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← CZ Cold War Sirius 3 →
Clandestine spy radio station
SIRIUS, or SIRIUS I, was a modular
spy radio set,
developed and built in Czechoslovakia
between 1958 and 1962 by Správa 6 1 for the
secret state police (StB)
and Sprava 1 (espionage). It was the successor to the
PLUTO spy radio set and was mainly deployed
for clandestine operations in West European countries.
The set is also known as AB, the transmitter's model number suffix.
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Development of the SIRIUS spy radio station started in 1958,
a few years after the lauch of the PLUTO station,
and it should be no surprise that it was inspired on the American
RS-6 spy radio set.
was introduced. The first set was delivered in 1962.
It is currently unknown how many SIRIUS stations were manufactured,
but it is possible that the one shown here is the only surviving one.
SIRIUS was succeeded in 1966 by SIRIUS III
and possibly before this by the SIRIUS II radio set.
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Správa 6 refers to Government Department 6: Communication Technology.
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In this context, a group consists of 5 numerical digits (0-9).
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The transmitter is known as TI-466AB or just AB and is the largest
module of the SIRIUS radio station. Contrary to the other modules,
which are plainted grey hammerite, the AB is black.
The transmitter is free-running and has a built-in crystal calibrator.
It also has a built-in mains PSU that is used to power the
receiver as well. The TI-466AB delivers an output power of 80W.
➤ More information
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SIRIUS did not come with its own receiver.
Instead the small valve-based
TI-462 receiver of its predecessor PLUTO was supplied with the set.
It is powered directly from the transmitter, which
has an appropriate DIN socket at the left rear.
As the SIRIUS spy set came with a high-speed morse burst encoder,
the built-in automatic morse keyer of the TI-462 was no longer
needed and is therefore omitted from the TI-462 A.
➤ More information
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With the SIRIUS spy radio set, high-speed morse
burst transmissions
were introduced to the
Czechoslovakian spy scene
by means of the TI-485 recorder
shown here.
It allows pre-recorded numbers (0-9)
to be played back at high speed.
Two versions of the TI-485 are known to have existed,
the first one being called DÁVAČ
(keyer) and a later one known as MĚSIC
(moon), with the one shown here being the later one.
➤ More information
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Accessory box
TI-466 P - wanted
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A small metal box was supplied with the set. It contained all
accessories, such as earphones, crystal(s), wire
antennas, voltage checker, etc.
As the accessory box has the same dimensions as the
PLUTO receiver,
it is probably identical to the one that was supplied
with that set.
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For transport and storage, the complete SIRIUS set was usually stored
insed the wooden box shown here. The transmitter is stored in the lower
half of the case, whilst the receiver, the accessory box and the
burst encoder are fitted inside the top half of the case.
Together, the size of the three parts shown at the front, matches
the size of the transmitter. Click for a close-up.
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The order to check whether the mains voltage is present and to determine
its average voltage, a small mains checker in the shape of a universal
mains plug was supplied. One of its sides is transparent allowing the
operator to watch the internal neon lamp (closest to the contact pins).
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As the TI-466 AB transmitter is free-running (i.e. it can be
adjusted to any frequency in the 4-16 MHz range), it does not
require crystals for its operation. In order to calibrate the
frequency scale however, an internal calibrator was used.
The internal calibrator needs an external crystal with a
frequency around 120 kHz. Examples of such crystals are shown
on the right.
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The SIRIUS spy radio set was supplied with two earpieces:
one for the PLUTO receiver (shown here) and a similar one
for the calibration circuit of the transmitter. The latter
had a slightly different connector.
Earphones of this type were rather common in those days,
as they were also used with the hearing aids of the era.
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A short cable was supplied for connecting the burst encoder to
the transmitter. The burst encoder was usually placed in front
of the transmitter, which is why this cable was so short.
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This power cable was used to connect the TI-466 AB transmitter
to the mains AC network. By using a slimline plug with just two
pins, it will fit most of the common wall sockets in Europe.
The power supply unit (PSU) of the TI-466 AB could be adjusted
for a variety of mains voltages, making it possible to operate
the radio virtually anywhere in the world.
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The SIRIUS radio station was supplied with the 9.6 metre wind-up
antenna shown here. It is very similar to the ones used with
West European spy radio sets, such as the
German SP-15 and the
British Mk-123.
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The SIRIUS spy radio station was used by secret agents and spies for sending
(coded) messages to their control at the Czechoslovakian headquarters (HQ).
At the receiving end (i.e. at HQ), the high-speed morse burst transmissions
were recorded onto tape and then played back at normal speed, so that they
could be written out again. At HQ, the following setup was used for reception:
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UPA was a so-called pulse shaper that was one of the most important
parts of the SIRIUS reception station in Czechoslovakia. It re-shaped the
rather noisy CW tones from the HF receiver, so that they could be written
to a paper tape by means of a HELL undulator (morse writer).
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Tape recorder
Javornik TI-447
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JAVORNIK was a standard tape recorder/player, made by the Czechoslovakian
manufacturer Tesla.
Two different tape machines were used in the reception
centre: one for recording the high-speed coded morse signals (at high speed)
and one for playing them back at normal speed. The signal was then printed
onto a paper strip by means of a HELL morse writer (undulator).
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Part
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Designator
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Description
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Dimensions
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Weight
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Sirius AB
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TI-466 AB
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Transmitter
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271 x 150 x 70 mm
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4.20 kg
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Sirius D
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TI-485
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Burst encoder
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190 x 72 x 50 mm
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1.40 kg
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Sirius P
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TI-466 P
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Accessory box
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190 x 100 x 50 mm
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0.95 kg
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PLUTO
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TI-462 A
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Receiver
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190 x 100 x 50 mm
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1.27 kg
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Case
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Carrying case
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295 x 215 x 136 mm
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1.85 kg
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Total
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295 x 215 x 136 mm
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9.67 kg
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Transmitter 4-16 MHz (VFO) Outut power 80 W Range 1000-2000 km Area West Europa Receiver (PLUTO) 2-8 MHz and 4-16 MHz (VFO)
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- SIRIUS
- SIRIUS I
- TI-466AB
- TI-466AB 1
- AB
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- Anonymous, SIRIUS spy radio set - THANKS!
Devices kindly donated by anonymous former user. July 2015.
- Detlev Vreisleben, Photographs of accessory box
Germany, 10 February 2005. Received August 2015.
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Friday 31 July 2015. Last changed: Tuesday, 13 December 2022 - 10:26 CET.
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![Pluto accessory box. Photograph copyright Detlev Vreisleben [2].](../pluto/img/pluto_acc_1.jpg)
