Vega Astrad/Ruby Cygnus - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Avid_Nerdlinger · 30th Oct 2020, 5:16 pm

Just got a Vega Ruby/Astrad Cygnus, it might be my new favourite radio. Remarkably compact, like a KGB spy radio. It needs a bit of a clean. It didn't switch on at first but I had previously read https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=24777 so I knew to clean the switch contact and it works great. I was the first person to see inside since it left the factory, the seal on one of the case screws was intact. The earphone socket is neither 2.5mm or 3.5mm, somewhere in-between, so need new Russian earphone... anyone know what the spec might be? Or I might have to modify it for a 3.5mm, I might use this radio a lot. Tempted to take the crumpled Vega Ruby sticker off and make it an Astrad Cygnus.

The only fly in the ointment is the winder for the watch movement (ZIM 2608 according to https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/r...968-9.3932058/ ) is missing, replacing that or even testing the movement is probably a non-starter... or is it?

Avid_Nerdlinger · 1st Nov 2020, 6:23 pm

7/64" drill bit fits quite well, bit loose maybe. USSR adopted metric in 1925 according to Wikipedia so I'm guessing at 2.8mm. How odd. Couldn't find anything close to that for sale, some unspec'd soviet headphones here and there but I don't think I want to go down that route. I've ordered 10x 3.5mm sockets off eBay from China.

On closer inspection the watch casing is different to the one on watchuseek so this one might not be a ZIM, I've read about other candidates including Sekonda.

Put a couple of blobs of petroleum jelly and a few drops of contact cleaner in the top of the wave change switch, seems to have done the trick with the intermittency there.

I'm going to keep an eye out for job lots of long watch crown stems going cheap.

30th Oct 2020, 5:16 pm	#1
Avid_Nerdlinger Pentode Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Durness, Sutherland, UK. Posts: 108	Vega Astrad/Ruby Cygnus Just got a Vega Ruby/Astrad Cygnus, it might be my new favourite radio. Remarkably compact, like a KGB spy radio. It needs a bit of a clean. It didn't switch on at first but I had previously read https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=24777 so I knew to clean the switch contact and it works great. I was the first person to see inside since it left the factory, the seal on one of the case screws was intact. The earphone socket is neither 2.5mm or 3.5mm, somewhere in-between, so need new Russian earphone... anyone know what the spec might be? Or I might have to modify it for a 3.5mm, I might use this radio a lot. Tempted to take the crumpled Vega Ruby sticker off and make it an Astrad Cygnus. The only fly in the ointment is the winder for the watch movement (ZIM 2608 according to https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/r...968-9.3932058/ ) is missing, replacing that or even testing the movement is probably a non-starter... or is it? Attached Thumbnails

1st Nov 2020, 6:23 pm	#2
Avid_Nerdlinger Pentode Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Durness, Sutherland, UK. Posts: 108	Re: Vega Astrad/Ruby Cygnus 7/64" drill bit fits quite well, bit loose maybe. USSR adopted metric in 1925 according to Wikipedia so I'm guessing at 2.8mm. How odd. Couldn't find anything close to that for sale, some unspec'd soviet headphones here and there but I don't think I want to go down that route. I've ordered 10x 3.5mm sockets off eBay from China. On closer inspection the watch casing is different to the one on watchuseek so this one might not be a ZIM, I've read about other candidates including Sekonda. Put a couple of blobs of petroleum jelly and a few drops of contact cleaner in the top of the wave change switch, seems to have done the trick with the intermittency there. I'm going to keep an eye out for job lots of long watch crown stems going cheap. Attached Thumbnails