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Electronic morse encoder and decoder
Around 1977, Racal
developed a portable morse burst encoder for Special
Forces (SF) and other special purposes. The set consists of a morse
encoder, the MA-4230, a complementary morse decoder,
the MA-4231, and sometimes
an MA-4233 thermal printer.
The housing of the encoder and decoder units are identical,
but the controls on the front panel are different.
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The image on the right shows a typical pair. The unit in front is the
MA-4230 morse encoder.
The one at the back is the MA-4231 decoder.
Each unit measures only 175 x 120 x 50 mm and is made of die-cast aluminium.
It weights about 1.1 kg and a rubber gasket makes the unit reasonably
waterproof.
A special version of the encoder with an Arabic keyboard layout, the MA-4230A,
was developed especially for the Iraqi Army in the period prior to
the First Gulf War.
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Each unit has two - rather special - 5-pin FISHER sockets at the right side.
These sockets are used for the connection between encoder and decoder,
but also for the connection of a transceiver, a printer and a battery
charger. A complete set of units can be connected to any standard Racal
radio, by using an appropriate audio cable.
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System using a Racal transceiver
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When used in combination with a Racal transceiver, power is taken directly
from the radio via the audio connector. In that case, no external PSU is
needed. Connecting the set to other transceivers (i.e. non-Racal) is also
possible. In that case a cable without an audio connector would be supplied
by Racal, so that a suitable connector could be mounted later.
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System using a non-Racal transceiver
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In this situation, power can not be taken from the radio, and an external
battery charger has to be used. This charger is generally connected to the
MA-4233 printer at the end of the chain. It can however, also be connected
to each individual unit in turn, under the batteries are fully charged.
The following products are known in this series:
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The MA-4230 is a small self-contained morse encoder.
It consists of a die-cast aluminium case with 40 keys and 3 LEDs
on it surface. It allows messages to be stored in its 1024 character
memory, and sent in morse code
at high speed (burst), in order to minimize
the chance of interception and detection.
 More information
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The MA-4231 is an automatic morse receiver, designed to be used either
stand-alone or in combination with an MA-4230 at the other end.
In the latter case it can
be used for the reception of high speed morse transmissions (bursts).
More information
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This special version of the MA-4230 was made by Racal especially for
the Iraqi Army just before the first Gulf War (1991).
The MA-4230A has Arabic keys on the keypad and
forms a pair with the MA-4231A burst decoder.
The MA-4230A unit is based on the same design as the MA-4230,
except for a different keypad and different software.
More information
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The MA-4231 morse decoder could be expanded by an (optional)
external printer. Especially for this purpose, Racal developed a small
ruggedised thermal printer.
It connects to the decoder by means of 5-pin Fisher connectors.
More information
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When used in combination with non-Racal radio equipment, the ST450076
battery charger shown on the rights was used. It consists of a small
metal frame with a transformer, fuse and power selector. The charger
can be configured for both 115 and 230 V mains.
A short piece of wire with a 5-pin Fisher connector, allows the charger
to be connected to the MA-4033 printer. Power is then looped through all
units by means of the 5-pin interconnection cables.
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The following is pure speculation.
When examining the dimensions of the various module, one might jump to the
conclusion that the complete set (i.e. encoder, decoder, printer and PSU)
might have been intended to be built inside a large briefcase or backpack.
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We already noticed that the size of the printer is the same as the size
of both units together. Furthermore,
each unit has four 3 mm threaded holes at the bottom, allowing it to be
mounted on, say, a metal base plate.
If the units are arranged as in the image on the right,
a very ergonomic system is obtained: the keyboard is at the
front and the printer is at the left, in such a position that is
easily operated. All connectors are unobstructed, allowing
the cables to run freely between the units.
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- Racal-Datacom Limited, Technical Manual MA.4230 MA.4230S Morse Encoder
(with Battery Charger MA.4232)
- Racal-Datacom Limited, Technical Manual MA.4231 Automatic Morse Receiver
- Army Radio Sales Co, Racal MA-4230A and MA-4231A
- Jane's Military Communication 1986, MA 4233 Minature Printer
p. 453/454. ISBN: 0-7106-0824-1
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© Copyright 2009-2013, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Friday, 01 February 2013 - 14:56 CET
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