Help us keep the flame alive.  Support the MRHS!

 

> Background

The MRHS, in cooperation with our good pals at the Military Radio Collectors Group (MRCG), will send an encrypted message via the facilities of KSM on Saturday 4 May 2013 as part of the annual MRCG meet in San Luis Obispo, CA .  The message will be encrypted using the famous military M-209. All Listeners are invited to try their hand at receiving and decrypting the message, which will be an actual message sent during WWII.  Mislaid your M-209?  In the military you'd have some explaining to do.  But here, no problem.  See the link to  M-209 simulator software at the end of this Extra edition.

> M-209

The M-209 is a small, jewel-like mechanical device for encrypting, decrypting and printing messages (on a paper strip).  It was widely used during WWII.

M-209 photo courtesy of Mark J. Blair

From the Wicki on the M-209: The M-209, designated CSP-1500 by the Navy (C-38 by the manufacturer) is a portable, mechanical cipher machine used by the US military primarily in World War II, though it remained in active use through the Korean War. The M-209 was designed by Swedish cryptographer Boris Hagelin in response to a request for such a portable cipher machine, and was an improvement of an earlier machine, the C-36. For more information on the M-209 please see Mark J. Blair's excellent Web site at www.nf6x.net. > KSM Broadcast

KSM will broadcast a prepared message consisting of 26 groups encrypted with the M-209 at 15wpm on all its CW frequencies beginning at 1100 Pacific time (1800Z) on Saturday 4 May.  These frequencies are (in kc):

426 (after an announcement on 500)
4350.5
6474.0
8438.3
12993.0
16914.0
22445.8

The message will be sent twice.

The usual KSM press transmission will begin at 1000 Pacific time (1700Z) at 25wpm and continue until the announcement for the crypto broadcast to give listeners a chance to tune to the strongest signal in their area. 

Upon completion of the CW transmissions a longer message will be sent on all KSM RTTY frequencies, also encrypted with the M-209.  These frequencies are (in kc):

6328.0

8433.0
12631.0

 

The RTTY transmission will be 170cps shift Baudot, 45 baud. 

 

Both the CW and RTTY messages will be encrypted with the same M-209 key settings.  The key settings and other information will be available on Mark's Web site www.nf6x.net.  

 

Don't have a M-209?  No worries. Click HERE to download the M-209 simulator software. 

 

> More Information & Contact

 

For the full menu of events and an email form to ask questions of the organizers Click HERE.

 

And remember:

 

OMNDS  DCFZB  MKSIQ  LAEMA  VNMWS  UYSMA  REQAS