Polaris Mechanical Alarm Clock with Hen

The newest addition to my collection is this China Polaris mechanical alarm clock.

If you watch the video you will see that it has an animated hen figure pecking at something in tact with the TIC TOC which is cool. I think so anyway.

It also has a central seconds hand which I think is not that often found on mechanical alarm clocks.

It was sold as new where I bought it locally but I believe it must be NOS. 

Overall, I am very pleased, especially so considering it cost me the equivalent of only under 10 dead presidents.

I had to tighten the legs and to tighten the screw on the bell stopper thing on top which was loose and getting in the way of the hammer (can be seen in video) but other than that so far so good.

Maybe I will make some pictures later and post them in this post which will be my main entry on this alarm clock.

I also did some internet digging to verify the name of the company which was new to me but which is real and long established (since 1915) - the Yantai Polaris Watch Factory.

Chinese watch wiki has some info on it - Yantai Polaris Watch Factory.

The manufacturer's site is here in Chinese. But no such alarm clocks anymore.

Also mentioned it on WUS - Polaris mech alarm clock with hen.

And started a thread on the Russian watch forum - Китайский будильник Polaris.

UPDATE: power reserve on full winding is about 55 hours - more than two days. 

Using Chrono Telemeter Function on SpaceX Explosion

About a week ago a Space X vehicle exploded at launch pad.

Out of curiosity I decided to use the telemeter function of my Okean 3133 Final Edition chronograph to get the distance from the event to the camera.

I describe both the chronograph and the telemeter function in this video.

Well, it gave me a rather precise figure of 2 km 150 m.

That is the distance between the event (launch pad) and the camera.

So now you know.

CORRECTION (Sept 22, 2016): It just might be (IT IS!) that the telemeter scale on this watch is graduated not in kilometers but in nautical miles (after all, the watch is called OCEAN).

If so, the distance will be closer to 4 km (2 miles and 1.5 cable lengths).

P.S. The telemeter function on a mechanical chronograph works as follows.

The dial has a specially graduated scale called the Telemeter scale.

When you SEE an event (space x explosion) you push the chrono start button (pusher) when you HEAR the event you hit STOP, after which the chronograph hand (red central hand) shows you on the telemeter scale the distance to the event.

Of course it's based on the fact that the speeds of light and sound in the atmosphere are known as is the difference between them.

Strela 3133 mechanical chrono - far the days come by letter box

ChN-03 FIVE Daily Alarms

The ChN-03 cataloged on this blog here is one of the final generation of the famous Electronika digital watches of the old USSR.

For an old-school type watch it is quite advanced.

It has a large display with two full lines of information, various other features, including an automatic timekeeping adjustment, but specifically the ChN-03 version has FIVE daily alarms as I show in the below video which is in Russian but I mainly show the alarm tunes that it can play.

And I also carried out a battery replacement job on it myself.

Just open the back which is easy to do by prying it open gently.

You don't have to unscrew the large plate just remove the little battery compartment thing holding the button in place. 

Be careful, it's very jumpy.

New battery installed, it's 392, I think, cover it back which is a pain but can be done ultimately.

 

Finished.

DLT's A Jolly Good Show circa 1995-2001

Radio time - somebody's trying to revive the disgraced DLT's career.

So far without much success.

My Summer Choice: Electronika 53V

The summer of 2016 has been very hot and humid in Moscow so far.

The temperature has been hovering around plus 30 degrees Celsius for much of the summer, only today it is a bit cooler but still a respectable +25 C.  

This kind of weather wreaks havoc on leather straps as you are permanently sticky so my watch choice under the circumstances is my Electronika 53V old school digital watch already catalogued on this blog.

The plastic strap on this model is not the easiest thing to use but I think I can just cope with it.

And the photo video below shows how I once performed a battery replacement job on it.

In fact it is still running on the same battery.

HoroLex: Лето. Жара. Электроника 53В: Мой летний выбор - Электроника 53В . Помучился с пластмассовым браслетом, но вроде приноровился. Часы на ремнях берегу на зиму, в ...

Radio Shack: VOA 2001 - "No Warming Trend" - Fred Singer Interview

Something from my radio blog.

In 2001 the Voice of America was educating the world on how there had been "no warming trend" since 1940.

The interviewee is Dr. S. Fred Singer, a notable global warming denier but with solid scientific credentials, unlike most others, maybe makes sense.

Also see how it was the United States, specifically the first G. W. Bush administration, that killed the Kyoto Protocol.

llya's Radio Shack: VOA 2001 - "No Warming Trend": In 2001 the Voice of America was educating the world on how there had been "no warming trend" since 1940. The interviewee i...

50 Gs: G-Shock 16.02: Resurrection of the Positive King

50 Gs: G-Shock 16.02: Resurrection of the Positive King: Since the release of the first GXW-56 and GX-56 models, I always loved these "The King of G-Shock"models. I like my watches pret...

Resisting Final Microsoft Win 10 Assault

More than a year, multiple cancellation of "scheduled" Win 10 upgrades (which I had never scheduled in the first place, needless to say), countless scary popups and announcements later, I am now being terrorized with a yellow triangle warning and a countdown.

Hopefully it will all go away after July 29, 2016 or whatever is the cutoff date for their "free product".

As to why I chose not to upgrade to Win 10, the reasons are many - one computer is a laptop and I strongly believe it's never a good idea to install a new OS on a laptop, both computers had Win 8 bundled with them which I assume includes some recovery tools and options which might not work after Win 10 is installed. 

Also, having sold me and everybody a complete product - Win 8, Microsoft must now honor its obligations under it, including support and updates up to the year 2022 I believe.

Too bad it's impractical for me at this point to sue them over a year long disruption and intimidation.

Еще раз отклонил. Уже целый год долбит этим вин 10. HoroLex: Win 10 не пройдет!: Достал Microsoft со своим Win 10 и кампанией запугивания.  Уже два раза отменил назначенное мне Microsoft-ом обновление, на которое,...

My Radio Shack: BBC World Service 1998 - Brain of Britain Part 1

Here's something from my tape library of radio reception.

A 1998 BBC World Service broadcast on shortwave with an episode the 1998 Brain of Britain quiz show aka "general knowledge contest".

But it was recorded on AM 1260 kHz in Moscow, if memory serves, which however wasn't a local transmission.

I have two more of episodes of Brain of Britain.



llya's Radio Shack: BBC World Service 1998 - Brain of Britain Part 1: Here's something from my tape library of radio reception. A 1998 BBC World Service broadcast on shortwave with the 1998 Brain of B...

Spotted...cars in Moscow: Air Defense Show April 2016

From my carspotting in Moscow blog, here is a photo report from an air defense vehicle show I saw in April (2016) at Space Pavilion, VDNKh, Moscow, quoting below.

Here are some vehicles of a different kind seen at an air defense installation in April 2016 where I also photogrpahed this Shilka system and this Buk 9A310.

Now I am going to dump in this post the rest of the pictures I took at the show.

The first one is a Tunguska.

Not only does it have missiles, it also has automatic AA guns for good measure.

Below is an OSA-AKM for use against low flying targets, especially helicopters (which are always vulnerable anyway).

White walls!

To the left of it is a Buk system.

VOA January 2003 - Communications World

This is for all lovers of radio and especially international shortwave broadcasting.

From my radio archives comes this recording which I digitized yesterday - a VoA January 3, 2003 broadcast with the program Talk to America featuring Kim Elliott's 2003 New Year Communications World edition with international listeners calling in and discussing with the host various issues pertaining to shortwave and other communications topics.

There is also some January 2003 (pre-Iraq war) news too at 23:35.

It was recorded in January 2003 on a cassette tape using a radio / tape recorder whilst tuning in on 810 kHz in Moscow.

llya's Radio Shack: VOA January 2003: From my radio archives is this recording which I digitized today - a VoA January 3, 2003 broadcast with the program Talk to America featuri...

My Three Chronos

Here's a video gallery of my current three mechanical chronographs. 

I have only these three for now but am hoping to add more as the mechanical chronograph is my favorite type of wristwatch.

Strela Sturmanskie 45 mm 3133

Hornets' Nest

Here is a huge nest made by hornets. Probably one of the largest ever.

Not only did I see and photograph it but I also practically owned it as it was in my garden shower.

Hornets were large and very visible as they flew around however they gave us no problems until that one time when I went up to check on the nest and banged the attic door -- immediately got attacked and bitten by two sentinels -- very painful.

We let them be(e) and in fall of that year they were all gone - either died off or packed up and moved. Used the abandoned nest for starting the stove.

HoroLex: Гнездо шершней: Самое большое гнездо шершней, которое я когда-либо видел... и более того -- даже владел им, ибо оно было у меня на даче пару лет назад в са...

My Radios - VEF 214

This blog is for the most part about watches and clocks but not exclusively so as I am into other fine things as well, such as radios, and here is a VEF 214 radio set, another one of my many radios.

It's been in the family since 1988 and still works (video in Russian).

Coverage: LW, MW, SW x 3, and UKW (UHF) aka Russian FM (TV). It qualifies as a world radio for reason of having over 2 SW bands, I think.

The tuning dial which is marked in meters (wave length).

Slava Watch x 2

Not to forget that this is mainly a watch and clock blog, here are two Slavas in the same case but different everything else.

The case is in pseudo sports style but I like it. It is definitely from the times of the late USSR.

The first one is a 2427 Slava and catalogued here.

The second one is a 2428 Slava and is on a Nato Warsaw Pact strap, catalogued already here.

And now both of them together.

EUROs 2016: Today's Daily 7

In Euro 2016 Daily 7 today used a gang of Poles to beat both Deco and Pires :)

llya's Radio Shack: My 2001 Grundig Yacht Boy 500 World Radio

Here is another one of my many radios -- my 2001 Grundig Yacht Boy 500 (Italia).

By 2001 I mean that I bought it in 2001. The radio itself could be a couple years older than that, maybe 1999, even though I bought it new.

The Grundig YB500 model was introduced in 1993.

As usual this write-up will contain lots of pictures (over 50 in fact).

You can click on them to make them viewable in a Blogger gallery or something.

Starting with the original box which is quite a work of art, I think.

It also gives a basic description of the set which is an FM Stereo / LW / MW / SW PLL Synthesized Receiver utilizing Dual Conversion and with a Radio-Data-System (for FM). RDS is rare to be found in small portable radios.

Box opened.

The list below expands on the above description: the set also allows for 8 digit alphanumeric (?) station names, has a 40 station memory, a ROM-table memory (with international SW broadcasters, of which later in this write-up), a dual alarm clock and a power booster (6 watts).

An instructions manual. It looks that like YB500 had a different name mentioning Italia or maybe there was an Italia-themed version of this set?

EDIT: cleared up the matter of Italia, this one is not it:

and the Yacht Boy 500 Italia, (Part number 9.15056-6151/order number G.RC 2051IB) with restricted LW & SW coverage because of Italian legislation. The Italian set covers LW, 150-302 kHz, and SW, 3950-26100 kHz. 

Paper complement below: two large manuals in many languages, a brief manual in German and English and a Short Wave Reception brochure for those wishing to brush up on their basic understanding of shortwave.

I could have properly registered this set with Grundig when I bought it but I didn't at the time but wish I had. 

 On the other hand, maybe it doesn't matter seeing as the original Grundig is no more.

l's Radio Shack: The "Squeaky Wheel"

The "Squeaky Wheel" as it sounds today... which is not much like a squeaky wheel anymore.

Recorded on May 30, 2016 on 3828 kHz.

Very noisy and crackly and can be heard actually only on USB.

Visual quality is not too good either because recorded at night in virtually no lighting.

Location: 100 km north of Moscow (maybe or maybe not).

Equipment: using my 2001 Grundig YB 500 receiver, PLL synthesized, LSB, USB, ROM - will do an entry on it with pictures soon; no external antenna.

Note: Ability to listen on an USB is very handy in this case and in LSB some. Without the USB function you would have heard nothing much on this frequency.





llya's Radio Shack: The "Squeaky Wheel": The "Squeaky Wheel" as it sounds today. Recorded on May 30, 2016 on 3828 kHz. Very noisy and crackly and can be heard actuall...

My Lilac Shrubs

My lilac shrubs in bloom at end of May 2016.

Soon they will be gone for another year.