wrong with the RD-7000Y set I'm after, in fact (according to the seller) is the dial light is burned out -- a minor flaw I can live with. I had one pleasant surprise while reading about this set -- that the radio is set up for stereo FM reception through stereo headphones (as noted on either Phil Nelson's site or on RJA.com). I always knew these radios were TOTL in Zenith's line of high-end portables just before they went out of the radio business altogether, but I never expected stereo FM in a Transoceanic.

For Sandy G.: Thanks for the heads-up on the chrome bubbling and separating of the vinyl covering of the cabinet on some R-7000s. Again, however, since these are minor cosmetic flaws that will not affect the radio's operation, I can live with it if the set I hopefully will get has it.

[Sandy G]

Exactly. The cosmetic problems DO NOT detract from the operational issues..I DON'T THINK the early transistors pose a problem to Being Operational...

[egrand]

Good luck, hope you get it. One thing about ebay is a lot of people usually bid during the last few seconds, so expect it to go for more than it is right now. I have been watching Transoceanics for a little while now and the earlier 7000's usually go for $100-120, sometimes more if they're in really good shape. The newer R-7000 are at least double that. I think they are not only popular with radio collectors, but also hams. One thing I don't understand is why Zenith didn't name the R-7000 an 8000 or some other number. They really are very different radios from the earlier 7000's.

I have wanted to get into Transoceanics for a while now, but have been too tight to shell out the money. I know part of the problem is once you get one, you have to have them all! I nearly got a Strato World a couple of times, but those are really hard to find in good shape.

What I find interesting is all the Transoceanic knock-offs that other makers had over the years. Some were pretty shameless. Others were even making them well into the early 90's. I would guess that the 1000-7000 T/O's were the most copied radios ever. The RCA Strato World and B411 portables were pretty heavily copied too.

[AdamAnt316]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

Sorry about that. I had reference to the RD-7000Y, the model with PC boards rather than a metal chassis and socketed transistors. I'm hoping the one I am currently bidding on (time left 23 hours and 45 minutes or so, when I checked the listing just before starting to write this) is one of the American-made RD-7000s and not an offshore-made one, although if I wind up getting the latter (offshore-made, in Taiwan) model I won't complain -- as long as it works halfway decently or better. At this point all I know about the R-7000, etc. is what I have read about the radio on Phil Nelson's site and at RadioJayAllen.com.

So, an R-7000, then. The D7000Y was part of the earlier Royal series, and has the hand-wired chassis. The different revisions of the R-7000 are indicated by numbers on the end; the -2 version is considered the best, from what I've heard, due to a switch from using a toothed belt to a series of gears in the tuning mechanism. I wouldn't mind finding an R-7000 someday, but the Royal D7000Y is an excellent radio.

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

For Sandy G.: Thanks for the heads-up on the chrome bubbling and separating of the vinyl covering of the cabinet on some R-7000s. Again, however, since these are minor cosmetic flaws that will not affect the radio's operation, I can live with it if the set I hopefully will get has it.

Actually, the chrome and leather issues he mentions affect the earlier Royal 1000 and 3000 series sets. By the time of the 7000 series, they'd ironed out most of the cosmetic issues, though my Royal D7000Y does have some pitting in the chrome.
-Adam

[Jeffhs]

I was outbid for the RD-7000Y at the last minute (the last few seconds, actually), so I lost the auction. However, not being one to give up on anything easily, I looked around a bit on eBay today after the auction ended, and found a Royal 3000-1 from 1966. I won that auction, so I'll be expecting my new (to me) Royal 3000-1 in about a week. The seller has an excellent feedback rating, and in fact said in the item description he had done a lot of restoration work on the radio -- cleaned and lubricated the band switch, volume and tone controls, replaced the original dial lamp with two bright white LEDs, replaced the spring-loaded switch for the lamp with a regular switch so that the lamps will remain on as long as the switch is in the on position, and also replaced the original battery case with a rechargeable NiCad pack. The charger is included.

BTW, I think I'm better off with the 3000-1 anyway, as that radio is built on a metal chassis and has socketed transistors--like my Royal 1000-1. The 3000-1 is 47 years old, but since the set has been overhauled and cleaned up (in a manner of speaking; the seller said nothing as to whether or not the radio has been recapped), I think I'll have a very good set when it gets here. The seller said in the description that the radio sounds very good for its age.

I've wanted a T/O with FM for quite some time, but this one is a treasure because of all the work that's been done on it to improve an already excellent radio--one of Zenith's best TOTL portables. It was just too bad when the company went out of the radio business after the R7000, as when they made these radios, they broke the mold. We'll never see the likes of the T/Os again.

[AdamAnt316]

The Royal 3000-1 is a great radio. I've had one for years, but my use of it was hampered by the fact that the battery box was missing its cover (IMO, the second most important revision to the 7000 (first being the moving of the telescoping antenna to its own compartment) was giving it an integrated battery holder). However, I recently acquired a Royal 1000/3000 battery box which had corroded contacts. Removed its cover, snapped it onto the half-box I had, and I'm back in business. Just need to buy a bunch of D-cells in bulk...
-Adam

[Jeffhs]

My new (to me) Zenith T/O 3000-1 arrived this morning via UPS. Worked right out of the shipping box, bringing in every local and a few distant FM and AM stations in this area near Cleveland -- and it sounds great; typical Zenith. (I will test the shortwave bands after dark.) The radio survived the trip from the Bronx, New York to my apartment without a scratch, although I'm not surprised as the seller packed it exceedingly well. The set had been upgraded from standard D-size batteries to rechargeable cells; they are on charge as I write this. Band switch and volume/tone controls were cleaned and lubricated by the seller before shipping, so there was absolutely no noise of any kind when I tested the radio after it got here. They don't make them like that anymore.