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Russian spy radio set (Swift)
The R-394KM was the last Russian spy radio set before the fall of the
Iron Curtain in 1989. It was developed in Russia and was used during
the final stages of the Cold War by the countries of the Warsaw Pact.
The device if fully electronic and features a digital messaging system
and digital frequency readout.
It was used by agents abroad as well as by Special Forces and was available
with Russian or English text on its front panel.
This radio station is also known by its Russian code name Strizh
which means Swift.
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The complete radio, except for the batteries, is housed in a small
water-tight case that can be carried on the back. For that, the rear
of the radio is padded with some soft material. A canvas pocket at
the right side contains the antennas.
The interior of the case is painted in the usual grey hammerite,
whilst the exterior of the case is in the common
Russian army sand colour.
The lid contains a screwdriver and a small work light that can be inserted
into a socket at the top edge of the radio, to the right of the fuse.
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In older versions of this radio, some additional accessories, such as the
headphones, are also stored inside the top lid. In the version shown here
(released in July 1988), these accessories are supplied separately.
The radio is completely mounted inside the carrying case, and consists
of 4 major blocks. From left to right: the spare parts storage compartment,
the receiver (RX), the digital storage unit (DSU) and the transmitter (TX).
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The spares compartment contains some lamps, fuses, etc. (see below for a
full description). The receiver (RX) and transmitter (TX) are pretty straight
forward in operation, but the Digital Storage Unit (DSU) is slightly more
complex. TX and RX frequencies can be set individually from the DSU.
Any pre-coded messages are stored in the DSU's memory and can be transmitted
at will.
Three displays are present at the center of the DSU: one for displaying the
coded message (in groups of 5 digits), one for the RX frequency and one for
the TX frequency. The currently set frequencies can be checked by pressing
the corresponding CHECK key
(K).
The CLEAR button
(C) is used to clear the
display prior to entering a new setting.
Please note that RX and TX each have their own CLEAR and CHECK buttons.
Just above the displays is a table with frequency ranges and the corresponding
settings for the RX preselector and the TX antenna matcher. Fine tuning is
done separately by following the procedure described in the user manual.
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A new R-94KM radio station was usually supplied in a large wooden box,
complete with a set of accessories and manuals. Apart from the radio, the
box contained batteries, a battery charger, a hand-operated power generator,
antenna, telescopic mast, etc.
Below, some of the supplied items are described further.
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By default, the radio is powered from a set of batteries, mounted together
in a canvas belt with suitable webbing. The belt consists of two sets of
five cells each (one set on either side). As each cell produces 1.2V, the
total voltage delivered by the belt is 12V.
The battery belt can be charged with any 13.5V power source, such as the
mains battery charger below.
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The above battery belt can be recharged with the mains power supply unit
shown here. The PSU is suitable for connection to either 220V (as depicted
here) or 110V mains networks. The mains plug is stored inside the top lid.
The charger can be connected to the battery belt by using the supplied
4-pin Power cable (see further down).
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If no mains power is available, the battery can also be charged using a small
crank-operated power generator. Charging the batteries is not an easy task and
takes several hours, for just a few minutes of operation.
The generator is normally stored inside a carrying case with a canvas strap.
The connection cables are stored inside the top lid of the case.
New generators were generally supplied in grease paper, stored inside in a green
wooden box, together with a checklist and instructions.
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This cable should be used to connect the R-394KM to a suitable power
source such as the 12V battery belt (see above).
The cable is about 1 meter long and has a standard 4-female plug at
one end and a matching male connector at the other end.
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This cable is used to connect the R-394KM directly to an external power
source, such as a car battery.
One end of the cable contains the standard
4-pin female power plug that goes straight into the power socket of the
radio. The other end of the cable contains two clamps. The red wire is the
positive (+) terminal and the blue wire is the negative (-) one.
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Almost any type of headset can be used with the R-394KM.
In most cases, a common USSR military headset was supplied, with rubber ear
pads and elastic head bands. Such headsets are commonly used with military
radio sets in tanks etc. Headsets are connected to the two-pin socket on
the left of the front panel of the radio.
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The antenna is usually stored inside a cavas packet to the right of the radio.
Depending on the way the radio is used, a second antenna might be needed as a
counterpoise. The second antenna (see the images below) can be stored in the same
pocket.
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In order to setup the antenna as required, a light-weight telescopic glass
fibre mast is supplied. It allows the antenna wire to be mounted free from
obstacles and the earth. A ground pin is supplied to prevent the mast from
sliding away.
The mast and the ground pin are stored inside a canvas bag that can be strapped
to the radio or the canvas raincoat (see below).
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The radio is already painted in the usual Russian 'sand colour'
camouflage tint and has suitable padding at the bottom to allow the radio
to be carried on the back of the radio operator.
The lid of the unit is firmly closed with clamps and a gasket, to protect
the radio against dirt and water. Further camouflage is possible by fitting the
canvas raincoat shown on the right.
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A set of spare parts is supplied with each R-394KM radio station.
Usually, these spares are stored in the special spares compartment
of the radio itself, hidden behind the leftmost panel.
The spares compartments contains a variety of fuses, lamps, bolts, etc.
as detailed in the checklist.
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A complete R-394KM radio station comes with an an extensive set of
documents that are usually stored inside the large wooden storage box.
The documents include the operator's manual and full circuit diagrams
of the analog and digital parts. Some of the books are marked 'Secret'.
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The following documents were supplied:
- Checklist
- R-394KM Operating Manual
- R-394KM Technical Description (analog)
- R-394KM Technical Description (digital)
- R-394KM Maintenance Book
- Battery Technical Instructions (2x)
- Battery Maintenance Book (2x)
Below are some close-ups of the various books and the checklist.
Two of the black books are marked 'Secret' in the top right corner.
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