Polish MP4 "Bulldog" Gas Mask

Poland

Polish MP4 "Bulldog" Gas mask

It's called Bulldog because of its nose piece

Price: £9.99 free shipping
Manufacturer: Army surplus
Country of origin: Poland
Model: MP4 respirator
Year of Production: 1978
Description: Unusual and rare polish cold war era gas mask

Inside mask shows a date of 3/78

Roundel showing date of 1978 (upper left segment)

First impressions 
Following on from my superb MC-1 purchase recently I quite fancied getting an American M-17 gas mask - the black one you see in all those old Vietnam films. Unfortunately the M-17 is pretty near impossible to get your hands on in the UK unless you know someone who is selling.
Thankfully for me those pesky Soviets managed to successfully copy the American mask and made it available to the Warsaw pact countries. - Cold war stuff is much easier to get hold of and costs virtually nothing.
This design was copied by Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and others with the polish and Czech masks being the best examples according to gas mask officiardos
Production ran up to the early 1990's I believe and so all of the masks and filters will be long out of date.

I saw this particular mask on sale in a known eBay surplus store. This eBay seller is very good on price and speed of postage and I know his stuff is legit.
The mask was on sale for £12.30 with free postage but I managed to barter with him down to a tenner which I felt pleased about.
The parcel arrived in good time and was well packaged. It felt quite heavy, I wasn't really sure what to expect?

What's in the package?
The parcel weighed a ton so what was lurking inside?
Quite a bit as it turns out!

• MP4 Mask
• 2x Filter packs (unopened) 
• 2x Protective Lens outserts 
• 1x  Canister (Anti-fog wipes missing)
• 1x Carry haversack including two different straps.

A spare set of filters

Inside the haversack were two sealed packs of cheek filters, one set was in a silver foil bag and one set was in a green foil bag. At this stage I'm not really sure what each set protect against. I assume silver is for general airborne particles etc and the green could be for chlorine or something? there isn't much information about the filter colour codes to be honest.
These filters are commonly known as cheek filters due to where they are situated on the mask. This design is really useful as you don't have to have a big canister stuck in front of your face like other masks.
The filters are a pain in the arse to fit. Once you have wrestled one into the inside of the cheek section you then have to line up the inlet thread and push down the end cap from the outside. It can be quite tricky.
Once one side has been fitted the inside of the mask must be buttoned up in two places with two white plastic rivet things?
Once both the cheek filters are in its probably best to leave them in!

Anti-fog wipes cansiter (without the wipes!) Made in 1977

At the bottom of the haversack inside a pocket was this canister. This should have contained some Anti-fog wipes but there is nothing in here. Dated 1977.

glass outserts for double glazing your mask

Also in the haversack was a plastic bag containing a pair of perspex outserts. These are essentially covers which fit over the gas masks eye pieces which add an extra layer of protection. They are a pain to fit but once they are on they don't come off easily.
Double glazing on your gas mask!

Top quality haversack

And not forgetting the haversack itself. It's really well made and in great condition considering its age. It's loosely based on the M-17 bag I believe. It features reinforced side panels, two different carry straps, good quality press fasteners and an interesting name tag.

Testing
Fitting this mask is quite easy. Unlike the polish MC-1 I review the other week, it's a much better fit all round. It has the same rubber/material adjustment straps as the MC-1 which makes tightening the mask a fast and pain free operation.

In terms of comfort this mask is fantastic. Its very easy to get on and off and doesn't weigh much.
The field of vision through these eye pieces is very good.
So far I have had no problem with the mask fogging up.
I think that could be due to the good tissot tubes under each eye glass which helps to take the condensation away.

During the 3 minute long  'Can of Glade' test the mask helded out very well. No traces of wild jasmine could be detected in the mask. Good for air fresheners then!

*Can of Glade test - sat in the bathroom with the door shut. Spray can of Glade air freshener for quite a bit and see if any aroma can be detected. Not scientific at all

Name tag mystery.
Although this gas mask is new and was never used in anger, it did get issued to someone. A Mr Zbigniew Wilczynski. Who was this man?

According to Wikipedia, Zbigniew Wilczynski was an eminent polish doctor who also became a councillor and a colonel. He recieved many top awards including the gold and silver cross for merit, armed forces gold medal, the merit badge for border protection, bronze and silver medals for national defense and many others. Sadly he died in 1991 How interesting? I wonder if it is the same man? Haha

Rating:  ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
You really can't grumble paying £10 for this piece of the Warsaw pact. It comfortable, practical and looks pretty cool.
Considered rare, if you see one buy it!

East German DDR Ushanka Hat

Cold War Crap

East German army Ushanka hat

Price: £8
Manufacturer: Army surplus
Model: NVA Ushanka
Date/Year: 1972 B
Quality Code: TGL 108-754585
Authentic?: Yes
Materials: mainly woollen textile with an outer faux fur lining
Vendor: local market trader - not online

First impressions
I bought this hat some time ago but never got around to looking at it in any detail.  After a few frosty mornings recently I thought I might dig it out and put it to the test.
I bought this hat from a vintage army surplus guy at a local covered market. It wasn't the first time I had done business with him, my first purchase was a Nazi officers dress dagger which turned out to be repro in the end but nice nonetheless.
After looking through the various army tunics, trousers and ammo belts I came across this Ushanka wedged between a navy great coat and the scaffolding holding up his stall.

This traders stall is a mixture of genuine and repro gear so I was hoping to get the real thing with this purchase. I looked inside the hat and noticed it indeed had all the genuine dates and codes stamped inside. This particular hat was a size 57 which is not the biggest by any means.
Happy with the hats condition and autheniticity I paid the man and shuffled off.


Who were these hats issued to?

These Ushanka hats were issued to regular serving men in the National Volks Army (NVA). These soldiers were based in East Germany and came under Soviet administration (DDR).
Some NVA ushanka hats feature a silver crest around the central circular pin badge. These were issued to higher ranking personnel.

What do the codes mean?

Inside most pieces of DDR clothing are various codes denoting the year of manufacture, the factory where they were made, the size and the quality regulation code.
This Ushanka was intended to be issued to a serving soldier in the NVA (National Volks Army) and not the secret police (Stasi) as I first thought.

Testing
I must admit this size 57 Ushanka is a little tight on my head. A little pulling here and there loosened things a little and I was able to Don the hat with no problems.
The vast majority of the hat is made from WWII style 'itchy blanket' material often seen these days in hotel closets made into spare blankets (Premier Inn, Travel lodge etc). Some people may find this material irritating to the skin and with good reason. It seems to be made from a rough tightly woven wool (I'm no textiles expert) which although incredibly hard wearing, is itchy as hell to some.
The fake faux around the sides seems more of a garnish than of any practical application but it looks good.
Folding down the sides of the hat is just a case of unbuttoning an elastic strap across the top. It really keeps your ears warm!
The front fur part of the hat can also be lowered.. not quite sure why? It's held in place a two firm fastening press studs. The front flap folds completely down covering your eyes...Perhaps useful in a blizzard?
Overall this hat really keeps your head nice and toasty!

Itchy material

Rating ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
The Russians certainly know how to make a good hat. Despite the 'itchy blanket' material used in its construction it's comfortable and warm to wear. These trapper/Ushanka hats are coming back in fashion just now so bagging a genuine one instead of a poncy fake is the best option. Cheap and durable!

Latest Hilltop Repeater Tests

Just this week I managed to seize the opportunity and sit for a few minutes on the top of Rishworth Moor roughly around 1250ft ASL. Rishworth Moor straddles the West Yorkshire/Greater Manchester border on the West Pennine moors. The Llandudno repeater is situated on the top of the Great Orme hill on the coast of North Wales.
I was hoping the elevated height of my radio might bare some fruit when attempting to open a few of the far off repeaters.

Thankfully on this occasion I was able to open the Llandudno repeater GB3LL which works out at roughly 81 miles away.
Unfortunately the repeater wasn't very busy and I heard no one but I could definitely get in there none-the-less.
The radio was running the standard rubber duck antenna with 5W power.

I'm quite impressed



More testing over the Christmas holidays I suspect!

I Got My Amateur Radio License

Radio News (concerning me)


I'm now a licensed radio operator!

Exam certificate and licence

Despite having an interest in Radio for years I never got around to getting my ham radio ticket....until now.
I had decided to try and get my ham ticket before the end of the year and with some help from the local radio guru Ringway Manchester managed to hook me up with a radio club hosting a foundation course before Christmas.
(Thanks again Lewis 👍)

Having successfully passing the foundation exam (technician exam in the USA) over the course of a weekend I can now use all of my high powered handheld radios without fear of prosecution!

The foundation course is the first step on the road to becoming a full license holder - essentially allowing more powerful transmissions, the ability to build powerful radios and use all of the designated amateur radio frequencies.
Before all of that comes the intermediate course which at this stage isn't something I'm too bothered about.
My current license allows me a maximum transmission power of 10W and enough of the HF/VHF and UHF band to be going on with.

Sitting the weekend course was an enjoyable experience, gaining knowledge and meeting people from all walks of life.

The foundation course isn't hard to do.  5 out of the 6 applicants on the course (including me) passed the exam and passed well.
I'm still wondering how that one guy managed to fail?!

I'm looking forward to doing some proper radio testing from now on.

Other successful candidates on my course include:
M6TPS
M6IEZ
M6IEY

Well done to them

Yaesu radio clone unsuitable for Vegetarians

The MML UV-8DR  Multi-band Transceiver offen seen on ebay is a very inexpensive copy of the Yaesu VX-8R.

I currently have one of these on its way to me from the people's republic but I'm not getting too excited just yet - it hasnt arrived.

It seems that this clones is quite a good copy of the original apart from the display and the inner workings although I did spot something earlier which is definitely not on the original Yaesu radio. Number 6 on the keypad BEEF ?!

One assumes that this button should read BEEP but there was clearly a cock-up at the factory!

Most amusing

A full review of the knock-off Yaesu will follow (if it shows up!)

Which Cheap Radio sounds the best?

I seem to have aquired one or two cheap Chinese handhelds over the course of this year.
All very similar in price and functionality and much of a muchness when all said and done.
The one thing that does seems to stand out among my radios is the quality of the audio, the loudness and quality of the speaker.

The quality of the audio components is just as important as anything else in my opinion. It's no good having a great Reciever when you can't hear it properly or the speaker makes it sound thin and weedy.  A hilltop QSO could be a nightmare if the wind is blowing and the speaker won't go any louder.

I decided to run a quick test of the sound quality by tuning all the radios into the same frequency and listening hard to them all.

Although all of these radios have  good sound quality there was one radio that out performed the rest by a country mile.

Using a strange one handed cock-eyed fashion i managed to record a couple of minutes of test footage.
In what seems like a conveyer belt approach I pass each radio under the camera with the volume cranked up.
It's quite hard to pick out the differences but they are there.
The poor lighting and crap video work leaves a lot to be desired!

Winner!

1. Zeadio/,WLN slim UHF Transceiver 👍👍👍👍👍 - A very loud, rich and clean sounding audio. The squelch works really well on this radio which helps.
Absolutely stunning for the size and price of the radio. The 1W speaker is great and goes quite loud.


The rest

2. Sainsonic GT3-TP 👍👍👍👍 - Like the Zeadio the audio on this radio is rich and clean. However the speaker is not quite as loud.

3. Misuta UV-82+  👍👍👍- This radio produces some good quality sounds. It's clear and rich in tone due to the design of the casing it's just not as loud as the previous tested radios.

4. Pofung GT-1  👍👍👍. - The audio quality of this cheap radio is really good. The speaker is far from the loudest here but good enough for clear RX

5. Baofeng UV-5RE 👍👍 - This radio has the thinnest and quietest sounding audio of them all. It's not terrible but I have struggled to hear stuff when outdoors with a breeze in the face.


How ironic, the cheapest radio with the least amount of features wins the test and wins it comfortably.
The Zeadio slim handset has stunning audio. Simply stunning!

How they managed to cram this 1W speaker (along with everything else) into a case which is an inch thick is beyond me.
Yet another reason to buy the ridiculously price Zeadio/WLN/Retevis mini slim line rig.


I tip my hat to the designers - well done lads!

All I want for Christmas is a Baofeng

All I want for Christmas is a Baofeng
Not really,  there are plenty of things on my Christmas wish list and a Baofeng radio is nowhere to be seen.  so why am I posting this?

Well because after trawling through the hundreds of pages of radio adverts recently my eyes were drawn to a few select models which to me looked really good. - perhaps I do want a new Baofeng afterall?

Baofeng Black 997-S

The Baofeng Black 997-S is nothing new really. It's just another restyled UV-5R but I do like it. It comes with the reverse LCD display and a chunky radio body. The keys are nicely coloured and I like the contrasting orange and black colour scheme. Pity they ship this radio with the old R5 stock antenna which is universally considered as being shite.

Prices for the 997-S are upwards of £25 and currently only seem to ship from the far East. No local sellers seem to have stock.

Baofeng UV-6

The Baofeng UV-6 is another incarnation of the ever popular UV-5R this time looking more like a 5RX. This radio seems very similar in styling to the Retevis R5. Again UK suppliers seem thin on the ground. Prices nearer to the £30 mark and shipped mainly from the far East.

Baofeng UV-B2

I don't really know a great deal about the Baofeng UV-B2 except that it's a facelifted UV-82.  It features the reverse LCD display and a mean looking design.  Definitely a natural progression from the 82. I really like the look of this radio.

Baofeng FF-12P

The FF-12P is a reworked UV-5RX and BF-UV2 by the looks of things. It all gets a little confusing after a while. It features a nice reverse LCD display. Finding one in the UK might be a problem so paying over the odds and waiting for China post seems the only way to get one. Still like it though

Baofeng ...? Can't remembers

I saw this pair of radios once and never saw them again. I have forgotten the model number too which doesn't help. They briefly appeared on a website somewhere but since that time they have failed to show their faces on ebay or anywhere else that I usually frequent.? They look like a reworked UV-B5 or something similar. Not bad looking at all.

Baofeng UV-5RZ

The Baofeng UV-5RZ is an even more rugged looking UV-82. 

Another solid looking professional rig like the UV-B2 I mentioned a moment ago. I really want one of these but they seem a little scarce on the ground, especially here in the UK. 

Baofeng rarely brings out a radical new model and so the old favourites UV-5R and UV-82 get a new look. Whilst it would be nice to see a brand new model at least I know what to expect if I got one of these. Better the devil you know.

Anyone who is stuck for finding me a Christmas present this year can order me one of these.

Polish Military MC-1 Gas Mask Review

Cold War Crap

Polish Military MC-1 Gas Mask

Price: £4.99 + postage
Manufacturer: Faser SA, Poland
Model: MC-1 respirator
Condition: Genuine unused
Approx Age:  at least late 1980's
Accessories: Satchel, New filter can, instructions in polish and a tube of rubber wax/grease?
Vendor: private seller on eBay
Shipped From: UK
Description: New MC-1 gasket mask with modern MS4 filter

Why the hell did I buy this?
That's a very good question and one I feel I should try and clear up straight away.
Far from being a kinky gimp fetishist or a collector I was drawn quite innocently to the bizarre look of this mask. The round glass eye pieces and odd nasal appendage appeared a little eerie and seemed perfect for fancy dress parties perhaps or scaring the kids. - it was a toss up between buying this MC-1 and an equally freakish old Russian GP5 mask. It turns out that this was cheaper.

Polish camo satchel

MS4 Filter can

First Impressions
I was half expecting to recieve a grubby old piece of army surplus when I bought this, especially when I only paid a fiver for it.
Yeah, it's probably from the cold war era and pretty old so it's bound to be a little crappy.
This mask would have been made between the 1960's and 1980's so it might be cracked or something?
But no! This item arrived as new. Everything seemingly as it was the day it was made.
The camouflage carry satchel contained the mask, a brand new MS4 filter can, a stick of something and the original instructions in polish.
It has been kept very well in storage all these years it would appear.

Some kind of Wax? 

The gas mask itself is made from good quality rubber with a secure multi point fixing at the back.
The eye holes are made from glass and are sealed to the mask by crimped edges. They seem air tight.
The front of the mask has a multi inlet piece which has a hole for a exhaled air and a hole to stick the filter can into.
It all seems to fit very well.

Original instructions in Polish 

Testing
As there hasn't been a chemical leaks from anywhere recently it's a bit difficult to test this mask.  And to be honest I'm not sure I want to be in a position to have to test it for real..!
However, as Europe's largest sewerage farm is only a mile away and the smell in the air can often be horrendous, this mask works really well!! I'm loving this mask already!
No more stink of shite that's for sure!

Remember the Jawa's from Star Wars? 

Some have said that this is a great improvement to my looks . cheeky sods! 

In conclusion, I like this mask..it has limited uses but amusing none-the-less.

Rating: ✅✅✅✅
A unusual novelty item if you have a spare fiver floating round in your wallet. great for comedy value and leaving in the bathroom after flatulent guests

WLN KD-C1 / Zeadio ZS-B1 UHF Transceiver Review

Zeadio ZS-B1 16Ch UHF Mini Transceiver (WLN KD-C1)

Price: £15 including postage for two radios
Manufacturer: Generic Chinese Made (in this case labelled Zeadio) also branded as WLN, Luiton, Retevis, Abask, Zastone
Model: ZS-B1
Power: 5W high, 2W low (unproven)
Run By: 1500mAh 3.4V lithium rechargeable battery
Band: UHF 400-470MHz
Speaker: 1W 8ohms
Channels: 16
Description: walkie talkies
Vendor: private seller on eBay
Shipped From: UK 
What's in the Box?:  Each box contains the radio, 'battery, charger dock, USB charging cable, belt clip and instructions.

It's says 2W here! Where's that spec sheet again?

First Impressions
After watching a few YouTube videos on the WLN KD-C1 radio (identical to this Zeadio in all but name) and hearing some positive things from my knowledgeable radio buddy Ringway Manchester I set about grabbing one for myself.

Recently the price of a single WLN version of this radio came down as low as £8 for a brief time then the price slowly crept back up. Suffice to say I was too late in bagging one at that price and I didn't fancy paying £15 for one and have to wait ages for it to arrive from Hong Kong.

I happened to see an auction lot for these two Zeadio B1's with a low starting price. I really wanted these radios so without any competition I ended up winning. I was surprised as these are popular radios at the moment.

Individually wrapped for freshness 

Buying these radio in pairs normally costs between £25-£30 on ebay with postage so this Zeadio pair seemed an absolute bargain at £15 or £7.50 each whichever way you look at it.

The story behind the sale was that the seller had bought the pair, put a few frequencies in to try them and then packed them back away.
New enough for me.

They arrived to much anticipation and excitement. Both radios were delivered in pristine condition.
From the outer boxes to the accessories inside it was obvious that the radios had barely been touched.

Despite their simplicity, these radios are rather stylish but perhaps not to everyone's taste. I really like the way they look and feel in the hand.
It's hard to believe that each radio only weights 128g and only about an inch thick.  It's easy to secrete this radio in a pocket and forget that it's there!

Who the hell is Zeadio anyway?

The build quality of this radio is fantastic. Much like the Baofeng radios, these slim line radios incorporate the same kind of tough plastic in the outer casing. The buttons are rubberised to assist in keeping water and dust out (untested), they feel solid and have a positive feel to them.
The fixed antenna is heavy duty and moulded into the plastic main body. Most PMR/Walkie-Talkie antennas require some degree of care to avoid accidental damage but these seem indestructible (which is a good thing)

The Accessories that came in the box are nothing new. A charger, a dock, a battery and a belt clip . Thankfully no crappy ear piece like you would find in a Baofeng box.

The specs say 5W...the side box label says 2W

Sold as PM446 licence free radios

There doesn't seem to be a lot about the Zeadio ZS-B1 online. The only hits seems to be the Zeadio company site (which my browser advises me not to visit) and a few places selling them.
It would seem that these sellers are advertising the radios as PMR446 license free with a low power rating of 0.5W. (the legal power limit) some have even gone to the trouble of preprogramming the PMR frequencies in before sale.
An example:

Zeadio ZS-B1R is a license free consumer walkie talkie radio. The frequency is pre-programmed with 446.MHz (UK legal civil frequency) on each channel, so that users can talk to each other freely on any channels.

This is a falsehood and a little misleading as firstly the radio won't go as low as 0.5W more like 2W. (On the box it says 5W and 2W)
Secondly even if it did have a 0.5W setting which would make it legal it still has the option of choosing higher power which is not
And this radio can be programmed outside the eight standard PMR channels this includes repeaters and simplex channels used by licensed hams.
So my guess is it's not type approved for PMR
That's my understanding of it

That said, they would make great PMR rigs.!


Testing
Once again my radio mentor Ringway Manchester has already done the hard work of programming and testing these rigs.

Click the video below to see how he gets on

Programming and 75 mile repeater test

Urban range testing around South Manchester

As the videos show these are great little radios but have a small issue. - the interference overload which occurs occasionally near sources of high RF and which seems more common to this radio than a regular Baofeng would.  I can live with that, I don't suppose the size of the antenna contributes to the problem?
In my limited experience of these radios I have found them to be very good for the most part. I'm suitably impressed anyway.

Sound Quality
The quality of the audio and the loudness of the speaker is astonishing at this price.
Even the Chinese fella who announces the channel numbers is loud and clear.
I would say that the speaker in this radio is better than any of the main stream baofengs.
Speaker is 1W 8ohm

Please check out Ringways Manchester on youtube for more great videos -  Click Here

PMR style fixed Antenna 
The antenna on this radio is rather interesting. It looks just like a regular fixed Walkie-Talkie antenna.  Unable to be swapped out for a longer one and thus limiting it's range.
And although this particular antenna does have its limitations, it it works a lot better than you might expect.
As if with some kind of voodoo magic inside, the antenna manages to pull in signals almost as well as some of my regular radios?  My own testing has shown that this radio can keep up with my Baofengs when it comes to opening the local repeaters. Not a problem.

In conclusion to my mini review I have to say that Zeadio or whoever else made the radio has done a fantastic job.
Well worth the money......

1970's cracked Leather look back case

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅
£7.50 for a radio of this quality is quite frankly outrageous.
The durability, sound quality and form factor makes this radio a top value purchase for anyone on a budget. More disposable than a disposable Baofeng.!


*Update:
Since writing this mini review I have managed to do some transmission tests - mainly because I just got my amateur radio license.
I can have a reasonable quality QSO with a station via the local repeater quite well. Reports have been mostly favourable. A little low on volume and scratchy in places but not bad overall.
In conclusion it seems that the WLN / Zeadio slim rig is not hampered too much by it's short fixed antenna, low power output and lack of display - quite the opposite. The speaker sound quality takes some beating and leaves many a Baofeng in the shade. I still think there is some kind of witch craft going on under the plastic covers .A great radio!.