Tuesday night, I attended a local radio club meeting with buddy Vlado (N3CZ).
Neither of us had ever attended this particular club, although we both knew a number of the members.
What was the first thing I spotted when I entered the meeting room? A pristine Zenith Model R-7000-2 Trans-Oceanic! Talk about a good omen!
Turns out there are no less than two Trans-Oceanic collectors in this group of about two dozen ham radio operators. The owner of this Model R-7000-2 told me that he has every Trans-Oceanic including the coveted Clipper and Bomber models.
I’m not sure I had ever seen the Model R-7000-2 in person. It’s a striking radio and the last in the line of the Trans-Oceanic sets–this model was produced in 1981.
Of course, I had to snap a few photos of this beauty.
Speaking of beauties, this Zenith enthusiast also brought his copy of the John H. Bryant and Harold N. Cones seminal volume: The Zenith Trans-Oceanic, the Royalty of Radios. (A book I highly recommend.) On one of the pages I rediscovered an image of my favorite 1930s/40s actress, Myrna Loy:
I first fell in love with Myrna Loy watching the classic film series: The Thin Man. I’m a massive fan of Loy/Powell films. Here’s the trailer from the first of the Thin Man series:
Any Post readers own the Trans-Oceanic Model R-7000-2? Any one else in love with Myrna Loy? Please comment!
I’ve just acquired a Zenith Trans-Oceanic R7000-2 identical to the one pictured here. I first saw them advertised in the magazines my school ordered for us in the mid 1960s. National Geographic, World Magazine, Vogue, Readers Digest etc. I didn’t attend a Comprehensive school. I admired these world band radios and resolved to have one at some point. Everything works fine. The bugbear of getting one is finding one that works and is not in America (Im in England). The geared tuning system, abandoning the troublesome belt is the reason to search out this final model. The integrated circuits and a separate antenna not connected to the handle are another boon. I like running mine from the mains with the dial permanently lit. I should explain that I live in a very old stone-built cottage with small windows.
is this radio for sale
R 7000 is why turtle wax was invented
I am also a fan of Myrna Loy. Her work in the Thin Man series was smart, funny, and electric. And as a woman who could out-think and out-quip the men around her, she was a breakthrough role model for confident females. As a radio talk show host in the 80’s I tried to track her down for a telephone interview but she was rather reclusive and was no longer interested in the limelight. I regret not getting the chance to hear from her….what a career she had.
Another strong female who captivated the movie camera: Louise Brooks. In the W.C. Fields film “It’s the Old Army Game” she steals every scene she’s in. Hard to take your eyes off of her.
Enough of this off-subject banter. Back to the wonderful world of radio!
I agree 100%. It would have been amazing to interview Loy. And Louise Brooks? You’re right–she stole the show. What a great film, too.
Myrna Loy? You’re such an old softie.
Am I that transparent?