While 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 […]
The magazine doesn’t show all of the construction details, but if you want to be accused of Russian meddling in the science fair, here’s the project for you. For the young Soviet comrade wishing to take home the blue ribbon in the oblast science fair, the November 1970 issue of Юный техник (Young Technician) magazine gave […]
In September 1970, I was probably busy putting together crystal sets. And some things are universal, and it appears that my counterparts behind the Iron Curtain were busy doing just the same thing. These illustrations are from the September 1970 issue of the Soviet publication Юный техник (Young Technician). Interestingly, my Soviet counterparts were able […]
Fifty years ago, if a young Soviet comrade were ambitious, and perhaps had a better than average access to parts, he or she would be rewarded with this handsome 8 transistor superheterodyne radio that covered longwave, medium wave, and shortwave broadcast bands. The plans appeared fifty years ago this month in the August 1970 issue […]
If I didn’t know any better, I would say that these Soviet diagrams from 50 years ago were suggestions for burglar alarms. Of course, they didn’t have to worry about burglars in the workers’ paradise, so they must have been something else. If I were able to read the text in the February 1970 issue […]
I’m not sure what this old tube is doing, but it appears on the cover of the September 1929 issue of the Soviet publication Радиолюбитель (Radio Amateur). One would think that the word written on the ground would add some context. But according to Google translate, “скатертъюборога” means “tablecloth,” so that doesn’t seem to help. […]
Ninety years ago this month, these three Soviet radio experimenters were putting together what appears to be an audio amplifier, following the plans contained in the June 1929 issue of Радиолюбитель (Radio amateur) magazine. Apparently, they’re either small experimenters, or they’re using a very large tube. Unfortunately, the scan is rather low quality, but the […]
I wish I was able to read more about this 1929 Soviet portable set. But the text is in Russian, and the quality of the scan is rather poor, so I can’t even make out any words to give me hints. But this is obviously a portable receiver from ninety years ago, and some lucky […]
I’m not quite sure what the function of this Soviet electronic project was. It appeared in the magazine Моделист конструктор (Model Designer) issue number 7 of 1968, with the cryptic title “In the air – the coach.” The magazine covers model building, so at first I assumed that it was a radio control transmitter and […]
Shown here are some eerie images of how the Soviet Union envisioned the Battle for the Fulda Gap would take place. In the event of war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, it’s likely that Soviet tanks would rumble through the gap on their way to Frankfurt. And it’s just as likely that they would […]