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Zenith ROYAL 2000-1 : a RARE & EXCELLENT radio
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Zenith ROYAL 2000-1 : a RARE & EXCELLENT radio
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HISTORY: The ROYAL designation was used by Zenith in for its early transistor radios. T he ROYAL 2000 was the first all-transistor AM/FM portable radio ever made , debuting in December 1960. Its price at that time was $190 -- royal indeed! I doubt that many of these fine radios were sold. In some literature, they are referred to as the "Trans Symphony Royal 2000" radios. DESCRIPTION: This radio is an eleven-transistor superhet and, when you open the back, it looks strikingly like a tube radio in design, except that the chassis is mounted upside down. The transistors are all by Zenith and they are in small cans. You can see three of them positioned between the IF transformers in the photo. The transistors plug into sockets like tubes (in those days, it was not known how long transistors would last; it was thought that they might "burn out" like tubes and you might have to replace them after 5 yrs). This is a solidly built radio, weighing almost 10 pounds without batteries. The back panel carries a full circuit diagram, printed in black lettering on silver-colored paper. The dimensions of it are 10.5" by 7" -- taking up the whole back panel. This circuit diagram is in excellent condition & looks as though it was put in just yesterday. To the left of the inscription " Royal 2000-1", are some tiny letters that read "7/7/61". Probably that was the manufacture date of this unit. I am not sure w to look for a serial number -- none is obvious. T is a label on the bottom underside that simply says " Zenith Radio Corporation, Chicago, Illinois, USA " Inside the battery compartment was a label describing Radio Interference Certification (see photo). The glue on this label has succumbed to the effects of time and it became detached. I have not re-glued it. the next owner can do this. CONDITION: In a nutshell - it looks great and runs fine. The antennas have NOT been damaged; they are straight & function as new. Antenna length, when extended is 35 inches (each one). The knobs and dials are silvery and shiny, not brown and discolored as you sometimes see on old radios offered on eBay. Minor Blemishes: 1. The front of the case has one or two tiny smudges or scratches on the aluminum - but you can see from the photo how good it looks. 2. The handle broke at some point and was repaired (not by me). The repair job looks pretty good, however, the epoxy glue that was used has aged and now looks a bit discolored. This does not affect the appearance much, as the handle is black. Some excess glue could be trimmed to improve the appearance. 3. The left side of the case has some "bubbling" of the vinyl due to overheating at that spot -- perhaps the radio was too close to someone's toaster ! The vinyl covering is not punctured at all, but has some surface roughness due to tiny blisters. This is not noticeable under normal lighting and use , but I mention it because, to a collector, it could be important. 4.The battery compartment is clean with no evidence of spillage or corrosion; the two spring clips that hold the batteries in place are both present. The white plastic battery holder is missing. 5. The small jack plug on the right side (originally used to connect an external power supply) is still in place and has wires connected to it, but I have not tested it. Very likely it still works fine. OPERATION: To run this radio, I used a 12V DC supply from a 'wall wart' which I connected to the leads going to the battery position from the volume control/ switch. I have run it for several hours on AM and FM and it performs well. Audio quality is good even by modern standards: the elliptical speaker is very large (5" by 7") for a portable. Guaranteed to be running on arrival, or full refund given. ACCESSORIES: The radio comes with the "wall wart" adapter that I have been using, so that you can test it right away. MANUAL: The sale also includes a copy of the Operating Guide for the Royal 2000 series radios (see photo). SALE : No reserve ...
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