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Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 6:14 am
by 1922VV111
These are some of the best radios ever made IMO. Still lots of fun to mess with even though I missed out on the heyday of shortwave due to my age. But I still can find interesting stuff. I haven’t plugged the tube type one in, or the Radiola 60 below it (I’m crazy but I’m no fool) but would love to atleast fix the frozen tuner on the 1954 Zenith. I probably gotta spray something and that will fix it? My 1970s example is still a great performer (Both have the longest antennas I have EVER seen on a radio) but the dial light is burnt out along with the light on the front. (I hope no soldering is involved to replace these?)
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 4:02 pm
by Conelrad
The brown TO's are rare.
Servicing one is not for the faint of heart. The most common problem is the bandswitch getting noisy at best, or just dying completely.
Spraying it willy-nilly with WD-40 isn't going to help it at all, rather hours with a toothpick & DeOxit on individual contacts is the cure.
It can't be properly done without extracting the entire switch, and means a LOT of unsoldering wires.
D
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 4:29 pm
by electra225
Dennis, are the bandswitches on that model the ones that disintegrate if too much heat is used?...
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 5:07 pm
by Conelrad
Yep, just about any of the tube-type TO sets.
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 6:33 pm
by William
I have always wanted one of those, don't know why other than I think they are cool. What makes the brown one rare?? I do have a Zenith, AM only, in the same type of case as the TO's. It is both A/C and battery and it is tube and it still plays.
Bill
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 8:19 pm
by Conelrad
The brown covering was a premium upcharge. All tube TO's were AM-SW only.
D
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 11:22 pm
by TC Chris
I've got both of those Zenith models. Neither one has a dial light that stays on--just the momentary-action slide switch, so you can't leave it on and run down the batteries. The tube one's tuning malady is probably the dial string. Re-stringing mostly requires patience, and perhaps a diagram if yours is so far off the tracks that you can't trace it out. The number of turns on the tuning shaft is often a crucial factor.
There used to be, and probably is, lots of info online about T-Os. They are popular items. If you don't find what you need, let me know and I'll see if I printed it out and saved it. I could scan & email.
The disassembly issue with the tube T-O involves a hidden bracket & nut, as I recall. I have to climb that learning curve each time I do it.
The Radiola 60 looks like fun. The internet says it's a superhet, which makes it more advanced than my Radiola 17, an earlier AC-powered radio. When I inquired a few years back, I was advised that the 17 (and others of similar vintage) used non-polarized caps as power supply filters. Mine needs filter caps because it has always hummed loudly. Now it needs tubes also because I have scavenged them for other sets over the years. This one needs to be restored because it was my grandfather's first radio. Mine also needs work on the tuning cord, which is a braided bronze material, as I recall.
Chris Campbell
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2025 1:55 am
by Hi-Fi-Mogul
Would this post be over at Radios ?
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2025 2:03 am
by 1922VV111
TC Chris wrote: ↑Mon Dec 01, 2025 11:22 pm
I've got both of those Zenith models. Neither one has a dial light that stays on--just the momentary-action slide switch, so you can't leave it on and run down the batteries. The tube one's tuning malady is probably the dial string. Re-stringing mostly requires patience, and perhaps a diagram if yours is so far off the tracks that you can't trace it out. The number of turns on the tuning shaft is often a crucial factor.
There used to be, and probably is, lots of info online about T-Os. They are popular items. If you don't find what you need, let me know and I'll see if I printed it out and saved it. I could scan & email.
The disassembly issue with the tube T-O involves a hidden bracket & nut, as I recall. I have to climb that learning curve each time I do it.
The Radiola 60 looks like fun. The internet says it's a superhet, which makes it more advanced than my Radiola 17, an earlier AC-powered radio. When I inquired a few years back, I was advised that the 17 (and others of similar vintage) used non-polarized caps as power supply filters. Mine needs filter caps because it has always hummed loudly. Now it needs tubes also because I have scavenged them for other sets over the years. This one needs to be restored because it was my grandfather's first radio. Mine also needs work on the tuning cord, which is a braided bronze material, as I recall.
Chris Campbell
From what I seen, the dial string appears to be intact it’s just the tuning part isn’t moving…plus this cord is tacked on.
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2025 2:15 am
by 1922VV111
Hi-Fi-Mogul wrote: ↑Tue Dec 02, 2025 1:55 am
Would this post be over at Radios ?
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2025 2:43 am
by electra225
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2025 5:51 am
by TC Chris
Try gently turning the big wheel/sheave on the tuning capacitor while you rotate the tuning shaft. Sometimes the cord slips on the tuning shaft and needs a bit of help. There's a spring on the other side of that big wheel to keep tension on the cord. There are usually several holes for it to hook into, and if so you could stretch the spring a bit more for more tension, if needed.
Chris Campbell
Re: Zenith Trans-Oceanic!
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2025 10:45 pm
by William
I guess my brain was not in gear either, Zenith goes with Zenith was my thinking or it was just one of my many senior moments. Sorry!
Bill
