|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USA CIA RS-101 → TAR-224 → ← RS-1
Paramilitary spy radio set
RS-100 was a self-contained all-in-one paramilitary
spy radio set,
developed around 1964 by Sylvania in Mountain View (California, USA) 1
for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 2
(ARPA, later: DARPA) [11].
It covers 2-24 MHz in the HF radio band,
and produces an output power of 20 Watts.
Intended as a successor to the modular RS-1 radio set,
it was a ruggedized waterproof set for use in para-military operations.
Part of the transceiver – the 20W transmitter – was developed by
AVCO in Cincinnati (Ohio, USA).
|
The transceiver is housed in a green die-cast enclosure that measures
340 x 250 x 150 mm and weights 7.9 kg. 3 Controls and connections
are protected by a watertight plastic cover
that is held in place by two spring-loaded locking clips.
The CW transmitter can be operated by a
crystal installed at the front panel,
or by one of the 40 crystals that are installed in the
AU-100 crystal selector, or by means of the
OS-100 synthesizer.
The receiver can be freely tuned over the entire 2-24 MHz range, divided
over four bands, and is suitable for reception of CW, AM
and SSB signals.
|
|
|
The device can be powered by an internal removable 12V battery pack, or
by the external PS-100 power supply unit (PSU), or by an optional
hand generator. When correctly adjusted, an output power of approx.
20W can be obtained. Messages can be sent in morse code,
either with the built-in morse key
or by means of the built-in
KE/A-8 burst keyer. The latter is part
of the CK-100 coder/keyer set
and is complemented by a CO-8 encoder
and a CA/A-3 tape cartridge [4].
The RS-100 was a co-development of CIA and ARPA, mainly because both
agencies had similar requirements. During the project however, the requirements
of the CIA changed, whilst those of ARPA remained unaltered. As a result,
the set was never produced in large quantities. As far as we know,
only 20 units were manufactured before the project was merged into
the RS-101, which was smaller and allowed voice transmissions
(phone) in addition to CW.
Both the RS-100 and RS-101 show great
similarity to the later TAR-224, which was built for the CIA
around 1970 by AVCO. In fact, the receiver part of the RS-100 is
nearly identical to the receiver of the TAR-224.
|
 |
-
The name of the manufacturer is redacted in the original documents,
but since the meetings were held in Mountain View, and the manufacturer's
name is eight character long with a 'y' in the second position and an 'a' at
the end, it is very likely that this was the Electronic Defense Laboratory
(EDL) of Sylvania [2].
-
ARPA/DARPA is a research and development agency of the
US Department of Defense, responsible for the development of
emerging technologies for use by the military [14].
-
Without batteries, but with the OS-100 synthesizer installed.
|
PLEASE HELP —
This page shows what we currently know about the RS-100.
We are still looking for additional information about this radio
set and its successor, the RS-101, in particular
the circuit diagrams, the power supply unit and any other ancillaries.
If you think you can help us to expand this page, please contact us.
The image below shows the front panel of the RS-100 radio set, which
roughly consists of three areas: at the top right the
transmitter, at the bottom right the
receiver, and at the left the
removable parts.
The power source is selected with the power selector
at the bottom left, just above the receptacle
for the external PS-100 power supply unit (PSU).
The unit can be powered by the PSU, a handcranked generator or the
internal 12V rechargeable battery. It is turned on with the
MODE selector at the top: either the receiver alone,
or receiver and transmitter together. Wire antenna and counterpoise (ground)
should be connected to the terminals at the top right.
The receiver — at the lower half of the right side
— is freely tunable over the entire range, divided over four frequency bands.
The desired modulation is selected with the
Receiver Mode Selector at the right. For the
reception of CW and SSB signals, a Beat Frequency Oscillator (BFO)
is present. At the center is a film scale with adjustable centre point,
used in combination with the tuning knob.
The transmitter — at the upper half of the right side
— is crystal controlled and has four bands. The frequency is controlled by the
crystal that is installed on the front panel,
or by the selected crystal of the
AU-100 crystal selector (not shown here).
Alternatively, the frequency can be set with the
OS-100 synthesizer, which is
installed here in the expansion slot
at the top left.
The transmitter is suitable for CW only. Messages in
morse code can be sent with the
built-in morse key at the centre of the front
panel, or with an external key connected to the 3 mm socket to its left.
Alternatively, messages can be sent as a burst,
using the CK-100 coder/keyer set, which is basically a design
variant of the CIA's CK-8 burst equipment.
The CK-100 is stowed under the large lid
at the centre left. The actual keyer is
fitted permanently inside the device.
|
HG Hand generator HG/BATT Internal battery or hand generator PS-100 External PSU CHG Charge internal battery
|
OFF Device powered off RCVR Receiver on XMTR/RCVR Transmitter and receiver on
|
In 1963 it was decided that the
US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA,
later: DARPA) would jointly develop an integrated radio set
for long-range paramilitary operations, as both services had similar
requirements. Intended as a replacement for the
ageing modular RS-1 radio set it would be an all-in-one
solution for CW (morse code) only, with a
built-in medium speed burst keyer, similar
to the CK-8 (AN/GRA-71).
Procurement of the RS-100 started on 9 September 1963, with a projected
release date of 31 March 1965 and an initial budget of USD 910,701 [7].
It seems likely that the development order was awarded to Sylvania in
Mountain View (California, USA).
For this price, Sylvania had to deliver 1 engineering model and
10 operational service test models, the first 8 of which were delivered
in October 1964.
On 24 December 1964, the CIA ordered 10 extra units for USD 207,344.
During an inspection trip to Sylvania on 18 December 1964, it became clear that
the budget had been exceeded by USD 116,386, which was within expectation.
[7]. Eight of the ten test units had already been delivered and the rest
were to follow soon. It became clear that CIA did not find
the transmitter part good enough. It was decided to ask AVCO Corporation
of Cininnati (Ohio) – who had just developed the 20 Watt RT-66 HF transmitter –
to develop a similar one for the RS-100 which did
not need a DC-DC converter [8].
A prototype RS-100 was given to AVCO for testing.
At a meeting on 10 March 1965, AVCO's newly developed 20W transmitter
was announced. Furthermore, the final procurement of the
RS-100 was discussed. The product was as good as finished, but the CIA
expressed the view that the RS-100 had become too large and heavy,
and that sets like RS-48 and RS-69 (Delco 5300,
AN/PRC-64),
were preferred. In addition, ARPA stated that the set had been tested
by the Combat Development Command, but that they were only marginally
interested, and that Special Forces wanted to wait for the new AN/PRC-70 [10].
During the next meeting, on 15 July 1965, CIA notified the board that their
requirements had meanwhile changed and that they were now more interested
in a smaller radio set, and that they were prepared to drop the 300 wpm burst
keyer in favour of voice capability. The RS-101, which had
recently been proposed as another possible successor to the RS-1 was
considered more suitable.
It was therefore decided to stop the RS-100 procurement and use the
allocated resources for development of the RS-101.
With this decision, the CIA pulled out of the project, allowing ARPA
to continue procurement on its own if they so desired. Given the limited interest
from the US Armed Forces however, it seems unlikely that further RS-100
sets were produced.
Parts of the RS-100 project were carried over to the new RS-101,
such as the OS-100 frequency sythesizer, which became the
OS/B-100 [12].
The development of add-ons by other suppliers, such as the
HG-100 hand generator, carried on for several more months,
until they were also stopped or merged into the
RS-101 project [13].
The knowledge from the RS-100 and RS-101 projects was
reused a couple of years later, in 1970, in the development of the
similar TAR-224.
|
The RS-100 is a fully self-contained HF radio transceiver.
It can be operated from a built-in rechargable battery and even has
a built-in morse key and burst encoder/keyer. It only requires the
connection of a suitable antenna and counter poise.
The receiver can be freely adjusted, whilst the transmitter is
controlled by a quartz crystal that is installed on the control panel
or in the crystal selector. Alternatively, a synthesizer
can be installed instead of the crystal selector.
|
|
|
If the radio has to be operated on a series of predetermined fixed
frequecies, a crystal selector could be installed in slot in the
upper left corner of the control panel. This Auxiliary Unit can hold
up to 40 crystals, arranged as four banks with ten
HC-6/U crystals each.
When this option is present, the XTAL selector
has to be set to the OS-100/AU-100 position.
➤ Crystal shapes
|
|
|
If it is necessary to choose the transmission frequency more
freely, the AU-100 crystal selector could also be replaced by
the OS-100 frequency synthesizer. It allows any frequency
between 2.000 and 11.999 MHz to be selected in 1 kHz steps.
When this option is present, the XTAL selector
has to be set to the OS-100/AU-100 position.
|
|
|
The radio was supplied with a PS-100 power supply unit (PSU),
that allows it to be powered directly from the AC mains.
The PSU was also used to charge the radio's internal battery.
The PSU should be connected to the uncommon 7-pin receptacle
at the bottom left corner of the control panel. If anyone knows what
kind of connector this is, please let us know.
The PS-100 is missing from the RS-100 in our collection and no image
is currently available.
|
|
|
|
|
Handcranked generator
HG-100
|
|
|
For use in remote or rural areas where the mains power network
is not available, the HG-100 hand generator was used. It can be
connected to the connector at the front left of the control panel
and can be used to power the RS-100 and charge the internal battery.
The HG-100 delivers 75W of power.
The HG-100 is missing from the RS-100 in our collection and no image
is currently available.
|
|
|
The keyer of the CK-100 is a design variant of the
KE/M-8 motor-operated keyer, shown in the image on the right.
Painted green, it is fitted permanently inside the coder
compartment of the RS-100 and
operated by two toggle switches
in the bttom left corner of the compartment.
Messages, recorded on a CA-3 magnetic tape by means
of the CO-8 coder, can be played back on the keyer
at a speed of 300 wpm. This minimises the on-air time and,
hence, the risk of detection and discovery
by means of RDF.
➤ More information
|
|
|
|
The RS-100 in housed in a ruggedised die-cast aluminium enclosure
that comprises a front panel – to which all internal parts are
mounted – and a case shell. The case shell provides a watertight
environment for the internal parts, but also serves as a heatsink
for the power circuit and the transmitter's power amplifier (PA).
For this reason, the 'hot' parts are covered with a silicone
heat-conductive paste, to provide thermal contact with the
integrated heatsinks of the case shell.
|
To access the interior of the radio set, 10 hex bolts must be removed
from the edges of the front panel, 11 regular screws from the rear, and
2 from the side. This allows the case shell to be removed, after which
the interior is exposed.
The receiver is a compact unit which is very similar to the receiver
of the later TAR-224 CIA radio set. It consists of various
circuits that are separated by metal shields. The transmitter
has a different construction and consists of various compartmented
circuits that are bolted together.
The PA transistor is located in
the far corner.
|
|
|
|
The image above shows part of the transmitter circuitry, most of which
is built around Motorola power transistors. It is uncertain whether the
one shown here is the original one developed by Sylvania, or
the replacement developed by AVCO between December 1964 and March
1965 [10].
|
|
For connection of the external PS-100 power supply unit (missing here),
an uncommon type of military connector is used.
Furthermore, the pin-assignment and the wiring of this connection is
currently unknown. If you have additional information, please
contact us.
|
Device Spy radio set Purpose Paramilitary operations Model RS-100 Manufacturer Sylvania (parts by AVCO) User CIA, ARPA Country USA Year 1964 Predecessor RS-1 Successor RS-101 Dimensions 340 x 250 x 150 mm Weight 7900 g (with synthesizer fitted, without batteries) Quantity 21
|
Frequency 2 - 24 MHz Bands 4 (see below) Modulation CW Morse key Internal, external, burst Burst 300 wpm Output 20 Watt Operation Crystal or synthesizer (plug-in)
|
Frequency 2 - 24 MHz Bands 4 (see below) Modulation CW, AM, SSB Output Headphones, earpiece
|
- 2 - 3.7 MHz
- 3.7 - 6.9 MHz
- 6.9 - 12.9 MHz
- 12.9 - 24 MHz
|
0007 Crypto Museum (Netherlands)
|
- Nico van Dongen, RS-100 radio set - THANKS !
Crypto Museum, April 2023.
- Pete McCollum, Other CIA radio sets
Visited 20 April 2023.
- Equipment Board Minutes
CIA, 4 March 1964. SECRET
- Contract 151, Task Order 12. Trip Report - CK-100 with ...
CIA, 9 November 1964.
- Trip Report - HG-100 with ...
CIA, 20 November 1964.
- Research & Development Branch, Monthly Report
CIA, November 1964.
- Contract 924, Task Order 7. Trip Report RS-100
CIA, 30 December 1964.
- Research & Development Branch, Monthly Report
CIA, December 1964.
- Research & Development Branch, External Projects Section
CIA, December 1964.
- Agenda Equipment Board, Meeting No. 2-65 (and minutes)
CIA, 10 March 1965.
- Agenda Equipment Board, Meeting No. 5-65 (and minutes)
CIA, 15 July 1965.
- Inspection Report No. 6 - AS/A-8 and OS/B-100 with ...
CIA, 8 September 1965.
- Inspection Report No. 5 - HG-100 with ...
CIA, 20 September 1965.
- Wikipedia, DARPA
Visited 23 April 2023.
|
|
|
|
Any links shown in red are currently unavailable.
If you like the information on this website, why not make a donation?
© Crypto Museum. Last changed: Saturday, 13 January 2024 - 15:06 CET.
|
|
|
|
|
