View Full Version : Soviet TV on ebay!


Kamakiri
04-06-2011, 02:47 PM
I bid, but I'm not the high bidder.....someone wants it more than me ;)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Russian-Portable-TV-Set-Vintage-Communist-Soviet-Russia-/360356375721?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item53e6e9eca9

How cool!

jbivy
04-06-2011, 02:52 PM
Wow, thats interesting. I wonder what the chassis is like?

What voltage do the russians run on?

electroking
04-06-2011, 05:18 PM
Funny brand Yunost, litterally means 'youth' :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_(Tolstoy_novel)

I don't think I have seen another Soviet TV offered by a U.S. seller...

P.S. : link will work when you add ) at the end. Sorry about this.

ctc17
04-06-2011, 07:20 PM
Is this 240 volt 50 hz SECAM? How would this work here in NTSC land?

wa2ise
04-06-2011, 07:35 PM
Is this 240 volt 50 hz SECAM? How would this work here in NTSC land?

If it's B&W, just set your DVD player to "PAL" mode. That will put the deflection rates that will match what SECAM used. But you need a special TV modulator that can get the signal onto a channel this set can tune, and more significantly, the FM sound subcarrier is something different than the American 4.5MHz, 6.5MHz I think it may be. You might be able to hack an American mode TV modulator by changing the LC circuit for the sound subcarrier.

As for the power, 60Hz should be fine. An outlet like the below, 230VAC @20A and 60Hz would be what you'd want to install. Usually used for larger window air conditioners. Both sides of the American pair of 115VACs feed this kind of outlet, plus a safety ground. Here I installed this in the kitchen, and grabbed 230V off the electric heat circuit ahead of the thermostat (protected by a 20A breaker). Don't tell my landlord, but landlords never notice things like this (I did it neater and reasonably code compliant than their maintenance staff would have, and with 200 units in this 25 year old complex they won't remember that it wasn't there before, and some units were recently redecorated so the units already look different from each other anyway), but they do notice things like dirty bathrooms when time comes to move out. :no:

So now I can power my various Australian and European radios, which are perfectly happy with 60Hz. Their 50Hz power transformers run cooler on 60Hz.

ctc17
04-07-2011, 08:39 PM
Well I own it. I kinda forgot I put a late night half asleep bid on it last week. Well it will make for some good pictures to post.

My video card will do composite SECAM but I would need to do a direct injection or come up with some kind of modulator.

Sandy G
04-07-2011, 09:00 PM
Great ! Glad "One of Us" got it...

maxhifi
04-07-2011, 09:56 PM
CTC17

Congratulations - I've wanted a Soviet TV for a while, but will probably hold out for a tube model (they made all tube B&W t's well into the late 80s)

Here's some info on it, it's solid state and from 1974.

http://rw6ase.narod.ru/000/tw/junost401.html

Also, attached is the original data sheet, for those unable to read the links on above webpage.

The schematic is here

http://www.rw6ase-dok1.narod.ru/arhiv/junost401sx.djvu

You will need the deja vu plugin for your browser

Above website contains a catalogue of almost all the consumer electronics made in the USSR. I was looking at it for hours when I first discovered it. I've got a couple radios, and a tube record player from the USSR. If you need help getting parts like transistors, send me a PM, I know a guy who is able to get this kind of stuff, I've used him a couple times in the past for misc. soviet parts. Some of their full range speakers are fun to play with in small arrays, and I bought a pile of spare needles for the record player.

ctc17
04-07-2011, 10:04 PM
Wow cool! thanks for posting that. I thought this was a tube model, it will be cool to play with for sure.

maxhifi
04-07-2011, 10:20 PM
I wouldn't be too let down it's not tubes - their transistor stuff is just as weird. You'll see what I mean when it shows up and you get to take it apart, I have a feeling you won't regret spending money on it once you see how this stuff is built. The really neat thing about Soviet electronics is nearly every western country had trade a embargo against them, so pretty much every component is home grown, including all the semiconductors. Another cool thing is that since everything was made by the government, there are government standards which define how everything is made, and stuff like service info is now totally free of copyright and fairly well organized and comprehensive.

bgadow
04-07-2011, 11:06 PM
The perfect set to watch Trolololo on!

Eric H
04-08-2011, 12:53 AM
<Boris Badenov voice>
In Soviet Russia you don't watch TV, TV watches you! :D:lmao:

Kamakiri
04-08-2011, 05:33 AM
English translation of the ad:

Movable television set of the 4th class of ' ' Youth -401' ' ([PT]-31-IV-1) it is intended for the method by the tele- the [vizionnykh] programs in mV, and with the installation of the selector of channels SKD -20 and in Moscow Standard Time range. Television set of ' ' Youth -401[D]' ' already has block SKD -20. Model ensures the steady method at a distance to 100 km from the television studio. In it [primenen] the kinescope of 31[LK]4[B], with the angle the slope [niya] of ray of 90°. In the diagram there are by ARU and APCh and [F]. [Chuvstvitelnost] TV 100 V, clearness 400 lines, the output power of 0,75 W, the band of frequencies 200… 7100 Hz. ACE consist of dynamics TI pA of 0,5[GD]-30, is a nest for the connection of head sets with turning off dynamics. Nourishment from network, storage battery, or any source [PT], with the stress of 12 volts. Consumed [moshch] [nost] with the nourishment from network 30, from the source of direct current 14 W. Case of model from [plas] [tmassy], it is finished by film under the valuable species of tree with the metallization. Overall sizes of the apparatus 376[kh]315[kh]260 mm. mass 10 kg. price - 280 rubles. As it was written in the advertisement: Television set ' ' Youth -401' ' - these are your reliable satellite and the friend of house, on leisure, in the marches and the expeditions

***********

I've always wanted a soviet TV too.....the land of my ancestors :)

electroking
04-08-2011, 08:57 AM
Interesting that such a modern TV would still be using a 90-degree CRT. I guess
this made it possible to save some power, a good feature in a portable unit
capable of running off a 12-V battery. The Russians (then and now) should not
be underestimated...

electroking
04-08-2011, 09:07 AM
I wouldn't be too let down it's not tubes - their transistor stuff is just as weird. You'll see what I mean when it shows up and you get to take it apart, I have a feeling you won't regret spending money on it once you see how this stuff is built. The really neat thing about Soviet electronics is nearly every western country had trade a embargo against them, so pretty much every component is home grown, including all the semiconductors. Another cool thing is that since everything was made by the government, there are government standards which define how everything is made, and stuff like service info is now totally free of copyright and fairly well organized and comprehensive.

Interesting statement, but I'm not sure many (or even any) western
countries ever had an embargo against the USSR. If you have some
references regarding the history of this, I would like to see them. I trust
this discussion is not drifting too far way from the original topic.

By the way, the site mentioned elsewhere in this thread (rw6ase.narod.ru)
is chock full of nice pictures of old electronics. Be sure to have a look!
Regards to all.

ctc17
04-08-2011, 10:13 AM
I love this. We call it the line, line voltage or the grid and they call it Nourishment from network.

I kinda cant wait to see it now and hopefully give it nourishment. There will be lots of pictures as soon as it arrives.

wa2ise
04-08-2011, 11:45 AM
Interesting statement, but I'm not sure many (or even any) western
countries ever had an embargo against the USSR.

I remember, from the late 70s early 80s that Russia not be allowed to buy "microchips", which turned out to be 8 bit microprocessors. The sort found in home computers of the time, like Commodore 64's, vic 20's, Atari 800s and such. What, stuff in my basement at the time was militarily sensitive?

maxhifi
04-08-2011, 01:35 PM
Interesting statement, but I'm not sure many (or even any) western
countries ever had an embargo against the USSR. If you have some
references regarding the history of this, I would like to see them. I trust
this discussion is not drifting too far way from the original topic.

By the way, the site mentioned elsewhere in this thread (rw6ase.narod.ru)
is chock full of nice pictures of old electronics. Be sure to have a look!
Regards to all.

Pure heresay... I haven't got any reference to back it up, in fact I don't remember where I first heard that, I just accepted it as true after rarely seeing foreign content in Soviet electronics.

Suffice to say though there were a multitude of real political and economic reasons everything had to be home grown. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that foreign products would have undermined their economy, as it worked at the time. I did see a 60s Soviet children's cartoon on TV when I was travelling in eastern europe, on a retro tv channel, or program, which cautioned youth against being tempted by the lure of anything which said "Made in xxx" on it (i.e. black market foreign products).

ctc17
04-22-2011, 02:11 PM
It arrived today mostly one piece. A bunch of plastic crap in the box and one crack in the case. Typical UPS and poorly packed. One crappy box and a piece of bubble wrap.

I may have to use the negative feedback feature on ebay for the first time,

wa2ise
04-22-2011, 05:47 PM
It arrived today mostly one piece. Typical UPS and poorly packed. One crappy box and a piece of bubble wrap.

I hate when that happens. Bought an Aussie set, and it arrived in 3 large pieces, and several smaller pieces. All but one still in the box. Managed to reassemble it to a reasonably presentable condition (using epoxy, hot glue and shoe polish) but look carefully and you can see the cracks.

http://www.wa2ise.com/radios/healingL502e.jpg

Kamakiri
04-24-2011, 04:13 PM
I remember buying a Perdio Portorama from Wales back about 10 years ago, and a Phillips from France in the same timeframe. Both arrived smashed to pieces. Tried to reassemble them to some degree, but they looked a lot more like an archaeological dig than a television set.

Sadly, never got any money back on them. They were insured from their local post offices, and as much as I tried, I got nowhere.

KentTeffeteller
05-01-2011, 04:50 PM
Excellent looking Televisionski. Should get Communist pictures veddy, veddy well. Nice USSR conversation piece.

rcafan
05-01-2011, 06:59 PM
check with Aurora electronics. Darryl makes all kinds
of converters that you can use to watch
local TV converted to secam

rcafan
05-01-2011, 07:05 PM
sorry , should have added this address

http://tech-retro.com/Aurora_Design/Home.html

wa2ise
05-01-2011, 08:25 PM
Excellent looking Televisionski. Should get Communist pictures veddy, veddy well.

The better to watch Moose and Squirrel on!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q1WrjaACVQw/TVZ-kNEiy5I/AAAAAAAAALE/hi2D0K8CyJ0/s1600/dostoevsky+natasha-boris-bullwinkle-rocky.jpghttp://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhufswEf7F1qgl8g0o1_500.jpghttp://inillotempore.com/blog/images/Rocky_Bullwinkle_Boris_Natasha.jpg :D

And that converter box looks pretty nice, though no ATSC reception (just feed an ATSC box to the other box's Svideo input). But no French 809i mode.

Sandy G
05-01-2011, 08:37 PM
In Soviet Union, TV watches YOU !

ctc17
05-01-2011, 08:52 PM
Thanks for the link. Ill get it apart and try and get some pictures up here in the next few days. It has lots of options for power. Looks like it has a 12vdc input.