Roadie wrote:
On Mar 29, 3:17 pm, Snidely wrote:
- Very good to excellent build quality
- All band coverage (by current standards)
- Portable
- Excellent sound
- In general, simply inspires lust

I'm sorry to say, I can't think of any worthy radios.

Any suggestions?

The Zenith TO was a reasonable radio in it's day, but that day has
long since passed. The Eton E1 would run circles around any of the
Zenith TO receivers, no matter which performance measure was
compared. Indeed a Degen DE1103 would outperform one too.

But the Zenith TO is a fine radio to collect and enjoy for what it
was, and how much it contributed to the hobby or radio program
listening. And one of them makes a pretty darned good addition to a
collection of antique radios.



A Jr High buddy of mine decided to get into shortwave radio. And his
father, running a steel company, had nothing but money. Still, they
combed Consumer Reports and came up with a 'Must Buy' rating on a
Masterwork M-2896.

And he got it for his birthday.

I had to put my own money down, so it took me a while to save up for
mine, but I bought a T/O. I took some crap for that. CR didn't care for
it. Tough, I bought it. I liked it, and I used it.

Within a few months, the Masterwork was in the closet. Abandoned due
to noisy and intermittent switches. It was sold a few years later.

My T/O is still working. Had a few caps replaced, and switches and
pots lubed, but other than that...pretty reliable.

I recently found and bought a pair of M-2896's. I can see why CR
liked them so much. Exceptional build quality. And the case is very
nicely appointed. The leather doesn't retract like the leather on the
T/O. The chrome also seems less likely to pit.

Electrically, they are similar. Performance is pretty close. The
Masterwork is a bit quieter, though, again, with the deeper AGC, the T/O
is pumping up more noise. The Masterwork is more likely to overload.
And the audio isn't as full. (Though later models in the series do have
a much richer sound.

The T/O holds its own on broadcast. AM and FM. The Masterwork is a
little better there. Quieter and cleaner. Especially FM.

Together, they're both representative of their period, and their
price class. But neither would stand up to a decent rig, today.

Prices on the T/O's are coming back down to reasonability. You can
pick up any of the Masterwork series for about $30 including shipping.
And I buy up what I can find, clean them up, improve what I can
electrically, and then wrap them up and give them away as Christmas
gifts to my radio engaged friends.

You should see the looks.



p