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Strange Soviet Telephone

Started by Tribune, August 23, 2010, 10:13:16 PM

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Tribune

Picked this beautiful unit up on www.etsy.com a few months back from a seller in Latvia. After spending several hours googling, I couldn't find any information about it at all. All I can make out is that it was built in 1964. No idea on manufacturer or model or if made in the Baltic states or mother Russia. Messed around trying to get it to work, but thanks to Gord Gerdes here in Edmonton, she's now running well and making international calls back to family in the UK! Drawn up my own schematic which I may post here soon if anyone is interested.

If anyone has any info on this unit, or knows someone who may, I'd love to hear from you.









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EDIT:  external images above saved and posted here for posterity
Mark Furze - TCI, ATCA

To miss-quote "Bones" McCoy . . .
                     "darn it Jim - I'm a doctor, not a telephone engineer!"

LarryInMichigan

Tribune,

I have the same phone (almost), but without a dial.  I posted here about it recently: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=3044.0.  How is the sound quality from your transmitter?  Mine is awful.

Larry

Tribune

Thanks, that's great! Mine didn't have the schematic inside, I had to figure it out with the circuit tester. Will try some on-line translation software to see if I can figure out the model number etc from your post. As for the transmitter sound quality, it really pretty good, on par with most of the other phones I have. The bells in the ringer are pretty quiet though, make more of a tapping-on-metal sound rather than a real ring.
Mark Furze - TCI, ATCA

To miss-quote "Bones" McCoy . . .
                     "darn it Jim - I'm a doctor, not a telephone engineer!"

bingster

Rather tidy job of cabling and wire routing.  I'm a bit surprised at that, actually.
= DARRIN =



KeithB

Here's a different question.  On the close-up picture of the dial center, is that crazing of the plastic, or is it so glossy it's reflecting the trees overhead?  ???

Tribune

That's the trees over head. Very glossy indeed 8)
Mark Furze - TCI, ATCA

To miss-quote "Bones" McCoy . . .
                     "darn it Jim - I'm a doctor, not a telephone engineer!"

mienaichizu


McHeath

Hmm, I thought "Strange Soviet Telephone" was what they were all called!   ;)

This is certainly a nice looking unit, and as Bingster noted the wiring is sure neat and tidy.  Handset looks a bit like an F series Western Electric, and the inside sorta resembles one as well.  I assume that the shell is bakelite?  Looks pretty bulletproof in terms of durability, like a lot of Soviet stuff, not the best in hi-tech features or design but able to take a licking and keep on ticking. 

paul-f

Quote from: Tribune on August 23, 2010, 10:13:16 PM
<snip>
If anyone has any info on this unit, or knows someone who may, I'd love to hear from you.


You did say any information...   ;D

Note the write-up for photo 22.16.

The model number looks like TAH-5 MП.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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rdelius

If I go by the information under the photo the telephone was built by Red Dawn factory Leningrad. If I go by the box it appears to be State (government) Union Factory. Mine had no dial so I added a German one. The cccp in the pentagon is the soviet quality seal.
Robby

gpo706

You sure thats not a Chrysler badge?  ;)
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

rdelius

The original  seal looked so much like the Chrysler one that it was changed.It is stylised dividers and a balance scale
Robby

paul-f

There's an interesting history of Russian factory markings including this one here (last on the page):
  http://www.netgrafik.ch/russian_logos.htm
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

Tribune

Brilliant!

This was exactly the type of info I was looking for on this phone. In fact, when I was reading all this new info on this post, my wife was actually using the phone to chat transatlantic from Canada to her parents in Poland!

I think you're right, that it is a ТАН-5 мп (or TAN-5 mt in Latin script rather than Cyrillic). This is the one fitted with a dial very similar to other European phones such as Phillips and HEEMAF units from this era. The TAN-6 (TAH-6) is the same phone but without the dial.

There's a couple of TAN-6 dial-less units for sale on eBay at the moment at:-
http://cgi.ebay.com/Soviet-Red-Army-headquarters-bakelite-telephone-/270418303014?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ef62fd826
Mark Furze - TCI, ATCA

To miss-quote "Bones" McCoy . . .
                     "darn it Jim - I'm a doctor, not a telephone engineer!"

migette

Seems I have this phone from a Latvia seller, but needs a dial as the old one has worn out gear wheel to regulator, must look out for replacement but not holding my breath, this phone is featured in bits on You Tube   migette1 it thought to be TAH-5Mn there was a diagram and can be viewed on Y/T Telephones of the World  Russian should find it.