By Louis Meulstee

Polish Armia Krajowa series

No. 3 OSB Type I.
Cover and layout: Louis Meulstee.
Cover illustration: OSB Type I 1942/43.

The cover artwork and layout of this series was prepared with DTP Serif PagePlus X8,
using Arial, AvantGarde, Helvetica, Times New Roman and Poppl-Laudatio fonts.
Scanned illustrations and photos were enhanced and prepared with Adobe Photoshop
Elements. The finished publication was directly converted into PDF format.

- First published 2024 as WftW Supplement No. 292, Version 1.00, as a free to download
print ready publication.
- This unchanged edition was adapted for Scribd™ with the addition of a front cover
and colophon.

© Louis Meulstee PA0PCR

Ottersum
The Netherlands
info@wftw.nl
http://www.wftw.nl

About this publication.

Selected publications, previously featured on the Wireless for the Warrior website, have
now been added to Scribd™ to reach a broader audience.
The WftW 'Polish' series comprises three groups of publications. These start with a
detailed technical view of wireless communications in the Polish army during the inter-war
years until 1939. Next, it covers 'Wireless in the Armia Krajowa and the Warsaw Uprising'
(THIS series), and concludes with the development and production of radios for resistance
groups, Polish AK, SOE, and agents during WWII by the Polish in exile in Great Britain.
It should be noted that in the Armia Krajowa series, only locally produced radios are
covered.
Already published on Scribd™ are selected chapters from the WftW 'Pamphlets', WftW
'Amendments', and WftW 'Various' series, with more to follow as time permits.

The 'Polish' Series.

The WftW 'Polish' series is not directly related, but within the scope of the WftW website
and interest. It can be freely copied and distributed, but only in their current form,
preferably with mention of the website www.wftw.nl.
Note that the page layout of the WftW series was setup with mirrored pages, primarily
intended for double sided (colour) printing and, if available, on good quality class A paper.

June 2024
Wireless for the Warrior - Polish Armia Krajowa series. No. 3 OSB Type I - 1

OSB Type I
(Armia Krajowa # 3)
Country of origin:
Poland

REMARKS
The OSB type I (Odbiornik Sieciowo-Bateryjny, translated Mains-
Battery Receiver) was a miniature short wave receiver, a follow up of
the OBAs receiver (Chapter 291). It was made in clandestine radio
workshops, including the Warsaw University of Technology, from
1942 onwards for the Polish Home Army. The receiver was built into
a metal case which resembled a small innocent looking toolbox. The
circuit, using locally available components of which e.g. the valves
were ‘liberated’ from the Tungsram and Philips plants in Warsaw, was
believed to be a copy of the Polish A1 receiver, designed by Tadeusz
Heftman, produced in England by the Polish Military Wireless Re-
search Unit in Stanmore. There were two (functionally similar) ver-
sions: OSB type I and OSB type II which differed considerably in the
mechanical construction, layout of the front panel and circuit diagram.
Only one OSB type I survived, opposed to the OSB type II of which
at least 2, and probably 3 still exist. OSB type I was apparently also
known as OSB3 according the working instructions text on the photo.
DATA SUMMARY
Organisation: Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa).
Design/Manufacturer: Clandestine Polish Home Army
Radio Workshops e.g. Warsaw University of Technology.
Year of Introduction: 1942/43.
Purpose: Communication receiver for the Polish Home
Army.
Receiver OSB Type I:
Frequency coverage: 3.5 - 9MHz. IF 1.5MHz.
Circuit features: Mixer/oscillator, Reg. IF/Det, AF.
It was based on the 1936 ‘Super-Gainer’ design.
The IF valve could be brought into oscillation for CW
reception by means of the reaction control.
AF output: High impedance headphones.
Valves: ECH11 and EDD11.
Power Supply: 100/110/120/150/180/200/220V AC
mains; Rectifier using an 6H6 or EZ11.
As alternative, separate power (Batteries or a 6V DC
vibrator power pack) could be connected to the 5-point
socket front panel after removing a dummy plug.
Dimensions (cm): (An estimate!).
Height 7½, length 17, width 15. Kabel sieciowy Mains lead
Antena Aerial socket
Gniazdo bateryjne Battery socket
References: Skala Tuning scale
- Photograph, drawing, circuit diagram and additional informa- Rozdzielnik napięć AC voltage selector
tion courtesy Bogdan Szkudlarek, SP3LD, Poland. T Headphones sockets
- Zolnierze Lacznosej Warszawy (Communication soldiers of Reakcja Reaction control
fighting Warsaw), Kazimierz Malinowski, Warszawa 1983, Oscylator Tuning control
isbn 83-211-0378-2. Przedobwód Pre-selector tuning
- Wireless for the Warrior, Volume 4, Clandestine Radio,
Text translation functions of controls OSB type I.
Louis Meulstee, Wimborne 2004, isbn 095263 36 0.
© This WftW chapter may be freely copied and distributed, but only in the current form.

Page 1 of 2. ver 1.00. June 2024.

Wireless for the Warrior - Polish Armia Krajowa series. No. 3 OSB Type I - 2

Circuit diagram of the OSB type 1.

(Wlyk bezsznurowy) Dummy plug inserted into socket for AC mains

operation. It connected the 6.3V AC from the built-in mains power
unit to the filaments. When powered by a 6V accumulator this link
was disconnected.

(Wlyk bateryjny) Battery plug and connection leads to a 6V accumulator

(+/- A) and a HT dry battery (+/- B). As the voltage of a battery was
much lower as that of the built-in mains power unit, R13 was shorted by
the ‘Do x’ contacts in the plug, resulting in an almost equal performance.

Polish A1

Hand generator with plug. AC mains cord and plug.

Circuit diagram of the Polish A1.

The Polish A1 transceiver (left), pro-
duced in England by the Polish Mil-
itary Wireless Research Unit in
Stanmore, was based on pre-war
agents sets designed for the Polish
Second Bureau by AVA, with chief
designer Dipl Ing Tadeusz Heftman.
It is believed that the OSB type I and
type II receivers (and indeed the
OBAs and OSU) were constructed
after the receiver section of the
Polish A1 (and its pre-war develop-
ments), which were in turn based
on the ‘Super-Gainer’ circuit from
the 1936 Jones ‘Radio Handbook’.

© This WftW chapter may be freely copied and distributed, but only in the current form.

Page 2 of 2. ver 1.00. June 2024.