The only reason I bought this old tattered snapshot is because of the black radio in the background. It's a Zenith Trans-Oceanic and looks very much like the one I have sitting in my garage. I cannot remember a time in my life when my family did not own this radio.
Click on image to see it larger.
My dad purchased one, probably at the base Exchange, before we moved to Midway Island in the early 1950s. This radio was our connection to the world. I remember listening to this radio over the next several decades and it had me hooked listening to shortwave broadcasts and radio broadcasts from elsewhere in the world.We also had a Hallicrafter that I remember listening to late at night at the cabin. I still remember the broadcasts from North Vietnam during the Vietnam war.
Sadly neither of the radios work anymore. Both require tubes and I have no idea where to find those or if they're even available anymore. But I won't toss them. I love the look of each of them and the fond memories they bring back.
To see more about old radios visit my post today at Tattered and Lost Ephemera.
And currently bandwidth issues prevent me from participating again in Sepia Saturday. I hope to be back soon.
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My Grandparents (on both sides) had one of these. On my dad's side, they never did have a TV, but on my mom's side? The Zenith got relegated to the rec room in the basement - which also had a TV. TV viewing was under parental control (in the 50's)! We listened to that radio when mom said the TV Time was over.
ReplyDeleteIt's fascinating to me how you stir up memories of the Good Times!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves these oldies.
DeleteHey- I love the oldies too! Great post!
ReplyDeleteTubes and repairs are readily available if you find the right contacts and have some money to spend. Often the tubes aren't the real or biggest problem---capacitors often fall out of their capacitance range, causing poor reception and/or loud buzzing. Never turn on a set that has been sitting around unused for decades. Deterioration of components can sometimes cause expensive or even irreparable damage. An expert needs to initially power them up on a variac to check for problems before they cause damage.
ReplyDeleteOhhhhhhh, well too late for mine. I'm sure I turned them on. The Zenith was "repaired" but it didn't last. I just like having them around.
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