The Zenith GG601 Universal Portable Radio

In this video we take a look at the Zenith GG601 Universal Portable Radio.

[frankpeck]

Hello Jeff, Thank you, for such an Interesting, as well as Nostalgic 'walk' down Memory Lane, regarding this marvel radio, from the past. I never thought I'd ever see this again. My father had given this to me, in the late 50s, shortly after the new, and then, rather expensive, transistor radios, had come on the scene. That sailboat design, along with mechanical red 'on' indicator, was part of that Zenith iconic appearance. I asked my dad, "Why don't you buy a battery for it?" My father had explained to me, that a battery would be nearly as expensive, as the radio itself! At the time, I found that hard to believe. Low and behold, a few months later, on my birthday, he bought a battery, and installed it for me. He said that the battery cost $18.00, which then, was more than half of what the radio had cost in the 1940s! Over the years, with moving, etc., that radio had disappeared, but never the Great Memories, of that radio, my beloved father had given to me. Thanks again, Jeff, for jogging some great memories of the past.
I"m 75 now, and recently retired from being an EMS First Responder, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now living in Kentucky, I'm an avid Ham Radio operator: KI6CMR Kindest regards!

[lanini]

Nice radio I have one also restored and super clean except mine has the bomber grill cloth. It’s a good radio one of favorite radios I have.

[JrGoonior]

I have the older sister to this one, a 6G501 I bought in 2001 at an antique store in Alton, IL for $95 (found out later I paid too much). I actually built my own battery pack for this and a Zenith H500 TransOceanic I bought soon after, out of 60 AA's and 6 D cells, it took a trip to two Radio Shack's to get enough AA battery holders to add up to 60. I also changed the plug to a 4-pin CB mic, at the time it was much easier to find than the original plug and jack. Works great up until I wear the batteries out, replacing them can cost close to $60 US if I get Duracell or Energizer alkaline.

[Jivermo]

Thank you! Great narration, and information. Well done!

[katyair]

That's a beautiful radio nice job getting it going again, thank you for sharing your wonderful radio collection and test equipment I also have a fairly large Heathkit test equipment collection, I enjoy watching your videos and look forward to your next one.

[TheRadiogeek]

Wow! What a neat looking radio. I like how you can slide the radio out of the case to work on it. Nice job on the video. 👍❤️📻

[vtradio]

Jeff, Nice job with both the video and the radio. I just picked up two of them on two different days for $5 each. Neither is working, only the power tube lights up, and the red flag is always showing on both. The power plug will not seat all the way into the chassis on the radios either. I hope to recap them after I recap my Zenith Trans-Oceanic R600. 73 Paul AA1SU

[aerofart]

Hi Jeff, new subscriber here. Great video - lots of good information and well-presented.

[markholm]

Hi Jeff, One observation. I suspect you misspoke at 2:39. I heard you say the tuning range was from 540 to 620 kilohertz. I believe you meant to say 540 to 1620.

[stuartsmolkin]

Wondering if you have any thoughts on how to obtain or fabricate a replacement case handle for this model radio? And, thanks for the excellent video.

[Huanchee]

I was thinking about buying this model at a vintage audio store partly cuz it had a Lt., name and service number stamped on the front, meaning this likely was brought over with him during the war so he could listen to the radio on base. That to me would make it pretty unique and interesting to own as we’d know it likely was being used during the war…

Unfortunately I also realize this particular model isn’t too valuable itself, and the store in question will definitely not budge as they’re wanting around 65 for it which everyone I’ve talked to feel is way too much. Not only that, but it was modified at some point with a toggle switch above the knobs. For what reason idk, but being modded like that greatly hurts the value of a set, and will mean I’ll have to figure out what that mod was for if I’m to get it properly working again.

So yeah I’m unsure if I want to go for it or not.

[sadiqmohamed]

Great video. I remember those AB batteries in several different form factors. Just for the hell of it I had a Google, and lo & behold there are sources of Zenith batteries and kits available!

[GeorgeKauffman-oqex]

The 2024 price for 1940 $34.95 might have been overstated. In 2024 $, this radio would be $745.

[kilcar]

In 2024, the comparable cost would be between $700-$800.

[Homer]

I'm reporting you to the NHA (National Heathkit Assoc.).