This experience is for a beginner who has achieved the moral right to be called a “teapot” from electronics. That is, someone who already knows how to turn on a soldering iron, who understands the differences between radio components, well, at least in appearance, and who knows that these are electronic components. At the same time, he has an enduring desire to bring “to life” one of the electronic devices gathering dust in his closet, and with the condition of obligatory success. Let's start with an old Ocean-209 radio, perhaps even an antique one. It works, but it's simply not possible to use it anymore. The reason is, for example, not entirely adequate sound reproduction. The first thing you need to learn and remember throughout the entire event is that you can’t complete the repair “in one sitting,” so do everything thoroughly and as the repair progresses, don’t really rely on your excellent memory, but take notes and even a photo of what will have to be done in the process. I started by searching the Internet for information, and in full, about the radio receiver being restored. These are operating instructions, a diagram of the arrangement of blocks and components on the chassis of the radio receiver, a circuit diagram, wiring diagrams of printed circuit boards and a list of components and parts used in it.

Radio receiver wiring diagram

After reading the instructions and studying the radio diagrams, I unscrewed the screws and removed the back cover, side housing and front panel.

I didn’t burden myself with super-complicated tasks, but simply, as most electronics luminaries advise, I decided to check the serviceability of electrolytic capacitors and variable resistors and replace the unusable ones. To do this, I removed separate low-frequency amplifier and power supply units from the chassis. When performing this operation, it is best to cut the connecting wires in half and put a piece of cardboard with a written serial number on each end. There will be two cards, but the number on them is the same. As for the wires, you still need to install new ones during assembly.

power unit

I started with the power supply, as the most understandable unit. From the circuit diagram it is clear that its transformer is designed to work both with a mains voltage of 220 V and 127 V. I did not live at the time when sockets with a voltage of 127 V were encountered, so this “function” of power is perceived by me as an insidious legacy, from which you need to get rid of :)

Having measured the resistance of the input windings of the transformer, I identified the middle tap for 127 V, bit off the bare end, wound it in a ring and insulated it. The presence and location of electronic components is especially clearly visible in the wiring diagram. There is only one electrolyte that interests me. I unsolder it, discharge it and measure the capacitance - it’s not enough to reach the norm of 60 uF, but the ESR probe shows the minimum allowable resistance. Therefore, I decide to put it in place and, in parallel to it, solder another capacitor with a capacitance of 100 μF, slightly larger than the missing one, but for the same voltage - 25 V. Before installation, the new component is necessarily checked to ensure that the capacitance corresponds to the nominal value, and ESR to acceptable value. I did it, applied 220 V mains voltage to the power supply and measured the output received - everything is normal, the power supply is working.

Amplifier

Now the sound amplifier. It's getting more serious here...

On the board I find seven electrolytic capacitors K50-12, very ancient in appearance. I move the wiring diagram closer to me and unsolder one leg from the board for each container. Naturally, where possible. Where not, the capacitor is completely soldered off.

You can unsolder everything completely, there is an installation, but it may not be there, and then it will save a lot of time and nerves.

Since November 1976, mass production of the Ocean-209 radio receiver began on the conveyors of the assembly shop of the Gorizont production and production facility in Minsk.


For its appearance and high quality of work, the receiver was immediately awarded the State Quality Mark, which is placed on the receiver scale. The portable transistor radio receiver of the 2nd class "Ocean-209" (ASPP-2-2) was created on the basis of the "Ocean-205" model and differs from it in improved parameters and external design.


Moreover, they are still debating which radio receiver looks better. “Ocean” operates in the DV, SV, HF (5 sub-bands) and VHF bands. In the VHF range, frequency adjustment is automatic. The receiver has separate tone controls for high and low frequencies, a dial tuning indicator, and a scale backlight.


The fine tuning dial indicator is a very useful thing, showing the signal strength, which allows you to fine-tune it. In general, I really like the design of this radio.


Even now it looks monumental and rich. Beautiful wooden part of the case, chrome and a very comfortable antenna. It folds and rotates, which prevents damage and makes it easier to find a signal.

It is also possible to fold the antenna into the housing. “Ocean-209” looks impressive, like a good old radio, with large handles.

In fact, during his lifetime, “Ocean” became legendary, despite the fact that it was a second-grader. It was widely and successfully exported under the name “Selena».


This radio was produced until 1984. Moreover, the later “Oceans”, for example, the 214th, had worse sensitivity. The mass of the device was 4.6 kilograms. This is due to the wooden body and steel chassis, which did not interfere with carrying it on hikes.

I actually remember hiking in Crimea as a student, where a 25-kilogram backpack + an ax and a bowler hat were considered a normal burden.

The price of the radio was a hefty 135 rubles, and many people simply could not afford it. In general, buying an inexpensive radio solved all problems with music at home. And a separate radio in the form of “Ocean” or “VEF” was considered chic. The radio was usually placed in the kitchen, on the refrigerator.
Ocean-209 was widely advertised, although it did not need advertising.


Calendars were sold, and posters with this new product were hung in radio equipment and sporting goods stores. In general, word spread quite quickly in the Soviet Union. And the new product soon had a certain aura. Everyone knew the pros and cons of a particular purchase, and the information was very objective.


In my childhood there was a VEF-202 and it appeared quite late towards the end of the 80s, and I remember how my dad covered the receiver with pictures of the Olympic bear cut out from magazines. One of the advantages of the Ocean-209 radio receiver is the presence of a socket for a tape recorder - you could connect the receiver to an amplifier with speakers and quite decently listen to “Melodies and Rhythms of Foreign Pop” on VHF.


In general, the quality of reception is legendary; the radio receiver is compared with the best foreign models, for example with Sony, and not always in favor of the latter. On one site I saw a comparison of Ocean-209 with modern radio receivers, which, in my opinion, is not entirely correct. My copy is in good working condition. With original power cord and light front panel. There were still dark ones. I’ve been wanting to get my hands on Ocean-209 for a long time, but I still can’t. It is highly valued among collectors and generally in use among the older generation. There are many personalized, award-winning copies and people, of course, do not want to part with good memory, a gift from the team of bygone times. So many radio receivers are still alive and working perfectly, which is very good, because this is what it was created for.

The price of a working “Ocean-209” now starts from 1,500 rubles, and copies in a condition similar to mine cost about 3 thousand. So I waited for him, and he came to me for a nominal fee. A long-awaited and excellent purchase. “Ocean” often hosts music at dachas and in the private sector. Oxidized contacts and dried electrolyte are a list of standard breakdowns in a radio receiver that has been in operation for almost forty years.

In general, fans of old radios are still divided into fans of “VEFs” and fans of “Oceans”. However, “Ocean” has VHF, which is not very important for the 70s. So if you didn’t have an “Ocean” radio as a child, but had a “VEF”, “Sonata” or even “Leningrad”, you still didn’t have an “Ocean” radio.

Radio receiver Ocean-209

Basic technical data of the Ocean-209 radio receiver. The Ocean-209 portable transistor radio receiver of the second class is designed to receive transmissions from radio stations operating with amplitude modulation in the DV, SV and five HF sub-bands, as well as with frequency modulation in the VHF range. The Ocean 209 radio receiver has an internal antenna for receiving radio stations in the DV and SV bands and a whip telescopic antenna for receiving in the HF and VHF bands. For smooth, separate adjustment of lower and higher sound frequencies, two tone controls are installed.

Sensitivity when receiving internal ferrite antenna in the LW range - no worse than 0.5 mV/m, in the NE range - 0.3 mV/m. Sensitivity when receiving with a telescopic antenna in the HF5 range is no worse than 150 µV; KV4-KV1 -85 μV; VHF - 20 µV Selectivity over the adjacent channel in the DV and SV ranges - no worse than 34 dB. The attenuation of the mirror channel in the LW and MW range is no more than 54 dB, in the HF range - 16 dB and VHF - 26 dB. The rated output power of the Ocean 209 radio is -0.5 W. The band of reproduced audio frequencies in the DV, GB and KB ranges is 125...4000 Hz, in the VHF range - 125...10,000 Hz.

The ocean-209 radio receiver is powered by six elements of type 373 (Mars, Saturn) or from an alternating current mains voltage of 127 or 220 V. The operating time of the ocean 209 radio receiver from one set of type 373 batteries at an average volume is at least 100 hours. Overall dimensions 367X254x124 mm. The weight of the Ocean 209 radio without power supply is 4.0 kg.

Electrical circuit diagram ocean radio 209. VHF unit. The input circuit of the VHF unit consists of a broadband circuit with a bandwidth of about 8 MHz. The signal from the telescopic antenna through capacitors C67 and C65 of the HF-IF unit is supplied to the input circuit L2C1C2 through a coupling coil. The signal voltage from the capacitive divider is supplied to the emitter of a type VI transistor GT313B of a high-frequency amplifier assembled according to a common-base circuit. Its load is an oscillatory circuit L3C4C6C7, tuned to the frequency of the received signal by a variable capacitor C7 (the second section of this capacitor is used to tune the local oscillator circuit). A VI type D20 limiting diode is connected in parallel to the circuit, protecting the frequency converter from overload at a high level of input signals. To prevent the ocean 209 radio diode from shunting the circuit at low signal levels, an initial bias voltage of about 0.2 V is supplied to it from resistor R4.

Frequency converter The Ocean 209 radio receiver is assembled on a transistor V2 type GT31ZA using a combined circuit. The local oscillator operates according to a three-point capacitive circuit. The local oscillator circuit L4C16C17C7 is connected in parallel with the coil L5 of the intermediate frequency circuit. For positive feedback of the radio receiver ocean 209, necessary for the operation of the local oscillator, is carried out through capacitor C13. To correct the phase and attenuate the 10.7 MHz IF signal, an inductor L and a capacitor SP are included in the emitter circuit of transistor V2. Automatic frequency adjustment of the Ocean 209 V radio receiver (AFC) is carried out by changing the capacitance of the D902 type varicap V2, connected in parallel to the local oscillator circuit. The control voltage is supplied to the varicap from the output of the fractional detector.

In the Ocean 209 radio receiver, the mixer load is a double-circuit bandpass filter L5C14 and L6C18, tuned to an intermediate frequency of 10.7 MHz. The FM IF voltage is supplied through coil L7 and separating capacitor C69 to the base of the transistor of the first stage of the FM IF.

Block KSDV The Ocean 209 AM radio receiver consists of a drum with a set of band strips, a magnetic antenna assembly and a three-section KPI Cl-1, C1-2 and C1-3. The circuits of the input circuits, RF amplifier and local oscillator are installed on the strips. The coils of the input circuits of the DV (L3) and MV (N) ranges and the corresponding communication coils L4 and L2 are wound on the ferrite rod of the magnetic antenna. When the DV is operating, the inductance of the input circuit is made up of series-connected coils L and L3, and on the CB, the coil L3 is short-circuited. The external antenna of the Ocean 209 radio receiver is connected to the input circuits in the DV and SV ranges through capacitor C122, and in the KB range through C121. The connection of the telescopic antenna with the input circuits KB is autotransformer, carried out through a capacitor C67 and. throttle C8. The choke eliminates the shunting influence of the input circuits of the KB range of the block on the input circuit of the VHF block.

To start…

Some time ago, I came into my hands with a rather battered, but still sometimes properly working OCEAN 209 receiver. Judging by its condition, the receiver flew from the table to the floor as much as a highly qualified pilot flew.

The thing is, in principle, not bad - 5 HF channels, there are SW and LW, and, most valuable, VHF. In addition, the receiver has an AFC system - automatic frequency adjustment. But, enough of the chatter about what is and what is not, let’s get down to analysis.

Analysis?! - it's fast!

As one fairly good radio technician said: “I disassemble any device with three tools: a screwdriver, a sledgehammer and a crowbar. Only without subsequent assembly...” We only need the first one (hide the rest away so as not to destroy the device in a fit of rage).

So, unscrew the 4 screws from the back and remove the cover.

Next we need to unhook the range shift knob. It is held on by two studs. Unscrew the pins and pull out the handle with a sharp movement. Now we can freely remove the wooden case. Only the front side remains.

Remove the control handles (if they still exist). Unscrew the 4 aluminum ties and the screw that connects the antenna input terminal to the antenna. Next, carefully release the front cover.

All that remains is to unscrew the speaker, and that’s it.

Then we can get to the point: what we want from him. For example, I initially wanted to do 5 things: replace the speaker, crank up the amplifier to 10 W, improve the backlight, convert VHF1 to VHF2 and bring it into a little better shape.

Of course, later I left the original amplifier, but replaced all the variable resistors.

VHF 1 to VHF2

First, stock up on literature: Radio magazine, 1977, No. 10, page 36. There is a description and diagram of the receiver.

There are 2 VHF bands - VHF1 and VHF2, respectively. Modern radio stations mostly operate on VHF2 (FM) - 88-108 MHz. Converting a VHF unit to FM is not an easy task. But the Internet is full of descriptions of how this can be done, and therefore I will not retell what is already on other sites. Just type into a search engine a query like “VHF on FM in Ocean 209” and you’ll end up with a bunch of topics on how it’s all done. Basically this means unsoldering excess containers, replacing some with other ratings and adjusting the circuits by tightening the cores. One of the cores is being replaced with a ferrite one (for reference: they are all brass). The range is adjusted by the L 4 circuit, the sensitivity is adjusted by the L 3 circuit, and the input is adjusted by the L 1 and L 2 circuits (if I’m not mistaken, they are wound on the same frame).

VHF block diagram

I strongly advise you to follow this link: Restructuring the Ocean on FM. There is a complete and accurate description of the actions on the VHF unit.

And further. When I was disassembling and remaking the VHF unit, I noticed that the design of the unit may differ from what is shown in the diagram.

By the way, while you haven’t figured anything out yet, I want to give you some advice: the system for tuning to a specific radio station is old (that is, in threads). To avoid problems later, it is better to fix it on the rollers with tape or adhesive tape.

And he is alive and glowing...

The backlight can be LED. It is brighter and consumes less, but do not overdo it - excessive load on the transformer does not bring anyone any harm.

Positive voltage is applied to the common wire (chassis). Be careful.

Sounds of radio waves

I didn't change the acoustics. I replaced the old variable resistors with new ones - this will increase the service life of the radio (in short, I won’t look there any time soon).

Now the speaker of the device. We remove it and inspect it carefully. If the speaker cone is torn, it is advisable to replace it with a new one - any suitable size, 1-2 W power, with a resistance of 8 ohms. You can install it with a resistance of 4 ohms, but perhaps the output stages will heat up terribly, which over time can lead to failure of the output stage transistors.

I was not lucky. The previous owners of the receiver managed to destroy the speaker. I don’t know how it still works, but I still have to change the speaker.

If the speaker magnet does not quite fit into the housing and touches any parts, then it is better to completely cover it with insulating material.

If the built-in amplifier is not satisfactory, then I advise you to assemble it on microcircuits that have inverted input and output (for example: TEA 2025b, TDA 2822, etc.) and the power supply does not exceed 9 V.

Do not forget! The common wire has a polarity that is not negative, but vice versa! Don't make mistakes when designing!

The appearance is the most interesting thing.

The most interesting thing is, as always, at the end. (Oh, and the article will end soon...).

The appearance of the receiver is an individual thing. Of course, you can insert it into a case made of modern materials, but still this will not be what is needed. Therefore, I left the old body - just properly, washed it off any dirt, restored the front grille (in the process, the speaker was damaged by the fork), screwed all the control knobs into place.

By the way, about the pens. Radio parts stores sell a fairly large assortment of control knobs, so this should not be a problem.

It is advisable to cover the wooden part with two layers of special varnish.

This article is not intended to teach how to repair this receiver, it is aimed at encouraging the repair and restoration of Soviet equipment and just directs where necessary. If you still have problems, write to the profile or leave comments here on the site.

And how to repair a stylish Soviet Hi-Fi amplifier "Radiotekhnika U-101 stereo"!

The first time I got a 209 like this was when I was 13 years old, it was the year 2000. It was given to me (or rather, sold for 200 symbolic rubles) by a friend Vova.. (who was much older than me, he was old enough to be my father , his friend Victor gave it to him. Victor had two oceans of 209s, he kept one for himself, and gave the second to Vladimir, since they were friends.
Later, when I got that 0kean 209, I decided to test it on batteries.
The cord, as it should be, was bandaged with electrical tape at the plug (it worked from the mains). Ordinary people don’t understand radio engineering. It didn’t work when tested with batteries. I inserted (the batteries) and waited for a miracle, I waited and nothing happened ..I wasn’t very upset then. “Yes, I just bought it,” even if it was for some conventional 200 rubles. I thought about it for (some) time and finally decided to open it and see what was wrong. I opened it and unscrewed the pins. , removed the front panel, noticed a wire (which should be soldered to the battery block) exposed, clamped under the speaker, in a large loop under the speaker. I turned it on on FM, heard a barely audible crackling sound, apparently the wire was under the speaker and was rattling against the diffuser! There was 10 cm of it. ...
This is the reason that it does not work on batteries.
That wire was for the battery compartment, it should have been soldered at the factory to the + contact. (maybe it came from the factory like that... I don’t know). Maybe someone climbed there before me..?
I got the receiver without a seal. I screwed the wire in and the receiver started working (I didn’t know how to solder yet, I just twisted the wires). I was 11 years old then (it was like 1999) somewhere around.
But this is so _digression from the topic..
I loved the Ocean 209 receiver as my first serious device (2nd class, naturally, and even surpasses it in terms of technical characteristics). I really liked the hiss of the VHF range and that there was an automatic control unit. There were two stations on the VHF (radio beacon, radio of Russia)., weak I also caught the RTR channel 2nd TV channel DMV.
Unlike the climber 407, on the ocean in the two ranges, stations without noise were caught at night (when everything is turned off everywhere and does not create interference). On the climber in the DV there was only noise.
There was also the Oreanda 201, which also shocked me a little with its size and heaviness rather than its receiving qualities. ordinary people did not understand radio electronics at all).
Ocean 209 worked great. No device that I got later caught better than this receiver. The devices were mostly 4th class. I loved listening to HF on it, KV5, noises, whistles, the sounds were mesmerizing, it was a pleasure to just listen these incomprehensible sounds, the main thing is to turn off other noisy sockets. There was a page from a radio magazine with information on day and night bands, passage, etc. I carried it for a long time until it tore and disintegrated into dust.
At night it’s just great, the passage is excellent, I’ll never forget about the dial indicator for fine tuning (an amazing useful thing, it shows the signal strength, it’s very informative, it helps a lot when traveling over radio waves), this indicator alone, the fact that it’s there and working, already gives pleasure listening to the air, traveling on radio waves... And this scale illuminated at night (yes, dimly, but there is something in it, the warmth of the light bulbs and not the insensitive cold LED). You extend this thick antenna almost to the ceiling. And the sensitivity is 209- it was simply at its best (I was simply delighted, excellent), I caught a lot of stations, cleanly. There was no free space on the scale. Back then, Mayak and Russian radio were still working on long waves. The appearance of the receiver is beautiful, solid, strong, high quality, inside everything is smooth and clean, high quality, you can see the quality mark inside on the wooden case. It was a pleasure just to look at the installation, boards, parts, iron chassis, speaker.
What else do you need? And this smell inside the device is simply beyond words (many will understand me), it smells of time and reliability or something.
After it there were many “transistors”, but I consider Ocean 209 elite and the best, high quality, beautiful (for me).
The wooden body gives the sound a color of softness and quality at the low end. A few words about the bass... I was simply impressed by the sound adjustment in high and low frequencies (music is pleasant to listen to). Deutsche Welle, Radio Liberty, International Radio of China, Radio Fardo, Romania Actuality, ( there is a broadcast in Russian, naturally/2016). I liked to listen to a lot of things on it. I still enjoy listening to it (2017), I have 3 ocean receivers (209 two pieces, 205 one 74 years old). Of course there are others...radio equipment Abava 8330, Russia 203-1, Russia 303,.and Serenade 405...I seem to remember everything, haven’t forgotten anything. Earlier, when I was very little, my father’s climber 320 was destroyed (bought second-hand, if I remember correctly, my father didn’t listen to him, because the receiver was bought not working properly and he had it on the sideboard until I got to it). There were also tape recorders later, in Belarus the cassette was inserted from the top, lay down, the lid of the cassette player opened up. There was I remember we had a tube TV, Dawn 307-1 (we lived very poorly), then a record of 345, a record of 350, like a rainbow 716d. Thanks to the tube TVs we had, I learned how to repair them since childhood, not a complicated repair, of course, at first. They called a repairman at first I saw how he plugged these same radio tubes directly into a working TV. Gradually an image appeared on the screen. It amazed me. Later I ventured to do the same thing. It worked. Then I repaired tube tubes more seriously, soldered, etc. Nobody taught me, I learned everything myself.
It all started with climber 320 (I was 5 years old), thanks to him and later ocean 209, of course (I was 11-12 years old), I became a radio amateur.
The receiver that I had in 1999, alas, is no longer with me for a long time. For that, there are many memories left, because of which I purchased two 209 receivers later (2012), which I do not regret.
I know that in Soviet times, the 209th was beyond the means of many, not everyone could afford one. I heard that it was more beautiful than the Vef, with VHF. Whether the ocean was better than the Vef or worse, it may be right to argue and say it’s not right. Still, I think that the ocean is better (for me). VEF is solid polystyrene, an idiotic battery compartment, which is always rusty and dirty, there are no separate tone controls. It was sold on every corner, it was available to everyone, they did not spare it, they drove it to the tail and the mane, Yes, in different conditions, including dampness, humidity, etc., but they didn’t hammer nails into them, which is why many devices either did not survive to this day, or survived but in a deplorable condition. Many receivers arrived in good, excellent condition, and then great. But most of the devices require maintenance, since they are many years old. Both brands are good, legendary. Maybe VEF, I hope, has excellent models, but I didn’t have the desire to take any model, and I don’t have the desire even now. Not I doubt that VEF has good models, but I’ve never held one of them in my hands. Both brands have plenty of fans. I consider the ocean to be the best for me. Naturally, I also know about the VEF transistor-17. I won’t retell the whole story, for those who need it they will find it and read it.
Currently I have two ocean-209 receivers purchased in 2010 (two pieces). One of them is working,(
I haven’t looked at the second one yet, but I promise that it will work too). Both are like new. It looks like the old owners had them hidden somewhere for a long time. I can talk about the devices for a long time, there is a lot to say.
I have oceans 205, 209 (209-three pieces), there were 214 models. I am happy with all the receivers except the 214th, which is known to everyone thanks to its “sores”, the VHF unit is not completely modified and does not always work, especially since it generally works correctly. whether. And the element base (red small capacitors that short-circuit for everyone). A transformer next to the amplifier, etc., background, pickup, etc. I read about everything on the net.
The 209 catches better than the 214. There are a lot of things I don’t like about VEF, I won’t even talk about it...
The receivers are repairable, beautiful, reliable, 209 models catch well, tuning is a pleasure (if necessary, of course, you come across receivers that are not tuned and out of tune). The coils are not frail, the sound on German with lows is decent, soft.
But then in 2000, ocean -209 surprised me, surprised me very much, to such an extent that to this day I have a good impression of it.
They need to be protected, they are getting smaller every year.