HEXJAM

Hand Emplaced Expendable Jammer
Model No. 4286-031

 VHF Low Band Jammer

01-P21691G001
© Brooke Clarke 2008 - 2020

Jamming
Hexjam
    Photos
    Background
Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare ( JCREW)
Motorola VHF Jammer
1950's Surplus Jammer T96
Books
Patents
Related
Links







Jamming

While studing various aspects of Cryptology I learned that just prior to W.W.II the U.S. had developed a number of jammers, mainly for various radio communications bands, but also for RADAR and other utility transmissions.  But . . . the radio communication jammers were not deployed because it was more productive to listen in to the enemy communications.  The T96 may be an example of a jammer that was built but not used.  Let me know.

HEXJAM

Photos


HEXJAM VHF Low Band Jammer
HEXJAM VHF Low Band Jammer
HEXJAM Control
                  Panel
HEXJAM
                    Control Panel HEXJAM Control
                  Panel close up
HEXJAM
                    Control Panel
HEXJAM Battery
                  Box

Background

During W.W.II a number of communication (and RADAR) jammers were developed, but the com jammers ended up on shelves not being used.  That was because we were listening to the messages the enemy thought were secret because they were using cryptography.  When you can break someone's crypto then it's best to not jam but instead listen.

I used to have a cylindrical jammer that may have been made from paper or cardboard that was varnished.  It had a knob on the end, maybe tied to a timer.  I think it worked using batteries and a spark gap.  Brown and/or yellow color.

This is a VHF Low Band Jammer covering 20 to 90 MHz with a range of 1 km.  It's powered by a BA-5590/U battery for 4 hours.
The three rotary switches set a time delay of up to 29 Hours.  Or the jammer can be turned on using a switch at the end of some field wire.

Note the two wings when folded closed form a box to enclose the jammer and when opened help to stabilize the whip antenna.

Photos provided by Pat L.

Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare ( JCREW)

How IEDs Work -

CRS Report "Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan: Effects and Countermeasures" RS22330.pdf - IED Countermeasures Equipment (ICE) and Warlock are jammers that disable radio receivers. 
June 5, 2009 - Sierra Nevada Corp awarded $36M contract for JCREW systems
Jan 16, 2008 - Northrop Grumman Corp $16M contract for JCREW systems

Motorola VHF Jammer

There is a very similar Motorola jammer for UHF, this is the VHF version.
The battery box holds three each BB-390 or BB-590 batteries and (as can be seen by the connector in the photo below) a charger for those batteries.
There is a trap door on the bottom of the chassis (facing down to the top for the battery box) under which is a socket for a EEPROM.  What it controls is TBD.

Motorola VHF
              Jammer
The Type-NF connector is marked ANT and the BNC jack nestled in the heatsink fins is marked EXT ANT.  The implication is that the ANT connector is for a  wave whip and the EXT ANT connector is for an antenna matched to 50 Ohms, like the OE-254.  Note it's very difficult to use a simple whip antenna for the VHF low band (30 to 90 MHz) so they typically have a network containing a load lowering the efficiency.
Inside the
              Motorola VHF Jammer
The uP board has been removed from the bottom slot and is shown below.
There are positions for two other boards, but no sockets on the mother board for them
so they may be used in a different model like the UHF version.
The removable board with the metal can on the left appears to be a synthyzer.
The black box at the right bottom (above the guide pin) is a 15 to 32 VDC In to 12.0 VDC
Output conveter rated for 700 ma, i.e. the total power consumption of this jammer is about
8 Watts to the output power maybe 4 Watts average.

Above the syn board is a box containing the power amp.

The power Amp has 7 lines plus 2 (power & ground).

The AC line connector on the battery box is a:
MS3114E14-5P

Wiring:
Pin

A

B
chassis gnd
C

D

E
to 6A fuse
Battery Box is Motorola p/n:
01-P32880C001
It can hold two or three BA-5590/U Primary batteries, or
two or three BB-590/U Ni-Cad batteries.  \

There are no contacts for the thermistors in the BB-390 Ni-MH so these should not be used.
Motorola VHF
              Jammer & Rechargable Battery boxMotorola Jammer micro Processor
              board

The 40 pin chip at the left is an MC 146805E2 uP.  It's program is in the MC27C64 just
above the Zero Insertion Force socket that holds the parameter EEPROM chip.  Just below
the ZIF socket is a 160 kHz unit oscillator and a 74HC390 dual decade divider.  The 40 pin chip on the right is an MC146823 RAM and the 24 pin chip in the lower right corner is an MC 146818 timer.

The 8 pin DIP in the upper left is an MM5437 Digital White Noise Generator.  Probably a modulation source or frequency setting source driving the synth board.
The 8 pin DIP at the left center is a MAX638 switching regulator to reduce the board 12 Volts to some lower voltage for the ICs.

Synthesizer

The box on the left has 9 traces going to it on the top and 2 traces on the bottom (to 145158-8 Fin &-12 Mod.  The 16 pin DIP about in the center of the board is an MV145158 Serial Input Dual Modulus PLL Synthesizer aimed at the TV market, AM/FM and 2-way radios.

Pin 1 of the 145158 is fed from a 14.4 MHz unit oscillator in the upper right of the photo.  The serial clock and data comes from the uP board.

Motorola VHF Jammer Synthesizer
              board
Motorola VHF Jammer Synthesizer board


1950's Surplus Jammer T96

I had part of the T96 jammer in the 1950s that was from a local surplus store.  It was missing some parts, but I vividly remember the timer and recognized it on a recent eBay auction.

Books

Modern Communications Jamming: Principles and Techniques  By Richard Poisel

Patents

3600685 Apparatus and method for interfering with radio communications, Doyle William C, Itek Corp, Mar 20, 1969, Aug 17, 1971, 455/1, 342/15
                10 kHz Rx/Tx jamming cycle allows recording speech for later analysis while jamming enemy

7965221
Selective disruptor for voice modulated communications, Vincent J Nardozza, Marvin R Clinch, Secretary Of The Air Force,
                Oct 22, 1969, Jun 21, 2011 (Top Secret for 42 years!), 342/15, 455/1, 342/13
                The original voice signal is recorded and then played back after a delay. 
allows recording speech for later analysis while jamming enemy

Related

40 mm Grenade & related like rifle grenades, hand grenades, &Etc.
Aircraft Instrument Panel Clocks 
Aircraft -
Aircraft Pilot's Standby Magnetic Compass
All-purpose, Lightweight, Individual, Carrying Equipment 
AM-6536 / ALR-54 LAMPS Radar Warning Receiver Front End (I designed the Limiter-Detectors)
Altimeters & Barometers
AN-M8 Pyrotechnic Flare Pistol
ARM-511 TACAN/DME Ramp Test Set
ARN89 AN/ARN-89 Direction Finder Set
AS1405 AS-1405/PRC-41 Antenna
AS1729 AS-1729/VRC Vehicle Antenna that uses the MX-6707 Base , AS-1720/VRC & AT-1095/VRC Antenna elements
AS2109 AS-2109 VHF low band Antenna (simulates either the AT-271 or AT-892 on the PRC-77
AS2259 AS-2259/GR NVIS Antenna and NVIS in General
AS-3588/GRC-206 VHF-AM & UHF-AM Antenna
AT1011 AT-1011/U aka Shakespeare 120 HF Antenna
AT271 AT-271/PRC 10' Fishing Pole Antenna
AT984 AT-984/G Fishing Reel Antenna
Aviation Headsets
BC-778 Gibson Girl Survival Beacon Transmitter CRT-3/SCR-578
BBGun BB Guns
Blasting Machines - Land Mines & Related
C-3 US Navy Infrared IR Signaling Telescope
Cars Vehicles I've owned or are interested in - includes info on tires and tracks.
CEI Tempest Receiving System & TEMPEST related
Cell Phones
China Lake (& related) Patents: Sidewinder, VT Fuse
CRT-1B Sonobuoy
crypto Cryptography & Electronic Warfare
CryptoM Crypto Machines
CryptoPat Cryptographic Patents
DAGR - Defense Advanced GPS Receiver
DR33 MacKay Dymek DR33 All Wave Professional Receiver & DA-100 act ant, DA-5 BCB Loop Ant
Edgerton - Index to MIT lab notebooks
EE8 EE-8 Army Field Phone
EPLRS PLRS EPLRS Position Location Reporting System
FasTrak Vehicle ID Transponder
FNFAL FN FAL Rifle (.308 Match) - Including ballistecs (Interior, exterior & terminal)
Ford 1942 script GPW Jeep
Grapnel Hook, Launched -
HMMWV HMMWV Hummer 1 ¼-Ton, 4X4
ID Outdoor Intrusion Detectors and Related Equipment
IR Gun Sight, Tank M32
Krytron, GR Strobotac & Sonar
M1009 M1009 CUCV TRUCK, UTILITY, TACTICAL, 3/4 TON, 4x4, M1009, Chevrolet K5 Blazer with a diesel engine and 24 electrical system
M151 M151 MUTT Jeep
MA Military Actions
MCGP  Military Collectors Group Posts 1997 - 2000
MILES  Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES)
MSD Military & Surplus, Dealers & Mfg. Radio & Electronics Related
MSPHP Military Surplus Personal Home Pages
MTE Test Equipment
MTX COBRA Spread-Spectrum Burst Transmitter
MV Military Vehicles
Navy Mk. 18 Gyro Gun Sight
NCR Enigma, How Joe Desch, based in Dayton, beat the Nazi code and helped win the war [From the Dayton Daily News: 02.25.2001]
NickelSpy - Hollow Nickel Spy Case Abel
Night Vision Devices NVD- Table and Patents
OE254 OE-254/GRC Antenna Group
OE303 OE-303 1/2 Rhombic Antenna
One Man Life Raft Survival Kits
phones Telephone Equipment
PI Probability of Intercept
Pop Guns - Big Bang Carbide Cannon, toy rifles and pistols
PRD1 PRD-1 HF Direction Finding Radio
PRS-7 Portable Mine Detecting Set
RWR Radar Warning Receivers
Semi-auto Weapons - Sterling Mk 4 (L2A3), , Tavor SAR, Styer AUG, SIG stgw57
SG-886A/UR Interference (Noise & Tone) Generator - audio out, not RF
Shielding Integrity Monitoring System II RP98G & RP98D for screen-SKIFF rooms
Sonobuoy Sonobuoy Based Outdoor Intrusion Detectors & sub hunting sonobuoys
Spying on Cell (Mobil) Phones
SSQ-57 LOFAR Sonobuoy
Submarines
Torpedoes - Naval Mines, Hedgehogs, Depth Charges
VVS-2(V)4 Driver's Night Vision Viewer
Wire Antennas - mainly about Camouflage Netting Mast Kits, including antenna line launchers CSV17 Tennis ball and EZ-Hang Slingshot

Links

Shaping the Electronic Battlespace: The HEXJAM - Engineer Bulletin August 1996
Using the MC145158 PLL Frequency Synthesizer
Tactical Radio Jammers

Brooke's Home Page  Brooke's Military Information page -
[an error occurred while processing this directive] page created 29 Nov 2008.