The system consists of a HRU-7000 radio unit (transceiver),
an ATU-7000 antenna tuner, a BPU-7000 battery pack,
and a TCU-7000 Terminal Crypto Unit.
The latter can be used for sending secure messages between HRU-7000 users,
but is also needed for setting the desired frequency and selecting the
mode of operation. The HRU-7000 unit has no controls of it own.
For unencrypted voice communication, any regular handset can be used,
but for secure (encrypted) conversations, the optional VCH-7000
(visible in the image) was available.
Cryptographic keys for the VCH-7000 handset can be loaded by
means of a regular DS-102 key transfer device,
such as the KYK-13 or KSP-1.
The HRM-7000 was designed for high-speed communication with a base station,
such as the HRC-7000 or the earilier BS-7010 or BS-5000.
Messages from the TCU-7000 controller
are sent at very high speed (2000 baud) over a narrow-band HF
radio channel. It takes a maximum of 0.8s to send a 55 character
burst message [4].
The device was developed from 1994 onwards, and was first rolled out
in 1996. A vehicle configuration with an output power of
400W is known as HRM-7400.
The original manufacturer was
Telefunken System Technik (TST), 3
but as a result of takeovers, the device can be found
under various brand names, including
TST, Dasa, Racoms and Elbit.
The 7000-family was succeeded by the 9000-family in 2020.
The German Fernspäher4 started using the HRM-9000 in 2023 [5].
In the past also known as HF-7000, but this designator is also
used by Harris and Icom for other radios.
According to the Telefunken website [1] the HRM-7000 family
was developed in 1998. However, this can not be correct as the
FS-5000
technical manual [2] from 1994 lists various members of the 7000
family, and in particular the HRM-7000, as compatible with the FS-5000.
That means that the 7000 is from 1994 or earlier.
Development of the HRM-7000 family started around 1994, hot on the hiels of the
FS-5000 spy radio set — codename HARPOON, in
Germany known as SY-5000 —
a similar but modular radio system developed by Telefunken
especially for European Stay-Behind Organisations (SBO).
As the German SBO was dissolved in 1992, some FS-5000 units were modified as
FS-5000M and used by the German Special Forces (Fernspäher) for training purposes.
Some parts of the forthcoming HRM-7000, such as the
BPU-7000 battery packs, were
used prematurely with the FS-5000M.
The HRU-7000 HF Radio Unit is the core of all configurations of the
7000-family. It is basically a transceiver with built-in radio processor
and Echotel-compatible modem. It can be expanded with an antenna tuner
and a battery.
The HRU-7000 is remote controlled by the
TCU-7000 Terminal Crypto Unit
shown in the image on the right.
This device can also be used for sending and receiving
encrypted messages, either immediately or in a scheduled manner.
The HRU-7000 can be powered by various types of batteries, such
as the BPU-7000/1 shown in the image on the right. This is a high-capacity
20Ah LiMnO2 battery, that cannot be recharged.
It can however be recycled after use.
The ATU-7000 Antenna Tuner allows a wide variety of antennas
to be used with the HRU-7000 transceiver.
It is about half the size of the HRU-7000 and is fitted to
its body, in the space above the battery.
The ATU-7000 is currently missing from our collection.
Vocoder Crypto Handset
VCH-7000
The HRU-7000 can be used for conventional
(unencrypted) voice communication in USB. This is done by
connecting a regular handset to the leftmost NF10
connector at the font panel.
For secure communication, the VCH-7000 Crypto Handset could be
used. It uses a vocoder to compress the speech before it is encrypted.
A standard DS-102 fill device
can be used to load the cryptographic keys.
The VCH-7000 is currently missing from our collection.
Battery charger
ACU-7002
The ACU-7002 battery charger was used to recharge NiCd or
NiMH batteries, such as the APU-7000 and APU-7002.
The charger is powered from the mains, and charges the
battery in approx. 90 minutes.
Data cable
The data cable shown in the image on the right was used to connect
the HRU-7000/M to an external encryption device for secure data
communication. In practice, the HRU-7000/M was commonly
used in combination with
the Siemens Elcrobit 3-2 or the Elcrodat 4-2.
The cable should be connected to the extra NF10 connector (COM port)
at the front panel of the HRU-7000/M.
The TNC cable carries bidirectional data and control signals
over a single shielded wire.
Antenna
Various antennas are available for the HRM-7000, including a
3 meter long whip antenna, a long-wire antenna and several dipoles.
For use in the field, the whip or long-wire antenna was commonly used,
depending on the situation.
At present, we have none of these antennas in our collection.
Any links shown in red are currently unavailable.
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Đ Crypto Museum. Created: Sunday 22 April 2012. Last changed: Monday, 09 March 2026 - 09:40 CET.
![Copyright Telefunken Racoms. Image taken from brochure HF Gerätefamilie 7000 [2].](img/hrm_01.png)
