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Intercept Receivers
Technical Surveillance and Counter Measures

This page shows some equipment that was used during or after WWII to find clandestine radio stations and intercept enemy radio traffic. Click any of the images for a full description of each device. Please note that the list is my no means complete. If you have any further information to offer, or better even: if you have surplus equipment available for the Crypto Museum, please contact us.

Also note that the title 'Intercept Receivers' doesn't always work, but we just couldn't find a better name for it. This chapter includes equipment to track down clandestine radio stations, intercept spy communication (spy sets and surveillance radios) and find bugs. A common name for the latter is TSCM (Technical Surveillance and Counter Measures).

 Index of intercept receivers
 
Direction Finders
Filin Filin Sinitsa Sinitsa Soyka Soyka Wilhelm Quante Telefunken PE-484 RZ-301 RZ-301

TSCM Equipment
Mason Mason Scanlock Scanlock Dutch Kolibrie

 
Filin (USSR)
This small body-wearable receiver was built by the Russians during the cold war. It was used to track down the clandestine (spy) stations of their enemies and to intercept communication between foreign agents. It is curve-shaped so that it can be worn on the chest, concealed under the clothing. At least three versions are known to exist, each with their own frequency range.

 More information
  

 
Sinitsa (USSR)
This is a beautiful Russian body-wearable intercept receiver that was used during the cold war to track down the enemy's clandestine radio stations and to intercept communication between agents. The receiver comes in an inconspcious suitcase with 13 plug-in units and several accessories to cover the entire frequency range from 1 MHz to 1 GHZ.

 More information
  

 
Soyka (USSR)
This is a Russian wide-range body-wearable intercept receiver that was used to track down clandestine radio stations and to intercept communication between agents. The complete set is packed into a small suitcase and comes with a range of plug-in coils to cover a wide frequency range. Two special coils are available to convert the unit into a non-selective receiver, allowing an entire frequency band to be monitored at once.

 More information
  
Soyka with 2 additional frequency plug-in units

 
Wilhelm Quante StSG 52
(Germany)
This German-built portable direction finding receiver was used in the Netherlands in the early 60s to track down clandestine radio stations and foreign secret agents. The receiver is housed in a wooden case, so that the internal window-antenna can be used. It is operated by a trigger-switch hidden under the carrying handle.

 More information
  

 
Telefunken PE-484
The PE-484 was a body-wearable miniature direction finder (Kleinstpeilemfänger) introduced around 1958 by Telefunken in Germany. It could be hidden inconspicuously under the operator's clothing and was intended for tracking down clandestine radio stations. In some countries, the PE-484 was used until the early 1980s.

 More information
  
PE-484/3 receiver

 
RZ-301 (CZ)
This is a rare short-wave direction finder built in Chechoslowakia. It comes with four plug-in modules that can be inserted at the bottom of the unit. Each plug-in unit covers a specific frequency range.

 More information
  

 
Mason
Mason was a manufacturer of TSCM equipment in the USA. Between 1960 and 1990, Mason developed a wide range of modular portable bug-finding receivers, including the so-called Mini Probe Receivers.

Mason equipment was widely used by government organisations world-wide and the latest models are still in use today.

 More information
  

 
Scanlock
Scanlock is a series of TSCM receivers developed by Audiotel in the UK. Audiotel have been developing and manufacturing bug-finders since the early 1970s and they are still in business today.

 More information
  

 
Kolibrie
Kolibrie (hummingbird) was a car phone intercept receiver developed by the Police Signals Service in The Netherlands in the early 1990s. It was intended for intercepting criminal conversations on the early analogue car phone networks.

 More information
  
Front panel of the Kolibri

 
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