# KAK wheel



## Gunz (Sep 1, 2015)

This is the KAL 55B tactical authentication device, called the KAK wheel, that I used every afternoon to enrypt map references of our upcoming night acts. It was somewhat labor intensive. I can't remember the exact procedure, but a separate crypto sheet was issued for each day of the month, placed in a clear plastic code wheel binder; the binder contained a spinning wheel with an outer ring divided into 9 segments and an inner ring with a circle marked "set." Map grid references were encrypted into phonetic alphabet and voice-transmitted to the receiver who would decode with an identical crypto sheet and wheel.













These were classified and NOFORN.  In rifle companies RTOs carried them on a lanyard.  We had no RTOs in our small unit.  I carried it in my right thigh pocket.  Short messages from the field could also be encrypted but anything longer than a sentence took some time. I expect this looks pretty Mickey Mouse to most of you. Better than smoke signals, though.


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## Il Duce (Sep 1, 2015)

That's old school.  I think one of the unintended consequence of all our technology today is to make us less security conscious.  If we still had to go through these kinds of steps in everyday action - instead of just trusting our magical computers and PEDs to do it for us - we'd all likely have more respect and knowledge about keeping our information and intentions safe from the enemy.


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## DA SWO (Sep 1, 2015)

We had something similar, only it was a square sheet with columns/rows of letters.
Messages started off with I set then the two letters/numbers that established the sequence.
Slow, but the Boss wouldn't (couldn't) be looking over your shoulder as you trudged through the woods.


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## Centermass (Sep 1, 2015)

The follow up was the KAL 61. Easier to use. We used the term "Shacking it up" for sending messages using a KY-38 coupled to a 77. Stone age stuff compare to today's comm's. 

Great memories of jumping and humping all that stuff. Not.


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## x SF med (Sep 1, 2015)

Ah..... memories of the trigraph, the kak, the kal, and the various mid stage encryptions as well as the 'book'....  what it took to get a Secret clearance in the 80's is now TS....   no wonder we have shits like Snowden and Bergdahl with clearances and access to comms/encryption items.

Yes, I still have my trigraphs, laminated and ready to use...


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## Gunz (Sep 1, 2015)

KY38, Kal61, PRC 77
















The 77 doesn't look markedly different from the 25s we humped. And I understand these glasses are back in style now.


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## x SF med (Sep 1, 2015)

Boo Hiss..... a pic of a one-time pad page....


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## DA SWO (Sep 1, 2015)

Ocoka One said:


> KY38, Kal61, PRC 77
> 
> 
> 
> ...





x SF med said:


> Boo Hiss..... a pic of a one-time pad page....



Yep, that's the book we used.


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## Gunz (Sep 1, 2015)

x SF med said:


> Boo Hiss..... a pic of a one-time pad page....


 

OK boss, here's a few more. Pics of these on the internet are pretty lean. KAL 61


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## AWP (Sep 3, 2015)

I have pictures somewhere of the aluminum wheel, tri-graph or whatever they were called. Mmm, one time pads in the rain under a leaky poncho...


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## Gunz (Sep 3, 2015)

Freefalling said:


> I have pictures somewhere of the aluminum wheel, tri-graph or whatever they were called. Mmm, one time pads in the rain under a leaky poncho...


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## SpitfireV (Sep 4, 2015)

I find all the old crypto stuff fascinating so thank you for posting it.


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