1960s Morse High Speed Military Keyer KY468 / GRA71. An Electromechanical Burst Encoder Morse Key

This is a 1960s Morse High Speed Military Keyer KY468 / GRA71. An Electromechanical Burst Encoder Morse Key which forms part of covert surveillance (spying) radio communication history.

This small device, the KE-8 or KY468, is known as a keyer and is effectively a form of 'morse key'. The clandestine message is pre-recorded on the mechanical tape cartridge, which is powered by an internal spring-motor manually wound via the small handle on the side of the device prior to transmission.

This is the military version of the keyer in a black box; the set was designated GRA71. It was used with USA army radios and CIA spy radio sets such as the AN/PRC-64A and RS-1 (AN/GRC-109).

A very rare item and often missing from the GRA71 burst coder spy set.

The Electromechanical Burst Encoder was invented by Stenographic Machines in Skokie, Illinois, USA, for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). It allowed pre-recorded messages to be sent, in morse code, at very high speeds. This was an essential requirement ensuring that the operator was on air for the minimum time possible to prevent detection by RDF (Radio Detection Finding).

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