It was during the Soviet years that the peak of the popularity of various radios and radio sets came. The choice was really great, and many models were constantly modified and improved. What is the best radio 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 a 7-lamp, was Moskvich, which, however, was not popular due to the high cost and complex design decisions. It was at this time that the task was given to develop a radio receiver that could become mass. So, already in 1949 more than 71,000 units 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, he was distinguished by good electrical qualities, worked in the medium and long wavelength range, however, only speech was clearly audible.
Portable models
The first Soviet portable receiver appeared much later - in 1961. This event was associated, firstly, with the invention of semiconductor transistors, which allowed 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, which were not necessary to register at post offices and pay a monthly fee. Many users were very happy about the release of portable models, because you could take them with you on a hike and to any other place to listen to your favorite shows.
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 performed 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 , which could work without replacement for twenty-five hours.
50-60s
It is believed that the golden age of tube radio in the Soviet Union came precisely in the 1950s. It was then that high-quality devices began to be produced, which, moreover, could be bought at affordable prices. And manufacturers competed in the development of circuits and device boxes. Today, collecting radio sets in the USSR is a hobby that is worthy of respect, because most models are considered rare, you just can’t buy them.
In the 1960s, circuit design and design solutions for radio receivers were universalized. At that time, the country's reduction in price of the entire process of mass production was relevant, so the receivers began to look about the same. An anonymous design looked just as sad as an incomprehensible sound, because instead of quality, it was customary to give preference to low cost of goods in the country. Probably the best radio receivers of the USSR is the "Festival", the volume and ranges of which could be adjusted remotely using the remote control. Consider the most popular receivers of those years and their design features.
Star 54 (1954)
This tube receiver was released in Kharkov and Moscow, and it was a significant event for those years. Significance was also due to the fact that among the dull and monotonous devices that were 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 way, in contrast to imported products, which, however, few saw, design and giving hope for a bright and new life.
In fact, this radio of the USSR outwardly almost completely repeated the receiver released in France two years earlier. How he got into the Union is unknown. During 1954, Zvezda was produced both in Kharkov and in Moscow, and the model was constantly being upgraded. Novelty was expressed in the vertical chassis of the model, which facilitated the technological processes, and in the release in the green and red version, and for some reason there were more red receivers. The device case was stamped from metal, and nickel plating and multilayer varnishing were used. When developing the scheme of radio receivers of the USSR, different types of radio tubes were used, which ensured a nominal output power of 1.5 W.
Voronezh (1957)
The Voronezh tube radio was created on the basis of the battery model, but the updated version was supplemented by a case and a chassis. The device was designed to work in long and medium frequencies, and a dynamic speaker is turned on at the output. For the manufacture of the case used plastic. As for the radio circuitry of the USSR, in particular, the Voronezh-28 model, the receiver input is not tuned here, and the amplifier is used with a tuned circuit in the anode circuit.
The Dvina (1955)
The Dvina network tube radio receiver, developed in Riga, is based on finger lamps of various designs. Moreover, by the time this model was released, the units 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 USSR radios, which belonged to class II and above, had four speakers. It should be noted that the Ministry of Radio Engineering of the Soviet Union developed a task, according to which 15 models of equipment were to be created, which subsequently went to the World Exhibition in Brussels, and a year later - to New York.
Popular transistor receivers
As we already said, these models appeared a bit 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 allowed access to alternative sources of information transmitted by radio stations of the West. The first sign connecting the USSR with the West was Speedola, which not only perfectly broadcasts Western programs, but also allows 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 task to the designers of the plant 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, the creation of something compact and convenient was required. And "Speedola" turned out by the way ...
The first transistor radios of the USSR, which were mass-produced, immediately became popular, never went to the shelves and were in demand by the middle class. Around the same time, transistor receivers began to be delivered by the Leningrad plant. The devices were called "Neva" and were built on the basis of 6 transistors and a semiconductor diode. They allowed receiving broadcast stations in the long and medium wavelength range. Pocket transistor receivers, which subsequently were already mass-produced, began to be actively developed.
The Wave (1957)
The Volna tube radio began to be produced in 1957 by the Izhevsk Radio Plant. It is noteworthy that this USSR radio was produced at a still unfinished plant, and at first in total of 50 pieces. The design was of two types - a wooden or plastic case, and very few models were produced in the wooden variety, and the production of plastic products became widespread.
There was one pleasant date in the history of this receiver: for example, at the World Exhibition, which was held in Brussels in 1958, Wave was awarded a Grand Prix diploma and a gold medal. At the end of the year, the receiver underwent modernization, during which the device’s design and its electrical circuit were recycled. On the basis of this modernized model, radiols were already produced, which were also called "Wave".
Riga-6 (1952)
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 complied with the existing GOST standards, and were better than other models in sensitivity and selectivity.
“Latvia M-137” was produced by the WEF Electrotechnical Plant and belonged to the first class. It is noteworthy that the model was created on the basis of pre-war development, which was improved. A feature of the model is in the scale, where the range switch and the sighting device are connected. Like many receivers, this model was constantly changing, but the main functional features remained the same.
ARZ
The Alexander Radio Plant for a long time produced high-quality radios for that time. The first model - ARZ-40 - was introduced in 1940, however, a total of 10 units 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 of the USSR. Today they can be found only in the collections of lovers of old radio equipment.
The next model - ARZ-49 - was released after 8 years, but has been substantially modified, which was also demanded by the authorities. This mass radio receiver had a metal casing that was nickel-plated or painted. The scale figure was in the form of the Moscow Kremlin.
The most perfect model was the ARZ-54 receiver, released in 1954 by several factories at once. She underwent a number of upgrades, so the signal reception quality was much better.
Upper class
The most popular Soviet-class radios of the highest class are October and Friendship. The first model was produced in Leningrad since 1954 and had a number of design features. So, the range switch was rotated by means of a gear transmission, and elimination of noise when changing ranges was provided by a special device in the form of additional contacts located on the switch lock.
The Minsk plant named after Lenin produced another first-class model - the Druzhba radiol, whose production began in 1957. This radio receiver consists of 11 lamps, the case has a three-speed player, so it is possible to play ordinary and long-playing records. You can set a low playback speed due to the soft roller, which also allows you to digitize old plates.
Sadko (1956)
The old USSR radios today are mainly interesting to collectors. One of the most popular models of its time was the Sadko second-class tube radio, which was produced at the Krasny Oktyabr factory in Moscow. This model is one of the first on which finger-mounted radio tubes were placed. The device attracts attention with separate tone control at different frequencies, in addition, it is equipped with four speakers.
PTS-47
The network broadcast radio of the USSR under the name PTS-47 was originally intended for the effective functioning of the radio center, but it was also widely used as a broadcast radio. To manufacture the device, a superheterodyne circuit was used, operating on 9-10 radio tubes in six ranges. The radio is equipped with basic control knobs , a volume control, a knob for tuning and two switches - ranges and modes. Power is supplied through the mains via a separate power supply.
The Light (1956)
This radio was calculated for mass use, so it turned out to be cheap and affordable for the entire population. This is a three-lamp device that works from the network and has good sensitivity when using an external antenna. But not all radios from the time of the USSR were widely used. For example, this model was discontinued due to unprofitability, since its retail cost did not cover all the costs that went into components and the work itself.
"Record"
Record network tube radio began to be produced in 1945 and was 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 listen to central radio stations anywhere in the Soviet Union. Note that some ideas about schemes and design were borrowed from pre-war models of brands Siemens and Tesla.
The first Record receivers were created in a wooden or plastic case, but subsequently, due to the imperfection of the casting process, the plastic version had to be refused. The network receiver also had some design flaws that began to affect the convenience and reliability of the device.
Arrow (radiola, 1955) and Melody (1959)
What were the USSR radios? The photo shows that with external similarities, the models still had insignificant differences. Today we don’t even remember many models, but the list of receivers produced in the Soviet Union is actually very, very impressive. So, since 1958, 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 ranges.
Toward the end of the sixties, the Melody tube radio was developed, which was being 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 range.
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 technology in the country was just beginning to develop.