 What was the issue with having Pinov on the communication system?
General Finogenov notified Major Winship that the underground blast was scheduled for the following morning. Major Winship attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with Base Gagarin. "Is Pinov," came the reply. "When?" "Boom—boom!" said Pinov. "Is Pinov. "Pinov's still there," Major Winship said. Air currents whisked it away and plastered it against a riveted seam of the dome. The Soviet base was situated some ten miles toward sunset at the bottom of a natural fold in the surface. At that point, the best pathway angled left and made an S-shaped descent to the basin. "Finogenov had a clay samovar sent up.
 He didn't speak English
 He rarely paid attention well enough to handle the communications.  He didn't speak English  He didn't know how to work the system properly.  He always selected the wrong communcations channel