{"id":24455,"date":"2017-03-05T08:03:21","date_gmt":"2017-03-05T12:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=24455"},"modified":"2017-03-05T08:03:21","modified_gmt":"2017-03-05T12:03:21","slug":"the-tar-224-cia-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/the-tar-224-cia-radio\/","title":{"rendered":"The TAR-224 CIA Radio"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, @K7al_L3afta<\/a>, who suggested I post photos of the TAR-224 Radio. Obviously, he knows I’m a fan of this sort of\u00a0rig!<\/p>\n

He discovered the TAR-224 on the excellent CIA online museum<\/a> where they give a brief description of the unit:<\/p>\n

A compact, high-frequency, paramilitary transceiver, the TAR-224 enabled communications with field agents operating behind enemy lines. It saw service in Vietnam as well as during Operation EAGLE CLAW.<\/p>\n

31 cm x 18.3 cm x 12 cm
\n(L x W x H)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A much better description of the TAR-224 can be found at the CryptoMuseum<\/a>:<\/p>\n

TAR-224 was a very compact, self-contained spy radio station, developed by AVCO Corporation in Cincinnati (Ohio, USA) around 1970 for the CIA. It was intended for communication with field agents operating behind enemy lines, and can be seen as a successor to the ageing GRC-109 (RS-1) of the 1950s. It was used for many years until it was phased out in the late 1980s.<\/p>\n

The entire unit is completely waterproof, with all switches and controls at the front panel properly sealed, allowing the radio to be stored under harsh conditions for an extended period of time. A plastic lid can be placed over the controls to protect them against dust and dirt. It is held in place by three metal latches at the edges.<\/p>\n

[…]The radio coverages all frequencies between 2 and 24MHz. The receiver has a Variable Frequency Oscillator (VFO), allowing continuous tuning of all 4 frequency bands, whereas the transmitter is crystal operated. The unit can be powered by an external 12V source that is connected to a 3-pin socket at the front left, or by a special 12V battery pack that is installed behind a watertight panel at the front left. A plastic grip, at the left of the radio, allows the unit to be carried around easily.<\/p>\n

[…]Most TAR-224 units were used by the CIA on special (overseas) missions, but the radios were also used by intelligence services in Europe. It is known to be used on a mission in Angola in 1975. According to CIA communication specialist Teddy Roberts, the TAR-224 was still being used in operational context in 1983, when he trained a unit of US Army Green Barets on its use.<\/p>\n

Continue reading…<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Evidently, the TAR-224 is quite rare and I was not aware of it.\u00a0Thanks for sharing,\u00a0@K7al_L3afta<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, @K7al_L3afta, who suggested I post photos of the TAR-224 Radio. Obviously, he knows I’m a fan of this sort of\u00a0rig! He discovered the TAR-224 on the excellent CIA online museum where they give a brief description of the unit: A compact, high-frequency, paramilitary transceiver, the TAR-224 enabled communications with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,288,26,43],"tags":[3553,5007,6012,6011],"class_list":["post-24455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-radio-history","category-radios","category-shortwave-radio","tag-k7al_l3afta","tag-spy-radio","tag-tar-224","tag-tar-224-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-6mr","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13061,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/04\/listening-to-the-nepal-emergency-amateur-radio-nets\/","url_meta":{"origin":24455,"position":0},"title":"Listening to the Nepal Emergency Amateur Radio Nets","author":"Thomas","date":"April 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My pal,\u00a0@K7al_L3afta, recently posted the following recording of the\u00a0Nepal emergency amateur radio net via Twitter: https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/k7al_l3afta\/nepal-emergency-amateur-radio-net-14205-khz He also recorded this short segment relaying that A65DR is alive and well: https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/k7al_l3afta\/paul-a65dr-is-alive-and-safe-nepal-emergency-amateur-radio-net-14205-khz @K7al_L3afta is using a PL-660 in an RFI-heavy, urban environment in Morocco. Even knowing some of these operators are using\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nepal-Earthquake-Map","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Nepal-Earthquake-Map.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Nepal-Earthquake-Map.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Nepal-Earthquake-Map.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19938,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/theres-a-pattern-in-that-noise\/","url_meta":{"origin":24455,"position":1},"title":"There’s a pattern in that noise!","author":"Thomas","date":"July 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0@K7al_L3afta, who just shared the image (above) and noted, on Twitter: \"I just discovered the noise at the start of [the VOA Radiogram has] a purpose!\"\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/K7al_L3afta\/status\/749391585259974656 That's a brilliant discovery! Click here to learn about the VOA Radiogram. Click here to follow\u00a0@K7al_L3afta\u00a0on Twitter.","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Modes"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Modes","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/digital-modes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Digital-Image-VOA-Radiogram","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Digital-Image-VOA-Radiogram.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5998,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/pcj-radio-international-radiogram-march-31st\/","url_meta":{"origin":24455,"position":2},"title":"PCJ Radio International radiogram, March 31st","author":"Thomas","date":"March 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: PCJ Media) On March 31st, 2013 PCJ Radio International will conduct a digital text through analogue shortwave broadcast of a radiogram. Setting: MFSK32 Date: March 31, 2013 Time: 0227UTC Frequency: 9955khz This test will have a message in English and Spanish for listeners in Cuba and Latin America. Those\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"pcj","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/pcj.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12074,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/01\/kyodo-news-agency-fax-and-the-sony-crf-v21\/","url_meta":{"origin":24455,"position":3},"title":"Kyodo News Agency Fax and the Sony CRF-V21","author":"Thomas","date":"January 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My friend,\u00a0@K7al_L3afta, posted\u00a0to Twitter, the following fax he decoded from the Kyodo News Agency on\u00a012,745 kHz today: The Kyodo News Agency is possibly the last marine weather fax station which faxes daily news (full newspapers) and navigational warnings to ships at sea. For those of you who might believe it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"KyodoNewsAgency-001","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/KyodoNewsAgency-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/KyodoNewsAgency-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/KyodoNewsAgency-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/KyodoNewsAgency-001.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12326,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/02\/catching-a-usaf-hf-gcs-transmission-in-morocco\/","url_meta":{"origin":24455,"position":4},"title":"Catching a USAF HF-GCS transmission in Morocco","author":"Thomas","date":"February 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My buddy,\u00a0@K7al_L3afta\u00a0(on Twitter), posted this interesting recording of the US Air Force\u00a0High Frequency Global Communications System\u00a0on 15,016 kHz USB at 18:01 UTC yesterday: I don't believe I've ever heard or noticed this type of USAF HF-GCS transmission before. \u00a0Sounds almost like a numbers station. Update: SWLing Post reader, Daniele, comments:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"HF-GCS-logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/HF-GCS-logo.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11240,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/10\/fire-at-radio-france-building-in-paris\/","url_meta":{"origin":24455,"position":5},"title":"Fire at Radio France building in Paris","author":"Thomas","date":"October 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, @K7al_L3afta, for sharing news that the top floors of the Radio France broadcasting house were on fire this morning: @SWLingDotCom @LondonShortwave fire in Radio France!! pic.twitter.com\/EWoIWsyLEq \u2014 ????? ????????? (@K7al_L3afta) October 31, 2014 You can read more about the fire, in English, via Reuters:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24455\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}