413
Item nr.
Beginning of famous series.
| Production | USSR (Latvia), 1962.
Price was 73 Rb. |
|---|---|
| Bands | LW (800-2000m), MW (190-550m), 41m (41-51m), 31m (30.5-31.8m), 25m (24.8-25.8m), 19m (19.3-20.0m), 16m (16.6-17.1m), 13m (13.7-14.1m); IF is 465kHz. |
| Semi- conductors | 10 transistors. |
| Cabinet | Plastic. Size 27x19x9cm. Weight 2.2kg w/o batt. |
| Power | Batt 9V, 6xD or 2x4.5V, or external DC. |
| Documents | Rmorg on first Spidola; Wikipedia on Spidola. |
with the wave switch carried out as a carousel switch. Ariund 1960 a series was produced with the dail also on this carousel, leaving only the chosen band visible. This model is more rare than mine, technically a bit more peculiar, but it is debatable if such a radio also really looks nicer. I think the dominating speaker grill and narrow band slide opening give this model a stern look. 
After opening the back panel, you can read instructions on how to install D cells or flat batteries, and be impressed by the look of the band switch mechanism.
The Spidola was exported under the name Convair. It was succeeded by a more square model, exported as the Convair-10.
| Obtained | 9/2015 from John Bos; sn=264418. |
|---|---|
| Condition | 8; plays but insensitive, just the decal misses. |
| Disposed | Sold 2/2024. |
| Sound sample | PLAY SOUND Citizens of the USSR where not supposed to go anywhere, certainly not outside the country, but with this portable radio, they could listen to the news from all over the world. It has always surprised me a little bit that these radios were sold in the USSR. Wikipedia reports that Spidola's can be abused as an instrument of crime. |