It was in the Soviet years that the peak of popularity of various radio receivers and radiograms fell. The choice was really large, and many models were constantly modified and improved. What is the best radio receiver in the USSR? What are the features of the technology of those years in general? Let's try to figure it out.
A bit of history
The first tube receivers in the USSR appeared in the 30s of the XX century. The very first model was the "Record", which was developed by the designers of the Alexander Radio Plant in 1944. After that, the serial production of models began, which lasted until 1951. The second receiver, already 7-tube, was Moskvich, which, however, was not popular due to its high cost and complex design solutions. It was at this time that the task was given to develop a radio receiver that could become massive. So, already in 1949, more than 71,000 pieces were produced, and a year later - almost 250,000.
In trade, the mass receiver was supplied under the name "Moskvich", and it immediately became popular. In addition to an affordable price, it was distinguished by good electrical qualities, worked in the range of medium and long waves, however, only speech was well heard.
Portable Models
The first Soviet portable receiver appeared much later - in 1961. This event was associated, firstly, with the invention of semiconductor transistors, which made it possible not only to reduce the size of devices, but also to reduce power consumption. Secondly, public life became more liberal when the population had a need for portable radio devices that did not have to be registered at post offices and pay a subscription fee. Many users were very happy with the release of portable models, because they could be taken with them on a hike and anywhere else to listen to their favorite programs.
The first portable transistor radio was named "Festival" in honor of the International Festival of Youth and Students held in Moscow in 1957. The assembly of this model was made on the basis of nine transistors, due to which the transmissions of stations that operate in medium waves were received. The model was powered by a flashlight battery that could operate without replacement for twenty-five hours.
50-60s
It is believed that the golden age of tube radio in the Soviet Union fell precisely on the 1950s. It was then that high-quality devices began to be produced, which, moreover, could be bought at affordable prices. Also, manufacturers competed in the development of circuits and device boxes. Today, collecting USSR radios is a hobby worthy of respect, because most of the models are considered rare, you can’t just buy them.
In the 1960s, circuit design and design solutions for radio receivers were universalized. At that time, the reduction in the cost of the entire mass production process was relevant in the country, so the receivers began to look approximately the same. The impersonal design looked as sad as the incomprehensible sound, because instead of quality in the country, it was customary to give preference to the low cost of goods. Probably the best radio receivers in the USSR are the “Festival”, the volume and ranges of which could be adjusted remotely using the control panel. Consider the most popular receivers of those years and their design features.
Zvezda-54 (1954)
This tube receiver was released in Kharkov and Moscow, and it was a significant event for those years. The significance was explained, among other things, by the fact that among the dull and monotonous devices, exactly repeating each other, something fresh, new appeared. The appearance of this radio was effectively described in newspapers and magazines. They focused on the fact that Zvezda-54 is a new phenomenon in domestic radio engineering, made in a completely different design, unlike imported products, which, however, few have seen, and giving hope for a bright and new life.
In fact, this USSR radio receiver outwardly almost completely repeated the receiver released in France two years earlier. How he got into the Union is unknown. During 1954, Zvezda was also produced in Kharkov,and in Moscow, and the model was constantly modernized. The novelty was expressed in the vertical chassis of the model, which facilitated technological processes, and in the release in green and red versions, and for some reason more red receivers were produced. The case of the devices was stamped from metal, and nickel plating and multi-layer varnishing were used. When developing the USSR radio receiver circuit, various types of radio tubes were used, which provided a rated output power of 1.5 W.
"Voronezh" (1957)
Voronezh tube radio was created on the basis of a battery model, but the updated version was supplemented with a case and chassis. The device was designed to work in long and medium frequencies, and a dynamic loudspeaker is turned on at the output. The case is made of plastic. As for the circuit of USSR radio receivers, in particular, the Voronezh-28 model, here the receiver input is untuned, and the amplifier is used with a tuned circuit in the anode circuit.
"Dvina" (1955)
The Dvina network tube radio receiver, developed in Riga, is based on finger lamps of various designs. Moreover, by the time of the release of this model, the blocks and chassis of the devices were unified. The peculiarity of these devices is in the key switch, rotary internal magnetic antenna and internal dipole. Note that the old radios of the USSR, which belonged to class II and above, had four speakers. Note that the Ministry of the Radio Engineering Industry of the Soviet Union developed a task, according to which 15 models were to be createdequipment, which subsequently went to the World Exhibition in Brussels, and a year later - to New York.
Popular transistor receivers
As we have already said, these models appeared a little later, and the very first product of this kind was the "Festival". For a long time, the most significant achievement of the Union was precisely the transistor radios of the USSR, since they made it possible to access alternative sources of information that were transmitted by Western radio stations. The first sign linking the USSR with the West was "Speedola", which not only perfectly broadcast Western broadcasts, but also allowed you to listen to music that sounded on the air, and not only Soviet.
"Speedola" began to be produced in the early 60s at the Riga plant, and no one gave the plant's designers an assignment to create a transistor. And in general, its mass production was not even planned. But in view of the illiquidity of the lamp models with which the warehouses were filled, it was necessary to create something compact and convenient. And “Speedola” turned out to be the way…
The first transistor radios of the USSR, which were put into mass production, immediately became popular, never stale on the shelves and were in demand by the middle class of the population. Around the same time, transistor receivers were supplied by the Leningrad plant. The devices were called "Neva" and were built on the basis of 6 transistors and a semiconductor diode. They made it possible to receive transmissions from broadcasting stations in the range of long andmedium waves. Pocket transistor receivers were also actively developed, which were later mass-produced.
The Wave (1957)
Volna tube radio began to be produced in 1957 by the Izhevsk Radio Plant. It is noteworthy that this USSR radio receiver was produced at an unfinished plant and at first only 50 pieces. The design was of two types - a wooden or plastic case, and very few models were produced in the wooden version, and the production of plastic products became mass.
There was one pleasant date in the history of this receiver: for example, at the World Exhibition, which was held in Brussels in 1958, “Volna” was awarded a Grand Prix diploma and a gold medal. At the end of the year, the receiver underwent modernization, during which the design of the device and its electrical circuit were reworked. Based on this modernized model, radiograms were already produced, which were also called "Wave".
Riga-6 (1952)
The tube radios of the USSR were produced by a variety of factories. So, an interesting model from the Riga Radio Plant was the Riga-6 class 2 network receiver, which fully met the existing GOST standards, and was better than other models in sensitivity and selectivity.
"Latvia M-137" was produced by the VEF electrical plant and belonged to the first class. It is noteworthy that the model was created on the basis of the pre-war development, which was improved. The peculiarity of the model is in the scale, where the range switching indicator and the sighting deviceconnected. Like many receivers, this model has been constantly changing, but the main functional features have remained the same.
ARZ
Aleksandrovsky Radio Plant for a long time produced high-quality radios for that time. The first model - ARZ-40 - was introduced in 1940, however, only 10 pieces were produced due to technical reasons. This model caught five local stations, which were pre-configured and fixed. We can say that these are the oldest radios in the USSR. Today they can only be found in the collections of lovers of old radio equipment.
The next model - ARZ-49 - was released 8 years later, but already significantly improved, which was also demanded by the authorities. This mass-produced radio had a metal case that was nickel-plated or painted. The scale pattern was in the form of the Moscow Kremlin.
The most perfect model was the ARZ-54 receiver, produced in 1954 by several factories at once. It has undergone a number of upgrades, thanks to which the signal reception quality was much better.
Top class
The most popular top class radios of the USSR are "October" and "Friendship". The first model was produced in Leningrad since 1954 and had a number of design features. So, the range switch rotated by means of a gear, and the elimination of noise when changing ranges was provided by a special device in the form of additional contacts located on the switch retainer.
Minsk plant named after Lenin producedAnother first-class model is the Druzhba radiogram, the production of which began in 1957. This radio consists of 11 tubes and has a 3-speed turntable, so you can play regular and long-playing records. You can set the playback speed to low with the soft roller, which also allows you to digitize old plates.
Sadko (1956)
Vintage radios of the USSR today are of interest mainly to collectors. One of the popular models of its time was the Sadko tube radio of the second class, which was produced at the Krasny Oktyabr plant in Moscow. This model is one of the first on which finger radio tubes were placed. The device attracts attention with separate tone control in different frequencies, in addition, it is equipped with four loudspeakers.
PTS-47
The USSR network broadcast radio receiver called PTS-47 was originally designed for the effective functioning of the radio center, but it was also widely used as a broadcast radio receiver. For the production of the device, a superheterodyne circuit was used, operating on 9-10 radio tubes in six bands. The radio receiver is equipped with main control knobs, a volume control, a tuning knob and two switches - ranges and modes. Power is supplied through the mains using a separate power supply.
Light (1956)
This radio was designed for mass use, so it turned out to be cheap and affordable for the entire population. This is a three-lampa device that works from the mains and has good sensitivity when using an external antenna. But not all radios from the times of the USSR were widely used. For example, this model was discontinued due to unprofitability, since its retail price did not cover all the expenses spent on components and the work itself.
Record
The Record tube radio began to be produced in 1945 and has been upgraded several times. The first option, by the way, was available both in the network and in the battery version. The receiver underwent modernization a year later, and to create a new model, the features of previous models were studied as much as possible, since it was necessary to create a massive, economical, but sensitive and selective device that would allow listening to central radio stations anywhere in the Soviet Union. Note that some ideas about the circuits and design were borrowed from the pre-war models of the Siemens and Tesla brands.
The first Record receivers were made in a wooden or plastic case, but later, due to the imperfection of the casting process, the plastic version had to be abandoned. The network receiver also had some design flaws that began to affect the convenience and reliability of the device.
Arrow (radiola, 1955) and Melodiya (1959)
What were the radios of the USSR? The photo shows that with external similarities, the models still had insignificant differences. We don’t even remember many models today, butthe list of receivers produced in the Soviet Union is actually very, very impressive. So, since 1958, the Strela receivers have been produced in the USSR, which belong to class 4 devices and are three-tube superheterodynes that allow you to listen to recordings thanks to an external pickup. The device is equipped with an elliptical dynamic loudspeaker, and the power supply is assembled on the basis of a half-wave circuit. There is a key switch that turns off the device or is used to switch bands.
Towards the end of the sixties, the Melodiya tube radio was developed, which was developed in Riga. All devices of this model were equipped with a key switch, a rotary internal magnetic antenna and an internal dipole for the VHF band.
Thus, in the Soviet Union there were a huge number of radios that were constantly improved and modernized. Today they are a rarity, but still continue to work. And their appearance serves as a vivid reminder of the era when radio engineering in the country had just begun to develop.
