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F.G. Mason Engineering Inc. was an American manufacturer of
technical surveillance and counter measures equipment (TSCM).
They are best known for their range of bug-finding receivers.
The company was founded in the early 1960s by Francis (Frank) G Mason,
who also developed all equipment in the early years.
The company was closed in the early 1990s after a bribe scandal.
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The company developed a wide range of TSCM equipment, and for more than 30
years, they were one of the key suppliers to governments all over
the world. Well-known bug finders were developed, such as the
Mason A2,
the A3
and the MPR-1 shown in the image on the right.
Later versions, such as the
MPR-5 are still used widely today
by specialised TSCM companies around the world.
Mason Engineering Inc. was based in Fairfield, Connecticut (USA),
where all equipment was assembled by approx. 60 employees.
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In the early 1990's, the tide turned against Mason, when both the company
and Frank Mason himself were prosecuted and convicted for breaking the
FCPA
[1].
Apparantly, Frank Mason tried to bribe West German Government officials when
trying to win a large contract with the West German Military Intelligence
Service (MAD) [2]. Both the company and its sole share holder
were sentenced to a USD 75,000 fine and five years probation.
Fruthermore they had to restitute USD 160,000 to the German government [3].
Shortly afterwards, Mason Inc. closed its doors.
Despite all this, Mason can be considered one of the pioneers of
TSCM equipment and his receivers are beautiful examples of clever
engineering; way ahead of their time.
According to a former Mason employee
[4], most of the
design and engineering work was carried out by Frank Mason himself,
and all electronic and mechanical parts were built in-house.
Mason equipment covered on this website:
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As far as we know, the A2 was the first modular receiver developed
by Frank Mason in the mid-1960s. It was intended as a bug-finding device.
Visually, it is one of the most interesting receivers of the Mason
family. The receiver is stored inside a leather suitcase, together with all
of the accessories and plug-in units (see below).
 More information
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The A2C-S is functionally identical to the A2,
but rather than supplying a series
of separate plug-in modules and accessories, all relevant components have been
combined in an all-in-one solution.
Instead of using patch cables to select the required frequency range,
a built-in selector switch is used.
More information
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In 1968, Mason started the development of the successor to the A2-series,
the Portable Receiver A3, which was introduced in 1971.
The A3 can be considered an improved version of the A2.
The scope is mounted in the lid of the case and can be viewed through
a mirror. The unit shown here is the later A3B.
The A3 receiver was very popular with security agencies world-wide.
It's use by the US government was confirmed in 2008 [5].
More information
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In the early 1970s, an improved version of the self-contained
A2C-S receiver was introduced. It was housed in a similar case,
but contained a number of important improvements over its predecessor.
All plug-in units are permanently built-in and wired.
Some versions of the A3C-S can use the later MPR handheld receivers
as input, allowing subcarrier signals to be demodulated.
More information
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Mini Probe Receiver MPR-1
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The MPR-1 was developed around 1980. It's a small modular design
that can be enhanced at will. The basic unit consists of the Mini
Probe Receiver itself (MPR) and a tiny green phosphor display
bolted onto it.
In all, 12 different plug-in frequency modules were available,
spanning a very wide frequency range from 20 kHz
to 10 GHz (!)
More information
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Mini Probe Receiver MPR-5
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The MPR-5 was the last member of the Mason family, developed in the 1990s,
just before Mason had to close their doors.
It resembles its predecessor, the MPR-1, but contains a number of
improvements.
Like the MPR-1, it was usually supplied in an unobtrusive briefcase.
The MPR-5 is still used widely today.
More information
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Below is a list of known equipment from the Mason product line.
We have no idea whether this list is complete, but if you happen to
know an item that is not listed below, please contact us.
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Any links shown in red are currently unavailable.
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© Copyright 2009-2013, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Thursday, 16 May 2013 - 08:24 CET
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