Zenith designers were distinct among their competitors in that they paid attention to current industrial trends, transforming radio sets from massive wooden “tombstones” into lightweight portable style icons. Zenith radio sets provided stylish radio listening during an age that simultaneously saw both an explosive entry into the Atomic Age and rock’n’roll.
Transoceanic
Vintage 1953 Zenith Transoceanic Royal 7000 AM-FM Solid State Radio Appears Working!
This vintage 1950s chassis contains two vacuum tubes: an “A” battery to warm its filament and an “B” battery for sound amplification. These large power tubes, unlike transistors which were smaller, were much bigger and required additional cooling space than modern power tubes.
Large tubes made this set one of the first reliable portable shortwave radios. Its long telescopic antenna and physically large tuner allowed listeners to hear distant stations like KDKA in Pittsburgh and WBZ in Boston.
Radionic hearing aids come packaged in a green cardboard storage box (6″ long by 2.5″ high), along with instructions and thick cords for connecting batteries to both hearing aid and receiver jacks.
Porthole
The porthole zenith radionic tube featured a circular screen that exposed all of its glass tubes, and could be found as tabletop models, standalone consoles and television/radio/phono combos. Some featured metal-cone CRTs, while others utilized all-glass tubes; it became popular during late 1940s and early 1950s and is now considered highly collectible among collectors.
Ralph Matthews and Karl Hassel founded Zenith Corporation as Chicago Radio Labs in 1918 in Chicago, Illinois for producing amateur radio equipment. Zenith later adopted its current name based upon their call signs (ZN’th and 9ZN) which were also letters in their ham radio call signs.
Zenith led the industry in groundbreaking developments such as high-contrast picture tubes and multichannel television sound in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as new turntables supporting both old 78 RPM microgroove standard as well as 33 RPM microgroove standard phonograph cartridges.
Zenith switched from vacuum tubes to solid state electronics with their Chromacolor television line in the late 1960s, although before this they used hand wiring techniques to ensure high standards were met and their products would continue to perform for decades to come.
This Zenith Radionic Tube features a large “Zenith” insignia on its front panel as well as its model number “A2A.” On its reverse are two slots for attaching pocket clips either at the front or back of receiver receivers.
Round Tube
The Zenith Radionic was an early hearing aid that employed vacuum-tube circuitry. Designed to deliver high-fidelity sound in a smaller package than traditional hearing aids, its tube amplified and switched signals, eliminating external batteries entirely. Popular among scouts and military personnel who often found themselves on the move; users were advised to attach it directly to their belt or holster for ease of use – though vacuum tube devices required frequent battery changes due to being bulky devices.
Early hearing aids were heavy, cumbersome, and hard to conceal; they also were sensitive to wearer sweat. To address these problems, Zenith Radionic employed Raytheon transistors for reduced size and power consumption as well as more resistant heat management which made their manufacture less expensive while permitting for extended wear periods.
Hearing aids equipped with transistors are smaller and can more easily fit under clothing than their vacuum-tube predecessors, and are thus less cumbersome to change frequently. Radionic‘s instructions suggest wearing it under undergarment while concealing its battery pack in either your pocket or a specially made holster.
A pair of round light pink plastic receivers snapped together to form the body of this hearing aid, connected via an 18-inch tan cable with three attachable earpieces and fitted with clear plastic posts that could accommodate rubber or plastic tips suited to individual user preferences. All components were packaged within a green cardboard box bearing “Zenith Radionic” insignia on its front panel as well as label stating, “Precision Made by Zenith Radio Corporation Chicago Illinois United States USA”.
Though other companies had implemented circuit boards in their televisions by the late 1960s, Zenith resisted until their Chromacolor range of 1970s models. Most of Zenith’s televisions and radios featured components mounted onto steel chassis construction for durability; many vintage Zeniths still work today due to this construction method and component quality.
Television
The TV Zenith Radionic Tube utilized two large batteries – A and B – to heat its filament and amplify sound respectively. Both batteries weighed between 2.5-3 pounds each and required users to carry them around in cumbersome battery holders or strap them directly onto themselves with multiple thick cords connecting them with both their microphone/amplifier unit and earpieces.
Damaged green box with the words, “Precision Produced by Zenith Radio Corporation Chicago Illinois U.S.A.” inscribed on it on front.
