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← Crypto Voice Phone REI
The device roughly measures 19.5 x 6.5 x 6 cm and weights approx.
250 grams. It resembles the handset of an old regular telephone set,
with a microphone at the bottom, a speaker at the top, and
6 push-buttons and 4 indicators inbetween.
The ACS-2 is powered by a single 9V battery that is installed at the rear,
and offers 58,488 code settings, divided over 4 factory controlled banks.
To set up a connection, one needs two ACS-2 devices from the
same bank (marked A, B, C or D respectively)
and set the
DIP switches in the battery compartment
to the same positions.
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The ACS-2 was available from REI
in 1994 for US$ 249 each [1]. Needless
to say that the device hardly offers any protection against eavesdropping
whatsoever, as voice scramblers
are inherently insecure, and the ACS-2 belongs
to the least secure class of such voice scramblers.
The product was discontinued by REI many years ago, but surprisingly
it is still available from a number of spy shops
around the world today (2018), such as the P.S.S. Spy Shop in Amsterdam
(Netherlands) [2].
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The ACS-2 is designed in such a way that it can be fitted to virtually any
type of regular telephone handset. At the rear side are a speaker and
microphone – both of which are pivoting –
that should mate with the microphone and speaker of the telephone's handset. The pivoting feature of the elements at the rear
ensures that no ambient sound leaks into
the microphone of the handset, whilst an elastic strap is used to keep the
ACS-2 tied to the handset during a conversation.
Although the ACS-2 does exactly what was advertised — it is a single frequency
sound inverter — it gives its users a false sense of security. The fact that
nearly 60,000 different codes can be selected, does not make it any more secure,
as it only affects the code that 'opens' the device at the other end, whilst
the speech scrambler itself and the inversion frequency remain unaffected.
An eavesdropper only has to find the inversion frequency to be able to
overhear the conversation.
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Device Telephone scrambler Purpose Secure analogue voice calls Model ACS-2 Manufacturer REI Year 1991 Principle Single-frequency audio inversion Settings 58,488 (for unlocking only) Price US$ 249 per unit (1994)
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Tuesday 20 March 2018. Last changed: Tuesday, 09 April 2024 - 07:46 CET.
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