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!
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? 🙂