Show us your portable AC/DC multiband radios!

[drh4683]

Zenith made a lower end all wave receiver from 1966-1972. The royal 94 "interoceanic". This is another true zenith design, with a solid point to point chassis and plug in transistor design. Its in a molded plastic cabinet with a chromed metal grille/frame. This one is from 66.

[drh4683]

Here is a small portable, royal 790. This radio has the "wavemagnet" in the carry handel. This is the "super navigator". in the NAV mode, the signal is greatly reduced so you can pin point station direction. Like any portable AM radio, If the ferrite rod is perpendicular to a station, the station will null, thus indicating its direction. However, the stations could be 180 degrees from where you think it is comming from. Its main reason was for those on boats to help find direction twards a city.

[drh4683]

This is a royal C52Y, which includes AM FM and PBS (150-174mhz) This receiver is from 1972, however its made in Japan, so its really not a true zenith IMO.

[Jeffhs]

I have several vintage transistor sets here, but the best ones, IMO, are two Sony AM/FM radios. One is a rather large 18-transistor AM/FM/FM stereo portable (model MR-9700W), the other a smaller AM/FM 3-volt portable (model TFM-7720W). The AM/FM/FM stereo radio sounds like a console, and has incredible bass for a portable mainly because of its large solid wood cabinet (the sound quality is great, second only to my 1963 Zenith K-731 seven-tube AM/FM receiver).

The smaller three-volt portable works well, but has an intermittent somewhere as the sound will cut in and out at random. I can bring it back simply by tapping the volume control, so I suspect either the control itself is defective or noisy or else there is a bad connection on the PC board it is soldered to. I hope the problem is just a noisy control, though, as I don't look forward to tearing the set apart to resolder bad connections around it. That is, I can do it if need be, but I'd rather not if I can possibly avoid it.

I also have a late-1960s vintage Aiwa AM-FM portable that works very well; the only problem is, I can't find it--yet, anyhow. Probably stored away in a box somewhere around here. Liking radio as much as I do, and since the set works, I wouldn't dream of putting it (or any of my vintage radios) out with the trash.

The power supply for the TFM-7720W receiver seems sorta' odd (to me, anyhow). The set will work on AC or two 1.5-volt size D flashlight cells; the latter is why I say this set's power source is unusual. Most larger portables use at least four C or D cells (my late-'60s Aiwa portable, mentioned above, uses four C's for 6 volts; the MR-9700W stereo receiver uses four D-size flashlight cells, also for a total of six volts). How did Sony manage to design the TFM-7720 to operate on just three volts? The set has a tuning indicator (most likely a small, perhaps grain-of-wheat bulb behind a small rectangular red lens on the tuning dial--I doubt very much it's an LED, given the radio's vintage) which I'm sure eats up power like crazy when it is on (this would explain why this radio has been designed to use D-size batteries, as these are capable of higher current output than C or penlight cells).

BTW, at my former home, some 20 years ago, I had a small Japanese-made portable (AM, FM, and two shortwave bands) that looked an awful lot like one of Zenith's Interoceanic models. I was reminded of this when I saw a pic of a later-vintage Zenith Interoceanic in one of Doug's posts, earlier in this thread.

Also, Heathkit offered an AM/FM/SW set in the early '80s, IIRC, which looked like a knockoff of one of Zenith's later solid-state TO sets. The Heathkit set, I swear, was a dead ringer for the Zenith, as the Heathkit had the same rotating drum dial, front-panel layout, etc. as Zenith's solid-state TO. I think Heath may have offered their version of this set after Zenith bought out Schlumberger in the early '80s or thereabouts.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by drh4683

This is a royal C52Y, which includes AM FM and PBS (150-174mhz) This receiver is from 1972, however its made in Japan, so its really not a true zenith IMO.

Doug,

I have two Zenith radios (R-70 and H480W), made in 1980, that were also manufactured offshore, in Korea and Taiwan respectively, so these technically are not "Zenith" sets. Neither radio has plug-in transistors or metal chassis (in both the entire receiver is on one large PC board), which is a dead giveaway that the receivers were manufactured when Zenith's audio division was starting to change--I regret to say for the worse. By the '80s the company's televisions had had circuit boards for about three years, more or less; a small Zenith b&w solid-state portable I bought in 1978 had everything except the tuners, speaker and control cluster on one large PCB. My point is that Zenith was already using circuit modules in TVs by the late '70s; their audio line went fully to PCBs from about 1980 going forward.

The company's radios (including your C52Y and my two solid-state receivers) made from 1980 on were branded "Zenith" probably because they were built to the specifications of the Zenith Radio Corporation of Chicago on Korean or Japanese assembly lines. In the early 1980s I owned a four-mode Zenith integrated stereo system which had been manufactured in Korea to the ZRC's specifications, as a notice on the back panel stated. The unit had a Zenith nameplate just to the left of the metal tuning knob, on the front panel, but no Zenith "crest" emblem (the company probably did away with the latter some time around 1980).

[Celt]

Just got this one from Universal Radio. It's a far cry from being *mint*, but is in good, serviceable shape. Four band: AM-FM-SW1-SW2, 14 transistor, backlit dial with tuning meter, 4"x6" alnico speaker. Has a antenna input on the rear and jacks for DC in, Record Out, Aux In, Multiplex Out and Earphone. The case is ivory plastic with a heavy chrome front bezel and chrome bands on the rear panel. More than anything, I was surprised at the clean, strong audio. Not sure of the manufacturing date, but I'm thinking mid 60's. Note the dial is marked in kilo and mega cycles, not hertz and the FM band is slightly extended to 86.5 MC.

[6thumbs]

Originally Posted by Celt

Just got this one from Universal Radio. It's a far cry from being *mint*, but is in good, serviceable shape. Four band: AM-FM-SW1-SW2, 14 transistor, backlit dial with tuning meter, 4"x6" alnico speaker. Has a antenna input on the rear and jacks for DC in, Record Out, Aux In, Multiplex Out and Earphone. The case is ivory plastic with a heavy chrome front bezel and chrome bands on the rear panel. More than anything, I was surprised at the clean, strong audio. Not sure of the manufacturing date, but I'm thinking mid 60's. Note the dial is marked in kilo and mega cycles, not hertz and the FM band is slightly extended to 86.5 MC.

I have a TFM 1600 that pulled FM from 120 miles as much as I like my 2 Zenith 7000s this unit out performed them

[Maurice442]

Hello everybody,

I'm very happy to say that after being without one for over 30 years... I finally got my hands on another NordMende Globetraveler on epay... this was the first serious radio I bought way back then... and one day I loaned it to one of my friend... (after much resistance from my part...) and he enjoyed it for a long time to finally vanish (with my radio of course...) but now I have another one and if anybody wants it they will have to pry it out of my dead hands... the only thing that I regret on this radio is that it does not have the teak wood finish... I loved mine for that... this one is black vinyl but is in very good shape physically and plays darn nice too... aaahhh those fonds memories it brings back...

Does anybody know where I can get a diagram for this radio???

Thank you all and Happy Holidays to everyone

Maurice442

[tune tuner]

Originally Posted by Celt

Just got this one from Universal Radio. It's a far cry from being *mint*, but is in good, serviceable shape. Four band: AM-FM-SW1-SW2, 14 transistor, backlit dial with tuning meter, 4"x6" alnico speaker. Has a antenna input on the rear and jacks for DC in, Record Out, Aux In, Multiplex Out and Earphone. The case is ivory plastic with a heavy chrome front bezel and chrome bands on the rear panel. More than anything, I was surprised at the clean, strong audio. Not sure of the manufacturing date, but I'm thinking mid 60's. Note the dial is marked in kilo and mega cycles, not hertz and the FM band is slightly extended to 86.5 MC.

I love the dial scales on these old multiband radios. They make you want to spend time exploring the bands just to see what you can pick up. Back in the late 1960s I had a large Columbia Masterworks 4-band portable that had the same coverage as this Sony of yours. Had great, powerful audio, AM stations sounded awesome (to me at least), and of course FM offered extra clarity. I have yet to see this Masterwork on eBay...it's as if they've all disappeared from the face of the earth. Fine memories though!

Chuck

[rat fink]

Originally Posted by Celt

Just got this one from Universal Radio. It's a far cry from being *mint*, but is in good, serviceable shape. Four band: AM-FM-SW1-SW2, 14 transistor, backlit dial with tuning meter, 4"x6" alnico speaker. Has a antenna input on the rear and jacks for DC in, Record Out, Aux In, Multiplex Out and Earphone. The case is ivory plastic with a heavy chrome front bezel and chrome bands on the rear panel. More than anything, I was surprised at the clean, strong audio. Not sure of the manufacturing date, but I'm thinking mid 60's. Note the dial is marked in kilo and mega cycles, not hertz and the FM band is slightly extended to 86.5 MC.

I have that exact same radio except my model no. ends in "WA"

[drh4683]

Norelco (philps) also made a few multiband portables in the 1960s-70s. This one is from around 1968 and has a cassette recorder built in which is a nice feature. Independing FM AM/SW tuning dials. Philips/norelco tape recorders of this age have a horrible reputation for the drive belts turning into tar and basically fall on the chassis. Removal of these greasy drive belts makes a huge mess and is a tedious project to fix as all pullys idlers must be removed and completely cleaned of this greasy drive belt residue. After all that is over with the radio sounds great and records anything you want over the radio.

[drh4683]

One of the finest multband receivers made is the Grundig transistor 6001, known as the satellit 210. This receiver is from 1968 and has great features and supurb sound to any other portable, even to this day its one of the best sounding portable multibands. Just a great radio. As great as they are, I'll still take a zenith TO anyday.

I grew up in Chicago one of my best friends mother worked at the Zeniths main factory in Chicago yet the Grundig was a much better radio even though I wanted Zenith to win the Grundig was just better,

[drh4683]

This radio is from around 1970. Grundig transistor 865. Another good quality grundig. Being a cheaper portable, it was made in portugal.

[drh4683]

A westinghouse 9 transistor AM SW receiver. Looks nice but horrible sensitivity. Just the nature of the design. I went through it and got it as good as it can get, just a basic low end AM SW portable. This is from 1960.