I saved an nice East-German '50's radio

[Telecolor 3007]

Last Saturday, in Romania, in some cityes we had an reiclying. People where invited to let theyr tv's, radios, other elctronics, plus thing like refrigerators, vacum cleaners in the front of theyr bulindings in order to guys from the garbage servicies to pick-up them in order those things (radios, tv, fridges...) to reiclying. The only intresting electronics that I found in my area where 2 '90's tv sets" assambled in Bucharest, Romania by N.E.I. (Network Electronica International)", but couldn't carry them (I don't have a car, not even a side car motorcycle).

But Sunday, I passed by the place from my sector where they are colecting electronics and household stuff and I noticed and intresting radio. 1st time I thought it was a Soviet made one. I've talked to the guardian and the talled me to pass by later. I passed later, and I took a better look at the radio. It was an nice East-German one, and it had C.C.I.R. F.M. (unfortnley 88-100 MHz, not up to 108, anyway, better then had the O.I.R.T. F.M.: 65-73 MHz). Lucky me, the guardian there accepted the bribe (legally, once the apparates are stored in this centers they are not allow to sell the, but sometimes bribe works).
Slow and slow I carryed it home. The guys from center talled me that the radio ain't workin', but it worked. Not on F.M. Because the tubes from F.M. where missin'. Probably they didn't realize that. I realized it when I looked to the paper from the chassie where the position of the tubes and filters is displayed and seen that there are displayed less tubes then the one counted on the back cover; if I would have looked on a pic taken from ebay I would have noticed that earlyer.
The radio haves some working problems. The light bulbs from the dial don't work all the time (probably some dirty contacts), the on/off rotary switch isn't work propley. And some one rip off those metal sheets in which the screews where screewed in order to attach the back cover; the radio dose't have any more the bottom cover.

The tubes are: -
- 1 x EABC 80;
- 2 x EF 85 (one for F.M.);
- 1 x EC 92 (for F.M.),
- 1 x ECH 81 (for A.M.),
- 1 x EL 11 (for audio) - it can be repleced with EL 84/6BQ5/6P14P/6P15P or with an 6P6S (Russian);
- 1 x EZ 12 (diode) - it can be replaced with EZ 80.
- 1 x EM 11 (tuning eye/magic eye)
An intresting fact is that it seems that the factory that produced the radio wasn't 100% state owned, because on the back cover is written "Rundfunkwerk-Sonata", but also "W. Niemann u. Co. Halle/S.".

[myrgatroyd]

congratulation!

Could you please name the brand and the model?

Commie radios weren´t bad, they had some really good radios. Only thing is, that some models were produced from 54 till 63 with no greater changes in their layout.

Have some of them too, including a console. Nice thing, with illuminated house-bar. Grin.

They invented a turntable that could be used also as a reel to reel taperecorder.

If I know the name and the brand, I can probaly tell you more about your new treasure.

Yours
Alex

[Telecolor 3007]

The model is Sonata WU 54. The manufacturer is "Runfunkwerk-Sonata / W. Niemann u Co. Halle/S.". By the name seems to be a mixt (state + private) owned factory.
It isn't a bad radio, but it's old and the time and long use lived a marked on it.

I wanted to put more pic, but this isn't working now...

[Sandy G]

Good save ! I saw an E. German radio on the E place & let it slip away..One day, the old "Soviet" era stuff could be valuable. I have managed to collect 3 Soviet guns-an SKS rifle from 1955 that was apparently unfired, a Nagant revolver, & a Tokarev pistol. The little Tok pistol shoots very "hard", especially since its about the same as a .380 automatic.

[Telecolor 3007]

Sorry, the model is 54 WU (54WU).
Does any one haves the schematics for it?
Or unless does any one knows what the impedance of the big 6W speakers is? Also the power output/impedance output for the external loudspeaker.
Does the radio have an turn on/trun off comuter for the tweeter?

[Tom Bavis]

radiomuseum.org lists a '53-'54 model and a '54-'56 model... yours appears to be the later one (the earlier one used a 5Z4 rectifier). Since I'm a member, I can get the schematic for you - email (or PM with your email address)

[Telecolor 3007]

I finally get that tube for F.M. In fact I made a small modification. That tube was EC 92 and I put an PC 92. Some one inserted a small resistence, because the heater voltage at EC 92 is 6,3 V @ 150 mA and at PC 92 3,6 V @ 300 mA.
But still dosen't works propley. Still have distorsion (both when I use the it as an amplfier or when I use it on F.M.; on F.M. some recived station are having more distortion then others).

@Tom Bavis: thank you for the schematics.

[gadget73]

Check the resistors. I had similar distortion problems with my Norelco (a Phillps radio) and it had two open resistors on the last two IF amplifier tubes. Once i replaced those, it cleared right up. It also needed an alignment, a little adjustment of the IF stages and a tweak on the detector coil and it works very nicely.


What is your old FM band there? I have a Schaub-Lorenz from Germany that goes from 88-100 mhz.

[Telecolor 3007]

We now use F.M. 88-108 MHz. Since we are and Eastern Europeanen county we used in the past F.M. 65-73 MHz (the only countries in Eastern Block to have F.M. on 88-100 MHz, and later 88-108 MHz where former Yugoslvaia and former G.D.R. (East-Germany)). I guess this radio was bought from East-Germany by somebody, not salled in Romania. The problem for the distorsions was an capacitor. The guy who repeared it managed to make extend the F.M. band up to 108 MHz. I'm going to pick up it tomorrow.