RETRO RECEIVER REVIEW #19
ZENITH TRANSOCEANIC B600
by CRAIG SEAGER VK2HBT
For this Retro Review instalment, we skip across the Pacific and look at a receiver that isn’t all that commonly found in Australia, but has certainly enjoyed ubiquity, longevity and a worldwide reputation. The Zenith Transoceanic series of portable receivers stands as iconic in radio communications history, and is perhaps the most well-known product line of Zenith Radio, incorporated in 1923, and rising out of the ashes of Chicago Radio Labs, which had been around since the end of the Great War.
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| Quite apart from the Transoceanic series, Zenith made a huge range of domestic receivers, ranging from handheld transistors through to giant consoles. This ornate piece of furniture from 1927 probably cost the same as a house, and its appealing aesthetics gained it the distinction of being the only radio-related furniture allowed to be displayed in the writer’s living areas over the span of a 30-year marriage. |
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| Zenith was noted for its innovations, and these mechanical memories from the console in Fig 1 were certainly ahead of their time. Later (1950), the company is said to have invented the first TV remote, marketed as “The Lazy Bones”, and a few years later a wireless version, the Flash-Matic. Where would we be without such devices today? (probably all a few kg lighter!) |
The Transoceanic series commenced in 1942 at the behest of founder Commander Eugene McDonald with the 7G605 “Clipper”, featuring an oblong case with front cover, aero-style tuning dial, and either a sailboat or B17 bomber stitched onto the speaker grille cloth. This popular wartime model was later replaced by the 8G005 in 1946, and G500 from 1948, both more substantial radios and featuring the company’s proprietary “Wave Magnet” detachable antenna.
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Wave Magnet. Zenith’s famed longwave and mediumwave antenna attachment is in effect a ferrite rod and coil assembly. |
The H500 series came onto the scene in 1951, with the aero dial replaced by a slide rule format, and the main subject of our discussion, the B600, followed from 1954 through until 1962. The B600 catches our attention by virtue of the fact that it was not only the last valve Zenith Transoceanic, but is also said to be the last tube portable radio manufactured in the United States. Interestingly, the first of the transistorised Transoceanics, the Royal 1000, was released in 1957 and sold in parallel. And yes, somewhere on the dusty shelves of the writer’s man cave is one of those as well!
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| Rear view of the B600 |
The Transoceanic B600 is a 6-valve design (50A1, 3V4, IU4 x 2, IU5 and IL6) and is encased in a black leatherette-covered timber case. According to Philip Nelson’s website (http://antiqueradio.org/zen22.htm), the 1955 variant retailed for US $139.95, or for an extra $20.00, one could obtain a version in brown cowhide. This would have been serious money for the time, giving some indication of the market positioning and quality of these radios. There is also a very rare military version.
Powered by battery (9V “A” supply and 90V “B” plate supply) or mains (110V), the 600 series features a spring-loaded retractable cord, and there is also an optional ballast available for use in 240V markets. The battery was substantial, not cheap, and would probably have lasted for only a few weeks.
Underneath the fold-up front “hood” are seven push-button band select buttons, on/volume and tuning knobs, plus four tone switches. The front speaker is generous, and there is a dial light switch and ¼ inch phone jack for personal listening.
The Wave Magnet antenna sits in the top of the radio, plus there is a telescopic whip for the shortwave ranges to supplement the external antenna connection. An instruction manual resides under the top cover, and also includes frequency charts for international stations and weather information channels, in addition to world time zones. Frequency coverage is broadcast band, and 120 through 16 metres shortwave.
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| The instruction quick reference manual is under the top cover of the B600. |
There are several radios in the 600 series; L600, R600, T600, Y600, A600 and B600 (in sequence). The success of the Transoceanics prompted competitors to launch similarly styled large format tube portables, notably Hallicrafters, RCA and a very stylish offering from Stromberg-Carlson, the AWP- 8, which has a hygrometer, thermometer and barometer mounted on the front panel. Very sought after and desirable! (See the separate review of the AWP-8 here)
As one is accustomed from tube sets, the listening experience of the B600 is very pleasant indeed, with warm audio, and good RF performance to match. Many of these radios turn up on U.S. eBay, but the condition is highly variable, and postage to Australia can be a killer. Beware of any seller who is not specific about the state of electrical repair; I’ve found that many folk try to pass off their broken vintage radio wares by claiming that they don’t know how to operate the receiver, and hence assess its efficacy. A fool and his money are easily parted, so don’t believe a word of it!
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| A close-up of the B600 dial. |
Non-working examples with a restoration ambition will be a cheaper entrée to these sets, but note that low voltage tubes such as the IL6 converter used in the Transoceanics and their clones are both scarce and expensive. More likely, though, the issue is an electrolytic capacitor, often evidenced by audible hum, and if not attended to can damage your tubes.
I have found these receivers polish up well cosmetically with a bit of Armor All, and scuffed leatherette is improved by a bit of black liquid boot polish.
It is not only the tube Transoceanics that are collectable; the subsequent solid-state 1000, 3000 and 7000 are also sought after, with a particular premium on the 7000 despite plenty of stock in the marketplace. These were produced until 1981, latterly in Taiwan rather than Chicago.
Zenith Electronics itself got into financial trouble during the 1990s, and over the ensuing years, its stock was increasingly bought up by Korean giant LG Electronics, being fully subsumed by the end of that decade. LG has released some consumer items under the Zenith brand. Somewhat ironically, LG, through its low-end brand Goldstar, had earlier been the subject of complaints by Zenith Corporation for contravening U.S. anti-dumping legislation with sub-cost TVs.
There is plenty of reading on the web regarding the Transoceanic series and even a couple of books. Recommended is the large format paperback by John Bryant and Harold Cones, Zenith Trans-Oceanic: The Royalty of Radios, available from outlets such as Amazon.
If you choose to own one of these, it is already, and will, into the future, be a solid foothold on general coverage receiver history.
Further information:
Restoration tips for the B600
Specifications, schematics and other information (membership gives full access)
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Thanks, once again, to Craig VK2HBT, for shining a light on some wonderful radio equipment history!
73 and good DX to you all,
Rob Wagner VK3BVW
Missed the other Retro Reviews? Check them all out by clicking below:
Retro Receiver Review # 1 - The DANSK RX4000
Retro Receiver Review # 2 - The HITACHI KH-3800W
Retro Receiver Review # 3 - The SCHAUB LORENZ ITT TOURING T104A RECEIVER
Retro Receiver Review # 4 - The RACAL RA6790/GM
Retro Receiver Review # 5 - The REALISTIC (RADIO SHACK) DX160
Retro Receiver Review # 6 - The KENWOOD QR 666
Retro Receiver Review # 7 - The RODHE & SCHWARZ EK890
Retro Receiver Review # 8 - The YAESU FR101S
Retro Receiver Review # 9 - The SELENA VEGA B206
Retro Receiver Review # 10 - The DRAKE SPR-4
Retro Receiver Review # 11 - The NATIONAL RF-5000
Retro Receiver Review # 12 - The YAESU FRG-100
Retro Receiver Review # 13 - The MARC NR-82 F1
Retro Receiver Review # 14 - The MURPHY B40
Retro Receiver Review # 15 - The STROMBERG CARLSON AWP-8
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© Rob Wagner, Mount Evelyn DX Report, and contributors 2012-2023
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