Recent additions

[Nolan Woodbury]

Hi everyone,

Now that I've discovered how to resize photos, I can post a couple now.

The first is a radio I got this week. It's a C730R; the square version of my favored G730 that uses the C705 chassis with a large oval speaker and the square tweeter. This radio didn't work very well, but thanks to some of the posts here it plays like a new set. The main problem was weak reception and channel fading. The second problem was the heat damage located on the top right of the cabinet and finally, the tuning slide was off. After pulling the chassis out, I noticed the heat shield was missing (right on top of where three of the C730's tubes; the 12AU6, 19T8 and 35C5 output tube live) so I fashioned a new one from heavy duty aluminum foil, folded about 3 times. Using one of my other radios, I pulled a corner of its shield down a measured it: about .040 thick. My new piece is close to that. After gluing that in, I loosened the tuning indicator and moved it to approximately the correct position, cleaned the dial lens with Mirror Glaze and put it away. Using the 'one tube' theory, I replaced the RF-amp tube with my last 12AT7 / ECC81 Mullard, then ordered two more from the Tube Depot. It's all together now and working wonderfully! $16.50 from an eBay member who told me it was dead.

The second is a radio I was after for quite a while. It's a burgundy bakelite K725 with very little oxidation on the gold tuning arm and trim, but terrible reception. Using Chad's advice of "hum = capacitor trouble while reception is likely from weak tubes," I replaced all of the tubes (including the RF-amp tube) and set about replacing/repairing the broken tuner cord. I've shown the finished chassis in this photo. The bakelite was very dull (smoke? oxidation? dirt? Most likely a combination of all three) and nothing I tried would bring back the luster. Finally, I reached in my motorcycle cleaning supplies and pulled out a can of Mothers Aluminum polish that I slightly diluted with water. Magic! Lots of elbow grease, but the shine is spectacular! This radio doesn't have the presence and tone of my favorite Zenith's (K731, G/C730's) but it is a beautiful example of late 40s-early-50s Zenith technoligy. I am very proud of the "Armstrong System" sticker on the back and the fact it works great now.

Thanks everyone (especially Chad) for the informative posts. They've helped turn my piles of junk into treasure. What's next? :-)

[Nolan Woodbury]

Here's a couple more...notice the C730R has *two* Civil Defense markings on the AM band...

[Nolan Woodbury]

C730R dial

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Nolan Woodbury

notice the C730R has *two* Civil Defense markings on the AM band...

That was because the original Conelrad system operated on 640 and 1240 KC (kHz these days).

BTW, I read your comments on the presence and tone quality of the K731 and G730 Zenith radios. I can vouch for the great tone of the '731, as I have one that sounds just fantastic; it's the one set I'd keep I if I could only have one old radio and had to sell the rest. If I were in a situation where I could have one tube set and one solid state, I'd keep the K-731 and my Royal 1000-1 TransOceanic. The T/O doesn't have FM, but it sounds great on the nine bands it does have (standard broadcast and 2-22 MHz shortwave)--the best sound of any transistor portable radio I have here; I have several other portables of various makes stored away in boxes, etc. but the Royal 1000-1 beats them all when it comes to sound (with the possible exception of my Sony MR-9700W AM/FM stereo portable--that radio is in a solid wood case and sounds like a console, almost as good as my K731).

The frequency coverage of the Royal 1000-1 is almost identical to that of Zenith's 6-V-27, which was a six-tube farm battery set of 1930s vintage (1936, IIRC). I say "almost" because, again IIRC, the 6-V-27 actually tuned to 23 MHz. Those sets may have been top-of-the-line in their day, but I'm not sure I would have wanted to have a six-volt car battery in my living room underneath the radio. I often wonder how owners of these sets coped with the electrolyte leakage problem, i. e. how to keep the electrolyte from boiling out of the cells and spilling on the carpet, or spilling when the battery was moved for any reason.

[Nolan Woodbury]

Hi Jeff,

My brother has a TransOceanic (I think it's a transistor 3000-1 TransOceanic, its been years since I've seen it) that he's going to pull out of storage for me to look at again. He might want to part with it...or perhaps just 'loan' it for display. You've peaked my interested in this radio now Jeff! The only drawback is no FM- Here in the Phoenix area, that's where the good music is played. There is one vintage AM station here (58 kHz) but it's a sundowner. I understand the 7000 series has FM tho-

I like to listen to my radios; I rotate them to sit near my office and home computers to enjoy while I'm working (I write for motorcycle magazines). So, my choices tend to drift toward 'users'. It is the same with my vintage motorcycles; I have little interest in 'flower pots'...machines to look at, but not touch. Lots of folks collect (bikes or radios, whatever) for value, but I collect to use and enjoy. That's why I love my G/C730's and the K731! It is a WONDERFUL audio experience. I don't listen to cd's anymore. To that conclusion, here's a pic of a radio I'm bidding on right now. Although I'm not smitten with the styling of this C845Y, I don't have an 8-tube Zenith and the reports of superior tone and sound quality have me anxious for a go-

As for your concerns in keeping a 6v battery for your Zenith farm radio, I wonder if anyone makes a sealed 6v unit? In the auto and bike industry, sealed (12v) batteries are the norm. You can mount them upside down with no fear of spillage. Might be worth the research to put a radio in service.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Nolan Woodbury

Hi Jeff,



As for your concerns in keeping a 6v battery for your Zenith farm radio, I wonder if anyone makes a sealed 6v unit? In the auto and bike industry, sealed (12v) batteries are the norm. You can mount them upside down with no fear of spillage. Might be worth the research to put a radio in service.

Nolan, I mentioned the Zenith 6-V-27 farm-battery radio to make a point: that the external 6-volt car battery required to power these sets is prone to leakage, and if I had such a radio I wasn't sure I'd want the battery sitting below the radio in my living room, for fear of electrolyte leakage or worse. For one thing, those batteries are unsightly as all get out; for another, as I mentioned in my last post, they can leak electrolyte if improperly handled (I live in an apartment and cannot afford to risk such damage to the carpet). I personally do not own any make of farm-battery set; never have, even when I lived in a three-bedroom house with a basement until five and a half years ago. I don't have the room for anything as big as a 6V27 in my small apartment, as much as I'd like to have one (I've had a liking for Zenith radios and TVs for years).

Those old AM/shortwave sets are great, from what I've heard, and as I've mentioned before, my Royal 1000-1 brings in stations like a magnet, especially at night after the sun goes down. I can hear AM stations up and down the East Coast and the Eastern Seaboard all night long on this set, thanks to its high-performance circuitry (RF stage ahead of the antenna and so on); the daytime reception is great as well, as I can get stations just about anywhere in northeastern Ohio in daylight--even little 500-watt daytime-only stations, of which there are a few in this area. The radio sounds great as well. It doesn't have the bass response of my K-731, but still my T/O sounds much better than many if not most of today's portables.