D12 detector radio receiver

The D12 detector radio, produced by Zakłady Radiowe Natawis in Warsaw, is a single-band device for individual reception of radio broadcasts on medium wave. The use of the receiver did not require an external source of electricity, but it was necessary to use one of two pairs of earphones to listen to the radio. The electrical system of the device is enclosed in a black Bakelite housing. The radio is tuned using a knob with a scale. There are two earphone sockets in the front wall. On the top plane is a crystal detector socket, the container of which is made of metal and glass. Inside the container is a galena crystal, to which a thin steel wire is attached. The wire is mounted to a control on a ball bushing for closing the circuit, isolated by a plastic handle. This enabled the creation of a metal-semiconductor rectifying connection. Manufacturer: Zakłady Radiotechniczne Natawis, 1930s Inv. no.: MIM1990/V-524 Model prepared on the basis of photogrammetric measurements Licence: CC BY-NC-SA