1951 Zenith Transoceanic H-500 Vintage Radio. 

WOW...my uncle gave me his Trans-Oceanic early 1960's model 3000 in 1963 when he joined the USAF-I was only 9 years old, and it led me to a life career in engineering, radio and TV operations. I was workin' that big dial like a safecracker, back in the day when the AM band wasn't jammed like it is today...still have my 200+ QSL letters and cards! Sadly, the T-O died suddenly in 2005-beyond practical repair. Up until the end, I was still trying for DX...had a field day Monday 12:05-5:00 am when most of the high-power AMs used to sign off for maintenance (when I didn't have school next day).

I would ❤ to own one of those. I just ❤ the way they look & sound. Thank you for the post! 👍🏻🙋‍♀️🥂🌹

This radio brings back such memories. We had one. We lived in the out islands of the Bahamas, and traveled back and forth to our 2nd home in the US. We had it in our little pink house on the corner shelf. We used the battery pack. Then we had it on the boat when we lived aboard.

Just read your restore article on the H500...really super fine job! Just got a yard sale G500 (non working, of course) and will use the important information you shared! Thank You!

I just got an H500 'C' Revision from October, 1952 for my birthday and the radio itself is in superb condition. I spent many years in the Navy maintaining and troubleshooting equipment as an Electronics Technician and now thanks to your H500 Guide I have an incredible base to work from. I'm going to be recording videos as I go through the steps but first I have to get the components replacements and a couple pieces of basic test equipment. I just wanted to thank you for creating the guide and I look forward in sharing my journey!.

This video was done before I acquired a decent editing progam, thus the overall quality is terrible. I should redo it. I appreciate you taking the time to watch, such as it is. Good luck with your repair. When done, upload a video of it for all the world to see. Regards, John

joernone: I know this thread is getting really old, but it seems like the best place to personally thank you for this video and the H500 restoration PDF you created several years ago. I'm just finishing up a G500. It's my first restoration and I doubt I could have done it without the info you have shared. It was non-functional, with evidence of a spectacular short circuit in the area of the sand resistor, and today it's up & running and picking up shortwave stations. Thank you, sir.

Hey, One of these days I'll get around to taking down this vid and putting up a better one. At the time I didn't have any decent editing software. Anyway, I'm very glad the ARF thread helped. I'm still amazed at the number of folks who watched that series...I never would have thought. Thanks for stopping in. Regards, John

It's been a real pleasure watching your videos and keeping up on your restoration project on the ARF. Delcoman

Thanks. I appreciate it. Restoring these old radios requires more time than brains. Good thing for me. :-) It was good hearing from you. Thanks for watching. Regards, John

I love seeing these things. I have one waiting to get restored myself and I'm really looking forward to it.

Thoroughly enjoyed your video! I love the old Trans Oceanics. I have a number of them awaiting restoration I just hope my radios looks half as good as yours! I will check out those links you posted too!

My grandfathers old busted transoceanic brought me here. My face in your tree on the right there kept me watching.

I agree with you. A shutterdial is way cool. Someday I, too, will own one. But I'll never restore another Zenith Transoceanic. In my mind it's too much work for too little payoff. I consider it one of those "been there done that" thingys. Hey, I appreciate you dropping in. Thanks. Regards, John

Great 'story' behind that ol' classic, I remembering admiring my Uncles.

gtc1961, Glad you popped in. There's always room for one more. The BC and shortwave bands on this radio are now working well, but for some reason one of the tube filaments decided to blow out a while back. I haven't had time to check things out...what with other radios on the workbench and all that, but I hope to get to it soon. I installed a new tube and normal operation resumed. T.O.s are weird. Do stop in again sometime. Regards, John

The Transoceanic is one of my favorite radio, both tube and transistor. This one looks like new. Sounds great too.

Going to be restoring mine. Nice work!

Nice radio sir. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Really cool :) I have two of these Im procrastinating the restoration of Going to check more of your videos and subscribed :)

John, Just bought a T/O A600 today. I consider it an early birthday present to myself. I can't wait for it to get here. LOL ! Nathan

Roy, Once again it's great having you drop by. The Transoceanics do have connections in the rear for an external antenna and ground...and an external does pick up many more shortwave stations than the Waverod. In fact, I'm pretty disappointed with the Waverod. There were also a couple of ergonomic oversights with this H-500 unit. You can't close the front cover with the Waverod extended and you can't use headphones without leaving the rear cover open. Whodathunkit? Regards, John

Hello again, Mario. I'm glad you stopped in again. It is a face on that tree. Others have also noticed and asked about it. I'll be sure to show it in the next video. Thanks for watching. Regards, John

I like disco...always liked it and was sorta broken-hearted when it went away. The Bee Gees and Donna Summer...it just didn't get any better. Thanks. Regards, John

What's that wired face on that tree on the right ?

Now I might have to break out my old H-500 today. Like yours, it doesn't do much on shortwave. AM has great audio, but a bit noisy and a bit short on sensitivity. The dial on these is really cool. Can't beat that "Saturn" dial pointer!

Rick, These jewels can be pretty tough to repair. I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner...not that I'm such an old pro or anything. But once I figured out it was only an AA5 with a heap of coils on one end, things did get a little easier. A couple of times I just got lucky with a repair. Thanks for watching, my friend. I do appreciate it. Regards, John

Nathan, Unlike many folks, I'm not a T/O fan. Portable/battery radios drive me nuts. I'll never buy or work on one again. Too much trouble. But I am happy that you got one for yourself. Congrats. Regards, John

Nice video! I have a four T/O's and really enjoy them. My two favorites are the H500 and the B600, and yeah, they're pretty crammed under the chassis. By the way, I really enjoyed your ARF threads on this set. I read through it before starting on my H500. Quite different from the Hallicrafters stuff I usually work on!

Hello there. It's good to hear from you. Have you checked the two URLs listed below the video? The first is the complete H-500 step-by-step electronics restoration. The second covers the step by step cabinet restoration. Good luck with your unit. Regards, John

Hi Joe, thanks for posting this video. I just picked up one of these H600 models today (from a local ebay seller). Am just trying to figure it out. Fortunately I have an RCA VTVM on the way that may help in getting some of the alignment sorted out. I'll check your other vids to see if you show any more work on this radio. Thx again.

@jks2, This unit is still playing good. I'm glad because I prefer not to work on it anymore. Wooden radio restoration is my thing. Had this T.O. not been given to me I probably would have never owned one. But it was a learning experience. Thanks for watching. Regards, John

i got my grandpas H500 still working!!! no modern repairs done (original tubes still in it)

@ess1898, This radio required quite a bit of work. I found it to be rather finicky. Had someone not given it to me I probably would not have ever gotten one. Wooden radios from the middle 1930s are my preference. But good luck with yours. Thanks for watching. Regards, John

John, Thank you for replying to my message. The capacitors that I need are: 60uf or (68uf)@ 160VDC 20uf or (22uf) @ 160VDC 40uf or (47uf) @ 160 VDC As you are aware of the first value is the original in the filter and is probably no longer available unless you have a source. I could only find the values I have in parentheses but only at 100 VDC. I have the 220uf so that's no problem. Your filter mod is great! I hope you're having a good time at the Hamvention. You can email me at your convenience when you get back to Arkansas. Thank You very much! Sincerely, Larry

gracias por su video sou um admirador de radios antigos principalmente dos valvu lados gostaria que mandasse mais videos destas maravilhas.Thanks very beatfull.

Thank-you

Thank you. It was somewhat entailed. I've added both the chassis and cabinet step-by-step restoration URLs to the description. Check them out. Thank you for viewing. Regards, John

Ray, I believe the Zenith 5G500 is from the very early 1940s and is a pretty cool portable unit. I'd say any 1940s receiver in decent condition is worth restoring. And Its value is like anything else...worth only what someone is willing to pay. Regards, John

@deconstructionist67, I probably should redo all of my old RU-vid vids. The camera was fine, but the editing program combined with RU-vid's audio compression made them turn out kinda funky. The Transoceanic is still playing well. No problems at all. But I'm not a collector, preferringinstead to just repair and restore, so it'll be given to one of my grandsons. I just don't like a ton of old radios hanging around to deteriorate all over again. Thanks for stopping by. Regards, John

I love that radio

@TundraWalk3r, This was one of my earlier videos, when I had no video editing software. The sound quality totally sucks. I need to redo this vid and a few others that also sound crappy. I hope to get it done this coming summer. The radio still plays fine. Thanks for watching. Regards, John

@Organgrinder010, Congrats on the find. Hopefully, it'll be a snap to repair, if it even needs repair. Sometimes these T.O.s work just fine. But if it does require restoration be sure to check out the two links in the description under the vid. They'll help a lot. Regards, John

I got this at an antique shop for $90! Pretty nice! It needs some work, the dialstring is broken so it can't tune with the knob. Switches are dirty as well

I just acquired one of this model. The back panel does not open no matter how hard I pull. Any ideas as to what I can do to get the back panel open?

God I would LOVE to have one of these ! Had a chance about 5 months ago to get one for 40 bucks. It was a complete basket case ! I mean horriable. I went back to the same antique mall last week and guess what.... It was gone. Totally my fault, just wasn't mean't to be. Thanks for sharing ! - Nathan

Ok that is great, I just happen to notice it all of a sudden and wondered if I was just seeing things, but then it just looked too real, lol, so thanks for explaining that! Fun to see that anyhow. Keep up the good work. 73..wd0akx

This is one of my very early videos and the sound quality is terrible. I've since made vast improvements. Anyway, that is indeed a face...Mr. Tree Face. My wife bought it and had me put it up. A lot of other folks asked about it, so in later vids I did a closeup. Thanks for swinging by. Regards, John

Nathan, The ARF has a ton of T/O lovers who have tons of parts radios. That's your best place to go. Slap a few WTB ads in the classified section. Someone will probably offer you the parts for the price of postage. Regards, John

the tree in the back has a face! omg!

Mary, Any radio, regardless of condition, is only worth what someone is willing to pay. Of course the better the condition, the more it will bring. Lately, I've noticed many Transoceanic H500 units being restored... which means there's a lot more of them floating around in good condition...which means an overall reduction in selling prices. Supply and demand and all that. I'd pay no more than $75.00 for an inoperative, unrestored H500. But that's me. Regards, John

The 1L6 is the expensive tube. Some folks are asking $100.00 for one. It's supposedly rare and all that, but I'm not so sure that's true. I think it's more a case of hoarding. In its place I used an NOS 1LC6. It works fine, but an adapter was needed. Thanks for viewing. Regards, John

@GeoN0JRJ I did a previous reply to your posting, but RU-vid was doing maintenance and deleted it. So here goes again. SJust stick your meter leads on either side of each resistor and take the reading. Because of their placement in the circuit, some (not many) resistors will provide inaccurate readings if one lead is not disconnected, commonly referred to as "lifting one end", but most are not like that. Just follow the repairman's motto: If in doubt...lift it out. Regards, John

Nathan, The Transoceanics are pretty heavy and bulky...and a pain to restore. I posted the step-by-step restoration of this radio on the Antique Radio Forum, and am amazed at how many folks have viewed it and contacted me about it. If interested, and you've not yet seen it, you can click on either of the two links in the above video description. Regards, John

Nice channel Mr. Kopp. If you don't mind, I have a question about the restoration of two Zenith H500 that I'm working now (I am a beginner in electronics and tube radios restoration). I am following your Guide on that. My doubt is about the Zener diode. I think that the cathode goes to the same terminal that is attached to the wire that goes to the tube filaments and the anode goes to the floating B minus. Is that correct? It is a installation in parallel with the filaments? Many thanks. Alvaro.

John, I was taking a peek inside this T/O A600 today, pretty high tech for it's day. I'm gonna need a few parts, like the cord reel, and dial-o-scale. If you needed parts for your H500, where did you look ? Nathan

I heard low voltage tubes for the Transoceanic are hard to get, specifically one (number I don't recall). Is that the bigger replacement you have in there? What do tube cost? Availability (NOS or substitute)

thanks, i see one on craigslist with broke tuning string for 35. im thinking replace all caps and resistors, you have a list of them? thank you very much and nice job!!

John, I'm an Electronics/Avionics Technician for the Navy since 1983. I also do home repair and restoring antique TV's and radios. Thank You for the restoration guide and videos. Using your guide I have restored one Transoceanic radio to it's fullest glory. I had a hard time finding the 4 capacitors for the filter can. I live near Norfolk, Virginia and the one electronics store in the area had one each of the three 160VDC caps. Now I'm restoring another Transoceanic and I cannot find the caps that are rated at 150 WVDC. Do you have a source where I can order them without ordering in bulk? Thank you very much for your outstanding guides and videos that I have enjoyed very much and learned a lot! Sincerely, Larry

John, In the pics you posted on ARF on this Zenith TO H-500 I noticed a small helping hands vise on the shelf. I'm looking for something similiar to this. Where did you get yours ? - Nathan

Hey John, Me again. I have neglected checking all resistors on my restorations. Mostly just eyeball them. I Guess I need to go back and check them in my Zenith. Question: How do you check a resistor that has an end that doesn't end up on a tube connector? Do you clip one end? Otherwise, I would think the other components in the circuit would give a false reading. 73!

what is a radio like the H500 worth i just found one?

I purchased my H500 in the early 1950's, still works, but would like to get battery pack #Z985.

nice radio & ''faced tree''

Very beautiful radio. Looks like new. On the tree behind you there is an interesting effect, looks like a face on it, have you noticed it? Best regards, Mário

I have the exact same radio! Trying to fix it, but there's no videos about it...

john a woman gave me her husbands zenith 5g500 portable radio its got this magnet looking antenna type thing. it is in very good shape is this radio of any value or not worth restoring. thanks ray

One of these, an 8G005 just sold on ebay for $51 + $35 shipping. Not a bad price I guess. I didn't bid on it because I myself want a shutterdial.

Joerone: I have one of these radios minus the battery and even has the original tubes. Everything LOOKS BRAND NEW, but the insulation on the wires are crumbling. Any idea of where a schematic can be found, would a slow start up be recommended and are recap & resistor usual for these sets? I don't want to harm this set ****its spent the last 40 years in a closet ****and like i said ***********LOOKS BRAND NEW.

That sure is a nice looking radio, thanks for doing the video. By the way, if you look up in the upper right hand corner in your video, it looks like the image of a face with a beard in the tree, is this an image in the tree or just a fluke? Sure looks like a face to me anyhow just to the right of the extendable antenna on upper right of screen!

Have too Respect this Dying Breed of Repair:)..

1l6 sub 1r5 only works on am 1l6 worth more than the radio have 3 of these radios .all work.😎

Wow that is really cool!!! Have you ever tried restoring a telephone? RetroVintageItems27

I have the H500 in Brazil... Hahaha

Is that a face in the trunk of the tree to the right of you?

The Transatlantic - the original on your shoulder boom box... for discriminating joe dirt boardwalk disco roller skaters in the 70's.

@lsmith1981, Hello there. It's good to hear from you. I hope soon redo this poor excuse of a video. It was early in my RU-vid video when I made it. At the time I didn't have a good quality editing program so the video and sound turned out pretty bad. The remake should be much better...I hope. Thanks for dropping in. Regards, John

Im sure that radio was expencive new

Nathan, Go to harborfreight (dot) com and do a search for helping hands. They offer two...a plain one for $2.99 and another with a light for $6.99. Good deals. Regards, John