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← USSR Cold War SF
Russian spy radio set · 1993
Severok-K was a Short Wave (SW) spy radio set
developed around 1993 in the former
Soviet Union (USSR).
The radio covers a non-contiguous frequency range from 2.8 to 7.2 MHz,
divided into 11 bands that each cover a 100 kHz segment in 1 kHz steps.
It came in two variants – brown for use by Special Forces (SF) and grey
for other purposes 1 – and was intended for secure USB
voice 2 transmissions. It was supplied with a
DKM-S burst encoder for
high speed morse transmissions.
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The transceiver operates on a limited number of frequencies,
that can be set by a combination of a plug-in module and two
thumbwheels along the top-edge of the front panel of the main unit.
It also features a pluggable speech scrambler. 2
The image on the right shows the control panel of this rather small radio.
All text is in English and the case is finished in grey hammer paint,
suggesting its application for international (espionage) purposes.
The transceiver was also available in the typical military 'sand' colour,
which was used by the Soviet Special Forces (SF).
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The use of plug-in modules for the various frequency bands was common
on early Cold War spy radio sets, such as the R-350
and the R-350M, but was later dropped as they
became integrated with the radio.
A good example is the contemporary R-394KM.
It is therefore rather strange that the Severok-K is built with
this old and depricated technology, despite the fact that it is digital.
Although the Severok-K is a small radio that can be carried on the body,
it is a multi-box solution that feels rather clumsy next to the all-digital
R-394KM, that was introduced several
years earlier, in 1984. Apparently there was no cooperation between the
factories that developed the radios.
It illustrates the desperate and unguided attempts
of the factories to survive in the post-Soviet era.
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In particular units of the armed forces of the Soviet
Ministry of the Interior [2].
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The secure voice module (Block S) is only present on the Severok-KM.
On the Severok-K it is replaced by a dummy unit (Block S terminator).
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The Severok-K is supplied in a large wooden box that contains the radio,
a large metal box with the smaller accessories, the antennas, the batteries,
a battery charger, documentation, etc.
The image on the right shows the water-tight metal container that holds the
smaller items.
It is similar to the case of the R-394KM radio.
The images below give a good impression of the number of acessories that was
supplied. Each item is described in more detail below.
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All parts are connected via wires, making the total setup rather cumbersome
and clumsy. Special carrying pouches can be used to allow the radio
and its many accessories to carried on the body.
This was probably standard issue with the Russian Special Forces (SF).
The image on the right shows the control panel of the radio. It has three
sockets (for power, antenna and microphone) and a range of
thumb-wheel selectors. Frequency setting is at the top right (x10 and x1).
At the center is the CODE switch that enables encrypted speech mode.
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The Severok-K is supplied with 11 frequency plug-in units, allowing the
radio to be operated on 11 non-contiguous frequency segments.
One plug-in is normally installed at the
side of the radio, whilst the
remaining 10 units are stored
inside the metal storage container,
or are carried around the waist, each in its own cloth pouch.
At the bottom of each plug-in unit is a row of
24 contacts (2 x 12) through which it is connected with the radio.
The plug-in can be swapped whilst the radio
remains inside its pouch.
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Like with most other Russian spy radios, text messages are usually pre-coded
using some kind of manual encryption
or One-Time Pad (OTP) and then sent at
hight speed (burst) in order to avoid detection and
Direction Finding.
Severok-K came with the very small leight-weight fully digital burst encoder
shown in the image on the right. It consists of a small aluminium box with a
keypad and a 5-digit display and should be connected between the microphone and
the transmitter.
➤ More about the DKM-S
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Severok-K was supplied with a rather strange combination of microphone
and headset (speaker), similar to the outfit used in a (Russian) tank.
It came as a complete assembly that was connected to the radio with a single
connector.
The headset is of the usual Russian (tank) type and is connected directly to
the top of the microphone,
with an in-line potentiometer
for volume adjustment.
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When operating the Severok-K in, say, a room with multiple people,
the receiver's output could be amplified to a more appropriate level.
A separate amplifier with built-in speaker was available for this purpose.
The image on the right shows the speaker-amplifier unit. It should be
connected between the microphone and the Severok-K and obtains its power
from the radio. As the microphone-headset can still be connected,
the amplifier can be switched off without loosing audio.
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Severok-K comes with a rather strange black block, called Block-S,
that can be attached to the bottom of the radio.
Apparently, this is some kind of voice scrambler or speech encryption unit.
The block is completely sealed and has only one 8-pin connector and a
serial number.
In the accompanying documentation, it is called Block-S Terminator.
The 'S' probably stands for Секретно (secret).
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A tiny black plastic box
was supplied with
five spare fuses and five spare light bulbs.
The latter are purpose-built and are extremely rare.
The image on the right shows a close-up of such a light bulb and a
typical Russian fuse, which is smaller than western fuses.
More detailed images below.
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In the field, the Severok-K was usually powered by an external battery
belt that could be worn around the waist of the operator. The battery belt
is of a typical Russian military type and contains a number of wet batteries
that are filled with (separately supplied) liquid.
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The image on the right shows a typical battery belt as it was supplied with
the Severok-K. It is similar to the battery belts that were supplied with
earlier Russian spy radio sets, such as the R-394K
and the R-394KM.
At one end of the belt is a standard 4-pin military connector that should
be connected to the equipment. As the connector is too large to fit the
Severok-K, and because the Severok-K does not have a power switch (i.e. it
can not be turned off) a separate filter block
was used to connect the radio to the battery belt.
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The belt consists of two halfs, each of which contains 5 wet battery cells.
As each cell produces 1.2V, the total voltage delivered by the belt is 12V.
The batteries can be charged by any 13.5V source, such as the battery charger
below.
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The above battery belt can be charged directly from the mains by using the
supplied battery charger shown in the image on the right.
It is suitable for connection to either 220V or 110V mains networks.
The cable with the mains plug is stored inside the top lid.
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In order to carry the Severok-K and its many accessories around, a series
of cheap-looking (probably home-made) carrying pouches was supplied.
One pouch was used for carrying the Severok-K radio itself, in such
a way that it could be connected and operated whilst in the pouch.
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The pouches were made of several different fabrics and the interior was
finished with some kind of flower-pattern design, probably left-overs from
some sewing production facility.
The image on the right shows the Severok-K receiver packed in its own
pouch, together with the folded wire-antenna. A flap on the side of the
pouch gives access to the frequency plug-in,
allowing it to be swapped without removing the radio.
The DKM-S Burst Encoder was stored in its own pouch that could be
attached to the waist belt of the radio operator.
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For each frequency plug-in unit, an individual pouch was available.
It has a smally leather strap at the rear, allowing it to be carried on the
waist belt of the operator. The frequency of each plug-in is printed on the
flap of the pouch, so that it is immediately clear which plug-in is stored
where. The flap of the pouches of our Severok-K plug-ins could not be closed
as the pouches has been stiched incorrectly. A small modification was
necessary before they would fit, indicating that our set was probably never
used in action.
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A brand new Severok-K radio was usually supplied from the depot
with a full set of documentation, consisting of the following:
- Severok-K Technical Description and User Manual
- Blok-S maintenance booklet
- Battery maintenance booklet
- DKM-S maintenance booklet (passport)
- Speaker/Amplifier maintenance booklet
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Device Modular spy radio set Manufacturer Sarapul Radio Plant (Republic of Udmurtia) Year 1993 Purpose Short range communication Users Special Forces, Agents Power 12.6V Current 100 mA (RX), 5 A (TX) Modulation USB, CW (A1) Frequency 2.8 - 7.4 MHz divided over 12 segments of 100 kHz each Segment 100 kHz Step 1 kHz Range 30 km (whip antenna), 200 km (wire antenna) Antenna 50 Ohm Temperature -2°C — +50°C Dimensions 220 x 115 x 56 mm Weight 1350 gram
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Output 10 W Carrier supp. ≥ 34dB Mic. input ≤ 20 mV
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Type Double frequency conversion superheterodyne Sensitivity ≤ 5 µV at 10dB S/N Selectivity ≥ 34dB Audio 300 Hz — 3 kHz Output 4 mW into 150 Ohm
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- 2.8 MHz
- 3.3 MHz
- 3.8 MHz
- 4.2 MHz
- 4.7 MHz
- 4.9 MHz
- 5.2 MHz
- 5.7 MHz
- 6.1 MHz
- 6.7 MHz
- 7.3 MHz
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Saturday 12 February 2011. Last changed: Sunday, 15 May 2022 - 06:29 CET.
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