Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, for the following guest post:
Zenith Trans Oceanics Still Command Big Prices
by Dan Robinson
For many radio collectors and users, the Zenith Trans Oceanic R7000-2 is a must-have item in the collection. This was the final version of the Zenith Trans Oceanic line that stretched back for decades — production was shifted to Taiwan and tuning in this radio is accomplished with internal gears, with concentric knobs for main and fine tuning.
The R7000-2 has Longwave, AM, FM and importantly for fans of aircraft listening, the radio
has excellent VHF reception. The huge Zenith TO telescopic aerial is a real eye turner — it is
super tall and compares only to the SONY CRF-1 in length.
Some years ago, the used market saw a few NIB or LNIB Zenith R7000-2 every year or so.
That hasn’t been the case — at least it was not until just recently when a LNIB TO appeared from a California seller.
NIB or LNIB R7000-2 radios could often bring more than $1,000 and sometimes much higher —
even as high as $1500!
That did not stop bidding on this-2 R7000-2 from topping the $700 mark and reaching nearly
$800 in this auction.
This does not mean, however, that every R7000-2 will be out of reach but other R7000-2 radios on eBay at this time suffer from cosmetic issues of one kind or another (see photos) such as detached side vinyl and missing antennas.
Amazingly, as this is being written there is yet another R7000-2 on eBay, complete with original
box and papers, and the original purchase receipt. This one could well hit the $1,000 mark.
If you’re hunting for an excellent late production Zenith TO, this may very well be the time
to pull the trigger — but for one in 9.9 to 10.0 NIB condition you will pay a price!
Click here to check this Trans Oceanic R-7000-2 out on eBay.
This is a timely post, Dan, as I made an Ebay purchase of the predecessor to the R7000-2– the D7000Y-2– just a few hours ago! This Zenith receiver appears to be identical in quality to the D7000Y-2 I wrote about earlier on The SWLing Post: https://swling.com/blog/2015/12/ebay-find-the-zenith-trans-oceanic-royal-d7000y-with-comparisons-to-the-sony-crf-320/
Although not the most collectible of the Trans-Oceanics, this prior model is the last USA-made version and the last one using point-to-point wiring. No matter what model, the Trans-Oceanics deserve the attention and loving care of radio hobbyists. They don’t make ’em like this anymore!
Nice looking piece of retro-radio technology.
Anyone remember McKay Dymek radios?
They looked more like high-end audio equipment than a shortwave receiver:
https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/dr22c.html
They crop up occasionally on ebay, tried to bid for one once but near the end of bidding the price shot way beyond my limit.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I am a McKay Dymek owner, a DR33-c6 obtained in LNIB condition. It’s a keeper.
Hey Dan, that was a lucky find and purchase!
Does it still function as new, any aging issues?
I watched some of your videos on YouTube, including the comparisons between the Sony ICF-SW07 and the Sangean ATS 909X. Recently bought a Sangean ATS-909X and have a Sony ICF-SW07 from when it was released.
Did a relatively crude comparison between the two receivers today with their telescopic whips across the SW bands. I didn’t see any great difference in sensitivity between the two, maybe the SW07 had the edge but it was negligible, not as pronounced as you found. How old is your ATS-909X? Maybe they addressed the sensitivity issue in later units.
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
John
I obtained the DR33 about 12 years ago from a seller in Texas who was clearing out an estate. Radio had been sitting, in original box, in a closet. It is pretty much 10.0 pristine, wood panels are beautiful. It functions perfectly — the only issue is some variation of the slewing control from band to band, likely due to aging capacitors — but overall it’s an incredibly sensitive radio and with its collins filters really a joy to operate.
On the 909x, I did not keep it — I bought a black version to test with my other portables and I concluded that the 909x just didn’t match the performance of the others, notably the Panasonic RF-B65