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Reviews For: Zenith 7D127

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Zenith 7D127
Reviews: 3MSRP:
Description:
Seven tube shortwave receiver manufactured in 1937. Frequency coverage from .550 MHz to 18 MHz.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0035
W8JI Rating: 2011-07-25
Great radios Time Owned: more than 12 months.
When I was 8 or 10 years old I found this radio under a pile of clothes in a closet. I was amazed to hear the Cincinnati police in Toledo Ohio just above the AM BCB. I listened to stations on 160, and shortwave broadcast. This was the very first radio that captured my imagination.
ZOTZPLC Rating: 2011-07-24
My first ever radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The first ever radio I owned with shortwave bands on it was a Zenith 7D217 chassis mounted in a somewhat more horizontal wooden case than that pictured on the review page here on eHam. It was a fantastic buy for only $3 at the local junk shop, and as a boy of around 12 (in 1970), I actually had enough money to buy it for myself. It was quite a heavy set, I thought at the time, no doubt due to its 10" PM speaker and the actual metal chassis, glass dial cover and the wooden case.

When I got it home, I chopped off the dried outside part of the power cord and cannibalized an old clock for a new power cord that I just attached by twisting it onto the old cord ends and putting scotch tape on it so I wouldn't kill myself. Then I powered it up, and discovered that the dial cord was broken. Not knowing a thing about what to do, I discovered the glass dial cover could be removed, so I did that and tuned the radio by moving the needle itself, which fortunately was directly connected to the tuning cap inside. With a little bit of wire for an antenna, I was getting the BBC, Radio Nederland, the VOA, RSA, numbers stations and of course, good old Havana loud and clear. It was also a cherry on the AM broadcast band as well and picked up loads of excellent stations from Chicago, St. Louis and Davenport, IA.

I was always impressed with the sound that old set had, just incredibly warm and friendly and totally old-school American quality. Given that the radio was already over 30 years old and had been neglected for quite a while before I ever got it, and the fact that I didn't know anything about how it might need alignment, new dial string and caps, etc., it finally quit after about a year. But the thrill I got from it has lasted to this very day, and I'll never forget hearing the bells of Radio Nederland signing on and thinking, this is coming all the way from Europe...wow. That was powerful fuel for a young man's imagination. I was one lucky kid, for sure.
W5EI Rating: 2008-01-21
Ancient but excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Why in the world would anyone want to review a 71 year old radio? Well, there is just something very appealing to me in being able to power up this great-sounding old set and listen to MW and shortwave broadcasts from all over the world. Zenith had a motto, "the quality goes in before the name goes on." This radio has a quality look throughout and performs very well even to this day. It is what is termed a "wooden radio." That is, there is no plastic in the case or knobs; except for the chassis and electronics, it is wooden throughout.

Zenith turned out many thousands of "tombstone" sets such as this one as well as the great "shutter dial" radios like the one on the set of "The Waltons" TV show, and of course the beautiful floor models that culminated in the famous Stratosphere series. The seven tube 7D127 is quite modest compared to some of the high-end Zenith receivers of the 1930s and early 1940s, but it is very pleasing to listen to and to look at. Its dial is black with white lettering when the radio is off, but when the set is powered and lit up, the dial has a beautiful multicolor look.

Sensitivity is quite good, and selectivity adequate for listening to most shortwave broadcast stations. Its warm-sounding audio can fill a room, and the tone control actually works. With a little care and maintenance, it should be around for quite a few more decades.