I am 65, born in 53, the year the "Korean Conflict" ended. My Dad was in the AF and served some time in Korea. When he came home he had one of these, which was the initial motivator that got me interested in Short Wave, electronics and ham radio. I went on to spend my life working as a communications electronics component level bench repair and installation technician. Much of that time was as a law enforcement / public safety 2-way radio technician. I was also a ham for 10 years but let it expire though I am due to re-test tomorrow, which is my birthday. That radio came up missing when my Dad died, and when I realuzed it was gone, I thought I would too. That radio was a major connection to my Dad, to WW2, to my childhood and to my career. IF you ever want to sell it or give it to someone to whom it would be profoundly appreciated, I would cherish it to my dying day. And, I have a son in the AF who is an avionics tech on the F15 and 18, and I know he would love to inherit it from me some hopefully distant day. BTW, I have been subbed to you for years and have always looked forward to your next video. I would love to have lived near you. I can truly relate to and understand your passion for your radios. I also share your taste in music, etc, and am sure I would have enjoyed collecting and restoring old radios with you. 73 from Dean Ball, Abilene
Thanks for sharing the radio, it is a beauty. All these Zenith Transoceanic radios are a masterpiece. My co-worker asked me to look at one that had been his dads a late 50s model. The radio had not been played years and had come from California to Pennsylvania via several owners. He did not want it restored but was curious if it might still work. I tested it out for him and found it kind of worked, once I cleaned up the push button band switches the radio came back to life. I told him I would be glad to restore it for him this winter if he was interested. For my trouble he gave me a Zenith G730R chassis 7c05 Long Distance, another nice radio from Zenith, that radio also works quite well and will be a minor restore and will be my at work radio. Zenith made such great stuff!
Thanks Here's the story about this radio. Little over nine years ago I was walking around the Raleigh fleamarket and this guy had a bunch of Zenith Military Transoceanic's, he had everyone. A lot of them were very pretty, leather bound, probably for officers. Then he had just this one O D Green Zenith Military Transoceanic. I asked him what he wanted for it, and I thought it was about three times too much. So I did not buy it. I called up some friends in the Midwest and asked them about Zenith Military Transoceanic's and they did not know that Zenith had made any Military Transoceanic's. So over the next week I thought, well if is there and he has the radio I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Well the next weekend he wasn't there. Nuts. Another week went by and this weekend he was there, and that was the only Military Zenith Transoceanic that he had left. So I bought it, believe me the buyer and seller had no clue.
Thanks for posting this, I Really enjoyed seeing it. I just got an H500 and am figuring out what to check before I plug it in to try it. I don't want to fry anything unnecessarily.
That selium rectifier, I would want gone for a 4007 silicone diode and a dropping resister,and any of the old caps ,but you have a very complete radio in amazing shape I saw some on ebay ,but I am sure yours is the best nice job
This radio I would not repair. This radio is so rare, that to a radio collector it's much more important that everything be original even if it is not working. Like the Regency TR-1 (the first transistor radio), if you recap it, you have lowered it's value greatly.
@@AllAmericanFiveRadio could you repair it if save the old parts ,or restuff the caps ,i understand your point ,like old cars in original condition,but i hate stuff that doesnt work ,its just a papper weight,and ebay had a few of them ,i dont no where you got yours ,maybe you could have your cake and eat it too,they are cool looking radios ,maybe someday i will get one ,if i can get it fixed,thanks for your amazing video
You would still see the new solider connections and you would be able to see that the capacitors are not in original condition. Original condition means no changes.
Ron Thompson you just use another one to restore for use.. A rare radio you don’t use for a daily use anyway is for collecting in original mint condition... I seen a national mint condition and it is nice to see how they came new, unlike old one radios I get to fix and play with, rusty, aluminum oxidized, scratched, and looks 60 years old.
Thanks Here's the story about this radio. Little over nine years ago I was walking around the Raleigh fleamarket and this guy had a bunch of Zenith Military Transoceanic's, he had everyone. A lot of them were very pretty, leather bound, probably for officers. Then he had just this one O D Green Zenith Military Transoceanic. I asked him what he wanted for it, and I thought it was about three times too much. So I did not buy it. I called up some friends in the Midwest and asked them about Zenith Military Transoceanic's and they did not know that Zenith had made any Military Transoceanic's. So over the next week I thought, well if is there and he has the radio I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Well the next weekend he wasn't there. Nuts. Another week went by and this weekend he was there, and that was the only Military Zenith Transoceanic that he had left. So I bought it, believe me the buyer and seller had no clue.
Man Rick,,, what are the odds that he still had it? Good thing not a lot of people realized the true value of it. I'm surprised a vet didn't see it and grab it just because it's military.
I had one of these once, though not near the pristine condition yours is in. It came to me as a gift when I lived in Hawaii from a friend who was cleaning out a shed or garage. This was back in the late '70s. It was missing the military nameplate on the front, and was gray-colored (Navy maybe?) rather than brown like yours. Otherwise, it was the real item with the military manual and the USA stamp on the chassis. I traded it in the '90s for a partially complete set of Rider manuals. I still have three TO's, all awaiting restoration. The trick now is to live long enough!
Wow I used to have one of these but it was in a black case. I traded it for a Crosley Prestotune 12 model 1217 with the 8 preset station push buttons. It received some cabinet damage back when Katrina flooded our home but is still in good shape and played for years afterwards. It still has the original speaker in it. Thanks for sharing best wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya PS Do you have a PDF of the Prestotune 12 model 1217 I can download?
Thanks Here's the story about this radio. Little over nine years ago I was walking around the Raleigh fleamarket and this guy had a bunch of Zenith Military Transoceanic's, he had everyone. A lot of them were very pretty, leather bound, probably for officers. Then he had just this one O D Green Zenith Military Transoceanic. I asked him what he wanted for it, and I thought it was about three times too much. So I did not buy it. I called up some friends in the Midwest and asked them about Zenith Military Transoceanic's and they did not know that Zenith had made any Military Transoceanic's. So over the next week I thought, well if is there and he has the radio I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Well the next weekend he wasn't there. Nuts. Another week went by and this weekend he was there, and that was the only Military Zenith Transoceanic that he had left. So I bought it, believe me the buyer and seller had no clue.
The best part is, that this T/O found the best home possible. I'd bet that its 1L6, was among the best performing in the lot which Zenith received with that shipment. You've got a treasure there, Rick!!
Thanks Here's the story about this radio. Little over nine years ago I was walking around the Raleigh fleamarket and this guy had a bunch of Zenith Military Transoceanic's, he had everyone. A lot of them were very pretty, leather bound, probably for officers. Then he had just this one O D Green Zenith Military Transoceanic. I asked him what he wanted for it, and I thought it was about three times too much. So I did not buy it. I called up some friends in the Midwest and asked them about Zenith Military Transoceanic's and they did not know that Zenith had made any Military Transoceanic's. So over the next week I thought, well if is there and he has the radio I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Well the next weekend he wasn't there. Nuts. Another week went by and this weekend he was there, and that was the only Military Zenith Transoceanic that he had left. So I bought it, believe me the buyer and seller had no clue.
@@AllAmericanFiveRadio Very cool to get a reply from you. I know nothing about electronics or radios, but your depth of knowledge and passion makes your channel one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing with us.
The R-520 model was made at the time of the Korean War. Yours is the later model R-520A which was made in 1956. I have both models. True, the R-520A is more rare.
Just wondering why you wouldn't fix it if it failed? From the look of it, you only have two visible capacitors that have to go (the paper ones on the tuner section), and maybe some out of spec composition resistors (I usually replace those with metal film). The rest of the caps look like they are ceramic and mica, and are likely just fine. I'd think that any fix on it would actually be a quick fix. The only real possible issue would be availability of the 1.4V tubes. Oh, and good going with the modern replacement for the ballast tube. Those things were way too delicate. I had a Y-600 about 20 years ago that I had to put two of those ballasts in within a couple of years. Merely bumping it once actually caused the first one to fail. Too bad the case on my Y-600 was in the "basket case" category. Cracks, etc...
Some radio collectors want radios with all original parts and it does not mater to them if it works. Of course it would be nice if they were in working condition. If I were to replace any part in this radio it would be very visible. The solder points would look new, of course the capacitors are new and do not have military coating. In other words its easy to see that it is not all original. This is one radio that is more valuable in all original condition. Another radio that is more valuable in all original condition is the Regency TR-1 1954, the first transistor radio.
This radio I would not repair. This radio is so rare, that to a radio collector it's much more important that everything be original even if it is not working. Like the Regency TR-1 (the first transistor radio), if you recap it, you have lowered it's value greatly.
I am 65, born in 53, the year the "Korean Conflict" ended. My Dad was in the AF and served some time in Korea. When he came home he had one of these, which was the initial motivator that got me interested in Short Wave, electronics and ham radio.
I went on to spend my life working as a communications electronics component level bench repair and installation technician. Much of that time was as a law enforcement / public safety 2-way radio technician.
I was also a ham for 10 years but let it expire though I am due to re-test tomorrow, which is my birthday.
That radio came up missing when my Dad died, and when I realuzed it was gone, I thought I would too. That radio was a major connection to my Dad, to WW2, to my childhood and to my career.
IF you ever want to sell it or give it to someone to whom it would be profoundly appreciated, I would cherish it to my dying day. And, I have a son in the AF who is an avionics tech on the F15 and 18, and I know he would love to inherit it from me some hopefully distant day.
BTW, I have been subbed to you for years and have always looked forward to your next video. I would love to have lived near you. I can truly relate to and understand your passion for your radios. I also share your taste in music, etc, and am sure I would have enjoyed collecting and restoring old radios with you. 73 from Dean Ball, Abilene
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
My uncle was a radio tech in the military during the korean war.. He helped me restring the tuner on mine and get it running.
Thanks for sharing the radio, it is a beauty. All these Zenith Transoceanic radios are a masterpiece. My co-worker asked me to look at one that had been his dads a late 50s model. The radio had not been played years and had come from California to Pennsylvania via several owners. He did not want it restored but was curious if it might still work. I tested it out for him and found it kind of worked, once I cleaned up the push button band switches the radio came back to life. I told him I would be glad to restore it for him this winter if he was interested. For my trouble he gave me a Zenith G730R chassis 7c05 Long Distance, another nice radio from Zenith, that radio also works quite well and will be a minor restore and will be my at work radio. Zenith made such great stuff!
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
Yours is in the nicest condition I've ever seen. I've seen about a dozen or so models of this radio.
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A beautiful Radio Richard I remember servicing one for a Mate many years ago thanks for putting it up Mate.
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A friend of mine still has his.When we were kids we would sit and listen to that thing a lot of evening hours.
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Now that thing is incredible!!
Thanks
Here's the story about this radio. Little over nine years ago I was walking around the Raleigh fleamarket and this guy had a bunch of Zenith Military Transoceanic's, he had everyone. A lot of them were very pretty, leather bound, probably for officers. Then he had just this one O D Green Zenith Military Transoceanic. I asked him what he wanted for it, and I thought it was about three times too much. So I did not buy it. I called up some friends in the Midwest and asked them about Zenith Military Transoceanic's and they did not know that Zenith had made any Military Transoceanic's. So over the next week I thought, well if is there and he has the radio I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Well the next weekend he wasn't there. Nuts. Another week went by and this weekend he was there, and that was the only Military Zenith Transoceanic that he had left. So I bought it, believe me the buyer and seller had no clue.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
Thanks for posting this, I Really enjoyed seeing it. I just got an H500 and am figuring out what to check before I plug it in to try it. I don't want to fry anything unnecessarily.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
That selium rectifier, I would want gone for a 4007 silicone diode and a dropping resister,and any of the old caps ,but you have a very complete radio in amazing shape I saw some on ebay ,but I am sure yours is the best nice job
This radio I would not repair. This radio is so rare, that to a radio collector it's much more important that everything be original even if it is not working. Like the Regency TR-1 (the first transistor radio), if you recap it, you have lowered it's value greatly.
@@AllAmericanFiveRadio could you repair it if save the old parts ,or restuff the caps ,i understand your point ,like old cars in original condition,but i hate stuff that doesnt work ,its just a papper weight,and ebay had a few of them ,i dont no where you got yours ,maybe you could have your cake and eat it too,they are cool looking radios ,maybe someday i will get one ,if i can get it fixed,thanks for your amazing video
You would still see the new solider connections and you would be able to see that the capacitors are not in original condition. Original condition means no changes.
Ron Thompson you just use another one to restore for use..
A rare radio you don’t use for a daily use anyway is for collecting in original mint condition...
I seen a national mint condition and it is nice to see how they came new, unlike old one radios I get to fix and play with, rusty, aluminum oxidized, scratched, and looks 60 years old.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
Beautiful radio! I have a few T-Os myself. They look and sound great.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
Real nice Rick. Good ole Bob,"Radio wild" is probably drooling with this one.
Thanks
Here's the story about this radio. Little over nine years ago I was walking around the Raleigh fleamarket and this guy had a bunch of Zenith Military Transoceanic's, he had everyone. A lot of them were very pretty, leather bound, probably for officers. Then he had just this one O D Green Zenith Military Transoceanic. I asked him what he wanted for it, and I thought it was about three times too much. So I did not buy it. I called up some friends in the Midwest and asked them about Zenith Military Transoceanic's and they did not know that Zenith had made any Military Transoceanic's. So over the next week I thought, well if is there and he has the radio I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Well the next weekend he wasn't there. Nuts. Another week went by and this weekend he was there, and that was the only Military Zenith Transoceanic that he had left. So I bought it, believe me the buyer and seller had no clue.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
Man Rick,,, what are the odds that he still had it? Good thing not a lot of people realized the true value of it. I'm surprised a vet didn't see it and grab it just because it's military.
Beautiful radio and excellent video, as always.
Thanks
I had one of these once, though not near the pristine condition yours is in. It came to me as a gift when I lived in Hawaii from a friend who was cleaning out a shed or garage. This was back in the late '70s. It was missing the military nameplate on the front, and was gray-colored (Navy maybe?) rather than brown like yours. Otherwise, it was the real item with the military manual and the USA stamp on the chassis. I traded it in the '90s for a partially complete set of Rider manuals. I still have three TO's, all awaiting restoration. The trick now is to live long enough!
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
@@AllAmericanFiveRadio i have one of these for sale does anybody know what it is worth
@@AllAmericanFiveRadio im trying to figure out how to send you pictures
@@rogerjohnson4894 allamericanfiveradio@yahoo.com
Very nice radio Richard, thanks for sharing!
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The radio is back in storage.
Very nice ! I saw my first brown case one today, and now this 😀
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What a beautiful thing
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The radio is back in storage.
I love this transoceanic yes i would love to own it i have a g500
Thank you. I hope you can find one.
Quality radio well made a time when a radio was built to last
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The radio is back in storage.
My dad had one of these when I was a kid back in the early 60's
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Wow I used to have one of these but it was in a black case. I traded it for a Crosley Prestotune 12 model 1217 with the 8 preset station push buttons. It received some cabinet damage back when Katrina flooded our home but is still in good shape and played for years afterwards. It still has the original speaker in it. Thanks for sharing best wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya PS Do you have a PDF of the Prestotune 12 model 1217 I can download?
Crosley Model 1217
www.nostalgiaair.org/pagesbymodel/249/M0003249.pdf
I had the pleasure to swap out a few dog-bones in a "T/O Bomber", nearly a decade ago, but this, the "Signal Corps T/O", is the 'holy grail',,, wow!!
Thanks
Here's the story about this radio. Little over nine years ago I was walking around the Raleigh fleamarket and this guy had a bunch of Zenith Military Transoceanic's, he had everyone. A lot of them were very pretty, leather bound, probably for officers. Then he had just this one O D Green Zenith Military Transoceanic. I asked him what he wanted for it, and I thought it was about three times too much. So I did not buy it. I called up some friends in the Midwest and asked them about Zenith Military Transoceanic's and they did not know that Zenith had made any Military Transoceanic's. So over the next week I thought, well if is there and he has the radio I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Well the next weekend he wasn't there. Nuts. Another week went by and this weekend he was there, and that was the only Military Zenith Transoceanic that he had left. So I bought it, believe me the buyer and seller had no clue.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
The best part is, that this T/O found the best home possible. I'd bet that its 1L6, was among the best performing in the lot which Zenith received with that shipment. You've got a treasure there, Rick!!
Very nice! I have a black T-O, but not in this kind of condition, not even sure mine works anymore.
Thank you.
Very impressive.
Thanks
Here's the story about this radio. Little over nine years ago I was walking around the Raleigh fleamarket and this guy had a bunch of Zenith Military Transoceanic's, he had everyone. A lot of them were very pretty, leather bound, probably for officers. Then he had just this one O D Green Zenith Military Transoceanic. I asked him what he wanted for it, and I thought it was about three times too much. So I did not buy it. I called up some friends in the Midwest and asked them about Zenith Military Transoceanic's and they did not know that Zenith had made any Military Transoceanic's. So over the next week I thought, well if is there and he has the radio I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Well the next weekend he wasn't there. Nuts. Another week went by and this weekend he was there, and that was the only Military Zenith Transoceanic that he had left. So I bought it, believe me the buyer and seller had no clue.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
Great video.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
@@AllAmericanFiveRadio Very cool to get a reply from you. I know nothing about electronics or radios, but your depth of knowledge and passion makes your channel one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing with us.
The R-520 model was made at the time of the Korean War. Yours is the later model R-520A which was made in 1956. I have both models. True, the R-520A is more rare.
This never went it to Korea
I take it these were made for American service men stationed in Korea ?
Yes, Zenith did not make them for the enemy.
I hope if i have old radio but i leave in poor north africa good job rick
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
Just wondering why you wouldn't fix it if it failed? From the look of it, you only have two visible capacitors that have to go (the paper ones on the tuner section), and maybe some out of spec composition resistors (I usually replace those with metal film). The rest of the caps look like they are ceramic and mica, and are likely just fine. I'd think that any fix on it would actually be a quick fix.
The only real possible issue would be availability of the 1.4V tubes. Oh, and good going with the modern replacement for the ballast tube. Those things were way too delicate. I had a Y-600 about 20 years ago that I had to put two of those ballasts in within a couple of years. Merely bumping it once actually caused the first one to fail. Too bad the case on my Y-600 was in the "basket case" category. Cracks, etc...
Some radio collectors want radios with all original parts and it does not mater to them if it works. Of course it would be nice if they were in working condition. If I were to replace any part in this radio it would be very visible. The solder points would look new, of course the capacitors are new and do not have military coating. In other words its easy to see that it is not all original. This is one radio that is more valuable in all original condition. Another radio that is more valuable in all original condition is the Regency TR-1 1954, the first transistor radio.
That is a thing of beauty and it sounds perfect, wish I had it and you had a feather, then we both would be tickled.
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Exactly what I was thinking...That and the leather one too !
Wow!
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The radio is back in storage.
I want one!
Thanks, I'm glad I got one.
Have you restored this radio?
This radio I would not repair. This radio is so rare, that to a radio collector it's much more important that everything be original even if it is not working. Like the Regency TR-1 (the first transistor radio), if you recap it, you have lowered it's value greatly.
@@AllAmericanFiveRadio It is amazng that that it seems to work as new! But Zenith probably hand assembled these on a separate line with milspec parts.
Thanks
The radio is back in storage.
I have a radio R-520/URR And I want to sell it by someone who wants it.
HamFest or AWA meeting would the place to try.
Map good
Thanks