{"id":31241,"date":"2018-03-18T09:05:45","date_gmt":"2018-03-18T13:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=31241"},"modified":"2018-03-18T09:05:45","modified_gmt":"2018-03-18T13:05:45","slug":"did-your-first-shortwave-radio-change-your-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/did-your-first-shortwave-radio-change-your-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Did your first shortwave radio change your world?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At the Winter SWL Fest<\/a> this year, we had an open forum hosted by Skip Arey and Dan Robinson called “Shortwave Memories” where SWLs were invited to speak about what shortwave radio has meant to them throughout their lives. I was a fantastic session chock full of nostalgia.<\/p>\n

I was asked to speak and started by talking about my first proper shortwave set: the Zenith Transoceanic (photo above).<\/p>\n

Although I first got a taste for the shortwaves on my father’s console radio (a 1936 RCA Model 6K3)–it was in our living room and I did not have ready access to it.<\/p>\n

My Great Aunt (who lived next door to us) must have learned that I was fascinated with radio, and one unforgettable day she surprised me by giving me her late son’s Zenith Transoceanic.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It was as if I had won the lottery.<\/p>\n

For the first time, I could actually have access to the shortwaves from the comfort of my bedroom and could listen anytime I wished.<\/p>\n

I quickly made a little listening post complete with a map, log book and paper to scratch notes. I was transported to every corner of the planet with that magical solid state set.<\/p>\n

That Zenith set turned out to be a catalyst for a\u00a0strong interest in geography, history, politics, language and travel. I learned that through SWLing, I could hear unfiltered voices from across the globe. Mind you, this was in the late 1970s and early 80s–long before the internet, long before mobile phones.<\/p>\n

Of course, I still have my Zenith Transoceanic and will always keep it in working order.<\/p>\n

I’m curious: What was your first radio? Did it have any meaningful impact on your life?<\/em>\u00a0 Do you still have your first radio?<\/em> Please comment!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, if you’d like to share even more detail and photos, consider submitting an article for our Listener Posts<\/em> series<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the Winter SWL Fest this year, we had an open forum hosted by Skip Arey and Dan Robinson called “Shortwave Memories” where SWLs were invited to speak about what shortwave radio has meant to them throughout their lives. I was a fantastic session chock full of nostalgia. I was asked to speak and started […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,305,288,43],"tags":[6898,5751,3134],"class_list":["post-31241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","category-shortwave-radio","tag-first-radio","tag-shortwave-memories","tag-zenith-transoceanic"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-87T","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32632,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/radio-world-features-a-tribute-to-the-zenith-transoceanic\/","url_meta":{"origin":31241,"position":0},"title":"Radio World features a tribute to the Zenith Transoceanic","author":"Thomas","date":"June 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors who've shared a link to this excellent article by Denny Sanders in Radio World Magazine about the history of the Zenith Transoceanic: Zenith Trans-Oceanic Radio in War and Peace This iconic portable receiver was known for durability and quality They say\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Transoceanic-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Transoceanic-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Transoceanic-Dial.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58104,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/a-transoceanic-saves-the-day-in-the-earth-dies-screaming\/","url_meta":{"origin":31241,"position":1},"title":"A Transoceanic Saves the Day in “The Earth Dies Screaming”","author":"Thomas","date":"October 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares a link to the movie \"The Earth Dies Screaming\"--a sci-fi\/horror film from 1964. Dennis notes that a Zenith Transoceanic Saves The Day: https:\/\/youtu.be\/RmQBxf9DA9k?si=BxB18Yec0mxw56gx Click here to view on YouTube. Please note: This movie was was live on the day of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/RmQBxf9DA9k\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":65784,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/04\/a-transoceanic-on-the-beach-help-ed-id-this-mystery-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":31241,"position":2},"title":"A Transoceanic on the Beach? Help Ed ID This Mystery Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"April 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Ed, who writes: Here in Philly, while perusing a vintage artifacts store here in Philadelphia, I found a 1958 magazine with a photograph of an attractive shortwave receiver model. Maybe readers of the SWLing Post can identify this radio? Is it the successor to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1958-shortwave-portable-model-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1958-shortwave-portable-model-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1958-shortwave-portable-model-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1958-shortwave-portable-model-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1958-shortwave-portable-model-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1958-shortwave-portable-model-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12679,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/zenith-r520aurr-transoceanic-radio-on-ebay\/","url_meta":{"origin":31241,"position":3},"title":"Zenith R520A\/URR Transoceanic Radio on eBay","author":"Thomas","date":"March 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Since I'm a complete sucker for Signal Corps radios, my buddy David Korchin (K2WNW), thought it would be a great idea to tempt me with this recent listing on eBay: a rare Zenith R520A\/URR. Let's be fair. It's gorgeous.\u00a0 And I would like to know the full story behind this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nostalgia"","block_context":{"text":"Nostalgia","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/nostalgia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Zenith-Transoceanic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Zenith-Transoceanic.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Zenith-Transoceanic.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Zenith-Transoceanic.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Zenith-Transoceanic.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12864,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/paul-litwinovich-sheds-light-on-the-royalty-of-radios\/","url_meta":{"origin":31241,"position":4},"title":"Paul Litwinovich sheds light on the “Royalty of Radios”","author":"Thomas","date":"March 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Paul, who points out this excellent article about the Zenith Transoceanic\u00a0by\u00a0Paul Litwinovich of WSHU.\u00a0 Litwinovich's article covers a brief history\u00a0of the Zenith Transoceanic series including photos from his amazing collection (check out his model 7G605 above). Here's a short clip from his full article:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Zenith Model 7G605, the first in the line of Trans-Oceanic radios. Credit P. Litwinovich collection via WSHU","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Zenith-Paul-Litwinovich.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Zenith-Paul-Litwinovich.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Zenith-Paul-Litwinovich.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25048,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/mark-spots-a-transoceanic-in-kiss-me-deadly\/","url_meta":{"origin":31241,"position":5},"title":"Mark spots a Transoceanic in “Kiss Me Deadly”","author":"Thomas","date":"April 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes: Following your recent post about Hemingway, I spotted what looks like a Zenith Transoceanic in the the classic film noir, \"Kiss Me Deadly\" - a favourite of mine with such memorable moments such as the \"What's in the box\" scene.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/kiss-me-deadly.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}