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Telefunken
Telefunken, also known as AEG Telefunken, was large German manufacturer of electronic equip­ment, with its headquarters in Ulm (Germany) and subsidiaries is several other parts of the country. The company was founded in 1903 as a joint venture between Siemens & Halske and AEG, and was active in many fields, ranging from domestic appliances to high-end radio equip­ment for the Department of Defense (DoD). Today, Telefunken exists in name only.

➤ More about Telefunken

It is little known that AEG Telefunken also produced a range of covert listening devices (bugs) and hybrid building blocks (modules) to create such devices, for use by intelligence services and law enforcement agencies. The devices could be used to overhear conversations in a room (bug), or to follow persons or goods (tracking beacon). The devices and building blocks were listed in a con­fidential catalogue that was issued in April 1980.

Telefunken bugs on this website
Distress transmitter disguised as a wristwatch
ABU
Minisender-Programm
A confidential AEG Telefunken catalogue, issued in April 1980 [A], provides descriptions and tech­nical details about a range of miniature transmitters that were aimed at the intelligence and law enforcement community. The transmitters were all built from standard building blocks that are listed here. The following miniature transmitters are presented in the catalogue:

Modules
For the construction of listening devices (bugs) and tracking beacons, Telefunken developed a series of pe-assembled building blocks (modules) that could be combined into covert trans­mit­ters for a wide range of applications. All modules consist of a semi-circular printed circuit board (PCB) of 36.5 × 21.5 × 7 mm. It was available a 'naked' PCB or as a cast hybrid complete with mounting holes and contact pins. The following building blocks are listed in the catalogue [A]:

ModelGermanEnglishPowerOutputFrequency
QO 3/2-3QuarzoszillatorQuartz oscillator2.8 V12 mW155-175 MHz
QO 3/2-6QuarzoszillatorQuartz oscillator5.6 V50 mW155-175 MHz
QO 3/2-9QuarzoszillatorQuartz oscillator8.4 V80 mW155-175 MHz
QO 3/10-3QuarzoszillatorQuartz oscillator2.8 V12 mW35-37 MHz
QO 3/10-6QuarzoszillatorQuartz oscillator5.6 V50 mW35-37 MHz
QO 3/10-9QuarzoszillatorQuartz oscillator8.4 V80 mW35-37 MHz
LS 3/2-9LeistungsstufePower amplifier8.4 V1W155-175 MHz
LS 3/10-9LeistungsstufePower amplifier8.4 V1W35-37 MHz
TG 3-9TaktgeneratorClock generator3-10 V 1700 Hz
RS 3RüttelschalterTilt switch      
MV 3-3MikrofonverstärkerMicrophone amplifier3 V    
EA 3-9EinschaltautomatikAutomatic switch3 V    
Model numbers
Each module has a unique model number that describes its function (e.g. 'QO') and the series ('3'), optionally followed by the frequency band (e.g. '/2') and/or the nominal voltage (e.g. '-3').



Documentation
  1. Minisender-Programm
    Confidential catalogue of miniature (spy) transmitters (German).
    N13 V53. AEG Telefunken, Ulm (Germany) 1980. VS-NfD.

  2. Bausteine, Geschäftsbereich Hochfrequenztechnik
    N 139.114.0. AEG Telefunken, April 1980.
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