1970 Soviet Antenna Ideas

1970NovYoungTechnWhile we’re not able to decipher most of the text, most of these diagrams are self-explanatory. Figure 1 shows a fine longwire running from a mast on the dacha to a convenient tree. Figure 2 shows some details of the insulator, and figure 3 shows how to bring the lead-in inside.

I’m not sure what figure 4 is showing, although the vertical element at the left is labeled as the mast. Figure 5 shows how to make a good ground connection, and figure 6 shows how a knife switch can be used to disconnect the antenna when not in use.

For the young comrade without a dacha, figure 7 shows a slightly dangerous but effective idea. The component is labeled “kondensator”, which is obviously condenser or capacitor. One end is plugged into the receiver’s antenna jack, and the other end goes to the 220 volt AC mains. The same thing was done on this side of the Iron Curtain, such as this 1956 emergency crystal set which used the AC mains as an antenna. As long as the capacitor doesn’t short out, nothing could possibly go wrong!