R-105d radio

[KevinH]

I just added an R-105d manpack radio to my collection the other day. No idea if it works but it looks great! A proper, well used Warsaw Pact radio set. I am building a battery back for it out of D NiCds so I can see if it does work even though it operates in a dead zone between the CB and 6 meter amateur radio bands. Anyway it came with a headphone/mic set and a schematic in Russian. I am waiting on a collapsible antenna to arrive for it as well and hope to use it with both my soviet and East German signals impressions even though this particular R-105 served with the polish army. Surely Moscow Center can permit the sharing equipment between fellow WP nations so long as it is used with good intent and strictly in the defense of socialism?

Some photos:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6159161988/" title="DSC_0782 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6159161988_93903b2fe1_z.jpg" width="428" height="640" alt="DSC_0782"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6159162016/" title="DSC_0784 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6205/6159162016_736c218bdd_z.jpg" width="428" height="640" alt="DSC_0784"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6159162002/" title="DSC_0785 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6159162002_7b653f3efc_z.jpg" width="428" height="640" alt="DSC_0785"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6159162024/" title="DSC_0787 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6159162024_4ca9770c59_z.jpg" width="640" height="428" alt="DSC_0787"></a>

On the down side, the radio seems to have had it's lower back pack strap anchors ripped off.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6159162040/" title="DSC_0788 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6159162040_88c4f10c30_z.jpg" width="640" height="428" alt="DSC_0788"></a>
That will need to be remedied if I want to use it as a pack radio, I also need to find something to use for straps..

Question... Does anyone have any idea what was used for a back pack strap complex?

Also, the radio seems to have been painted a different shade of green over it's original soviet green. Unfortunate, but I don't think there is much I can do about that.

I'll update if I get it working and there will probably be the obligatory photographs of the set being used in anger here and over in the DDR forum.

[uscob]

Looks like polish Markings on the Radio.

[Ralph P]

Kevin - You for sure need to follow up on your thread to let us know if your radio works and show it all set up.

[KevinH]

Still haven't found time to make a battery pack for the thing to see if it works, but I did get an antenna for it. Hopefully I will be able to get to the battery this weekend and see if she works.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6692870767/" title="DSC_0887 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6692870767_32974f04c2_z.jpg" width="428" height="640" alt="DSC_0887"></a>

[KevinH]

Update:
Got some batteries this morning and made some ghetto packs with electrical tape and some wire. The radio originally used two 2.4 volt lead acid batteries so to get the correct voltage I connected two AA NiMH cells, which are 1.2 volts each, in series (taped end to end) and doubled these up in each pack to make sure I had plenty of current. So each pack totals 4 AA cells; Two sets of 2 series connected cells in parallel.

Original lead acid battery: (from http://home.online.no/~perchri/radio_r105d.htm)


My makeshift packs:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6698899465/" title="DSC_0927 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6698899465_31aeed2e37_z.jpg" width="640" height="428" alt="DSC_0927"></a>
The first time I hooked the batteries up I burned myself as the second pack shorted to it's self. I spend about 30 minutes trying to figure this out until I realized that I had misread the connectors from the radio. Luckily I had just put a very small charge on the packs just to see if they would work at all so I don't think anything in the radio was damaged. After reading the diagram, in Polish, on the battery door I figured out how to correctly connect the packs. I guess they thought it was easier to label only one of the poles on two of the four connectors rather than making it fool proof and labeling them all. Go figure...
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6698896835/" title="DSC_0929 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6698896835_5e28344d44_z.jpg" width="428" height="640" alt="DSC_0929"></a>
After properly wiring the packs up I switched the set on and was pleased to hear the hum of the high tension vibrator. I eagerly put the head set on and tested the push to talk button. That seemed to work nicely hearing my own voice back in the headphones very clearly. Then I began playing with the various switches and knobs, tuning dial, antenna selector and transmit/receive switches. At first I heard nothing but brief bursts of static whenever I flipped a switch, but as the tubes began to warm up I could hear constant static and a 60 Hz hum on when the radio was in receive mode. Heartening, however turning the tuning dial back and fourth produced no change in the static hum, thus leading me to believe that I wasn't receiving anything. Now, this could very well be because this set operates in an un-used frequency band here in the US, but I figure I should have been able to pick up at least some power line hum or cosmic noise.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24378591@N08/6698892949/" title="DSC_0930 by k_hund59, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6698892949_c01ccba827_z.jpg" width="640" height="428" alt="DSC_0930"></a>
After some more fiddling I noticed the radio's functioning charge meter (which also doubles as a signal strength meter with the flip of a switch ) was displaying a mere 50% or so charge from my packs, so I figure charging the packs completely may yield better results. Tune in next time to see if it does.

[Kozlov]

You might be interested to know that all of these sets were made in the SSSR and that only the face plates are changed locally (on arrival) into Polish/German etc etc.

It would be possible to "rebadge" one of these sets with the correct spares...

Good luck with getting it fired up!

[GREENEDUDLEY]

I have a couple of these radios. One is in the original wood box. I will have to get it out ant mess with it. The other radio is not a complete kit but might have everything to get it going. I will report back later with more info on this.

[KevinH]

You might be interested to know that all of these sets were made in the SSSR and that only the face plates are changed locally (on arrival) into Polish/German etc etc.

It would be possible to "rebadge" one of these sets with the correct spares...

Good luck with getting it fired up!

That's good to know as when I purchased this radio I was really looking for one in either Russian or German. I settled for this one because it was going for less than the going rate seemed to be for these. I was going to remove the face plate but all the screws are encapsulated in wax seals so I decided not to open it unless I found that the radio didn't work. There's another r-105d with Russian markings for sale on ebay right now that I was thinking of buying, I just have yet to justify the cost to myself.

@ Greenedudley:
Let us know if you get either running. Do you recall what language yours are in?

[KevinH]

I think I can safely say that she works! At least to a certain extent. Fully charged batteries made her tuner act more like a tuner and when tuning the dial I was able to pick up various types of noise and static. Still no way to be completely sure however. Since nothing operates in the 36 to 46.1 MHz band there's really nothing, that I know of, to pick up. I can't test transmit really either unless I have a sister r-105d. I don't think my scanner, which I left at work, tunes down that low. I may have to buy another r-105d.

[KevinH]

Update:
As it turns out, my scanner does tune down to 36-46 MHz! So naturally the first thing I did when I got home was to fire up the R105D again and see if I could hear myself transmit. I didn't get much at first until I finally found where I was on the dial in relative to the scanner (which tunes digitally rather than analogue) . Long story short, this radio functions 100%! I can hear myself clearly on the scanner. I guess it's not too surprising being that these radios were built to be tough. This one was never tampered with either. Now I guess all I have to do is make a more permanent enclosure for my battery cells. Sadly, I really can't use the thing for airsoft events or the like because the FCC could come down on me for using spectrum outside the Amateur radio band plan. Oh well. It's just nifty that she works.

[Kozlov]

Well done and I'm glad someone takes radio laws seriously - I can't believe the conversations I've had to have with some others recently about the same subject!

[KevinH]

Well done and I'm glad someone takes radio laws seriously - I can't believe the conversations I've had to have with some others recently about the same subject!

I would guess that a lot of people just don't give it any thought. Perhaps thinking It's nothing more than a walkie talkie.. Not taking into account the fact that all radio devices use band spectrum and that radios from other countries and different eras may interfere with things like broadcast television, law enforcement or worse.. aircraft navigation.

Now I'm wishing I had an R-108 or 109D which cover parts of the US 10, 11 and 12 meter bands. I can operate on 10 meters with my license and 11 meters, better known as CB, doesn't require any licensing.