The Great Seal Radio Bug - The Soviet Listening Device Hidden In Plain Sight

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[@RCAvhstape]

I wonder how they know Leon Theremin designed it. Did he later admit to it? Interesting note about Theremin: he was a US resident and the KGB kidnapped him and forced him to go back to the USSR for many years. After the Cold War ended he returned to the US and reunited with his student, Clara Rockmore, considered the greatest Theremin player, before he died. There is a cool documentary about him out there.

[@Peter_S_]

Cool video, as all your videos are. Two and three months ago, the channel Machining and Microwaves covered this bug in some technical detail including a recreation. The videos are titled 'No Wires, No Batteries - Spying Changed FOREVER because of this invention!' and 'SOLVING the Mystery Behind a Soviet Spy Bug : A True Masterpiece of Technical Elegance!'

[@dougmorris2134]

Yes, I saw that video and immediately thought of it now

[@Bluelagoonstudios]

I've seen that podcast too, it was precise machining, especially for that time.

[@chriswiltshire8720]

I saw that too, and it was a good video. That's no reason why Ringway shouldn't cover it tho

[@Peter_S_]

@@chriswiltshire8720 Nobody other than yourself suggested any notion of Lewis not covering it, so what are you on about? All of his videos are brilliant and for viewers here who wish to know even more about the makeup and dive down the rabbit hole, I gave the additional resource. This bug has been covered in every amateur publication I know of. I recall an article about it from the 1980s in Radio Electronics magazine as well. It's still mysterious and elegant in ways we can appreciate today.

[@RT-qd8yl]

@@chriswiltshire8720 Nobody said he shouldn't cover it

[@ReverendFlatus]

I heard some places have wire mesh wall coverings, making the whole room or building into a Faraday cage.

[@jonathangreenstein919]

Correct and they now employ specialists who examine every single component used to build embassies around the world to mitigate the risks

[@DirtyPlumbus]

This bug was quite the piece of ingenuity. The history of it is amazing. M&M covered the story in detail and remade the device. It was fascinating.

[@xavierayayaell546]

Who is "m&m" please? I'm interested in this

[@DirtyPlumbus]

@@xavierayayaell546 Machining and Microwaves on KZbin.

[@shloomyshloms]

8:55 I built one off those, they are incredibly difficult to aim and receive.

[@dirtyeric]

The National Cryptologic Museum has lots of interesting things like that on display. Worth the drive outside the beltway if one visits DC.

[@joshroolf1966]

I always forget it was built by Mr. Theremin!😂

[@steelheadplayer]

It's worth reading (assuming you haven't) SPY CATCHER by Peter Wright , MI5's first principal scientist who discovered the operating methods of this device and also describes other methods of locating clandestine radios such as overloading local oscillators, traffic analysis and mobile radio transparent vans. Mark-M0ADH

[@thisandthat871]

Agreed a great read

[@kaitlyn__L]

That sounds right up my alley, having just finished a re-read of Cuckoo’s Egg by Cliff Stoll. That’s about intercepting early-80s spies hacking into government databases rather than listening-in to embassies, but I’ve nevertheless been itching for more technical spycraft-of-yore.

[@steelheadplayer]

@@kaitlyn__L This book was banned on release in the UK and was published in Australia and had to be “secretly” imported into the UK. The authors father worked with Marconi and as a brilliant scientist himself he fell into the world of spy craft eventually becoming an investigator himself.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@steelheadplayer I’m not surprised! They didn’t even want to acknowledge Colossus until fairly recently. I notice technical people who are reluctantly drawn into these endeavours seem to keep a better balance on who and what exactly they’re doing it for, than do people who are actively drawn to the job.

[@steelheadplayer]

@@kaitlyn__L When you read about the value of 30 or 40 year old intercepts when assisting current efforts to identify spies who were recruited as young men/women and may now have risen to senior posts within the intel community you will appreciate why the capabilities were kept secret for so long.

[@afordflex]

8:28 "come on now" 💀

[@pomonabill220]

Reminds me of one of my favorite movies... "The Conversation". THAT was a very creepy movie and really made you think!

[@gamlemann53]

What they did for spi. Amaising! What a device! Thank's Lewis! The best from LB1NH 🙂

[@algorithminc.8850]

Great video. I really like the technical details you presented. It makes me want to experiment with some of the approaches for fun. Your video is a nice complement to "How Russian children and the KGB trolled America for years" done by "The Why Files," which was more history-oriented. Thank you much ... Cheers!

[@odius94]

Can you hear me now? Da.

[@EngineeringAndRestoration]

After all this imagine if Downing St would pay a Russian company to refurbish the press briefing room of number 9, but that of course would be silly.

[@NZobservatory]

Or several major US media sites buying and using russian software for their online comments forums in 2015. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

[@PenryMMJ]

great video, and a really remarkable piece of technology from so long ago. It' makes me wonder what kind of tech the spooks are using today. Stay tuned for another 70 years to find out.

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Excellent video as ever! Thanks again.

[@gordsec]

Thank you for another brilliant video Lewis.

[@itwasrightthere]

I’ve always loved this story!

[@mj-dd2fb]

Fascinating, another great vid. Thanks Lewis!

[@hotbrakepads]

I don’t know how you keep great releasing videos back to back but great job. Every video is interesting to watch!

[@user-my4fu3os2p]

I'm glad you referenced CryptoMuseum. I've been trying to duplicate some of the schematics found there including some of the simple subcarrier noise masking tricks and the pulse position techniques.

[@joeblow8593]

Thanks for covering this

[@thisandthat871]

Ahhh the cold War good times 😂 Good stuff as usual Lewis 👍

[@barrieshepherd7694]

Great video - the most comprehensive explanation I have heard over the years!

[@RingwayManchester]

Great to hear!

[@danedewaard8215]

Very interesting content!!! Thank You!!!!

[@DonzLockz]

I seen a doco on this years ago before i got into ham radio but forgot all about it. Such a clever device for the day and even today. Great job on the video, very interesting and entertaining my friend. :)

[@DougPaulley]

"Come on now" 😄 Excellent video as always.

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks! 😃

[@javierenruta]

Wow really interesting part of the telecommunications history!

[@kaitlyn__L]

Whoa, I actually understood all of that on a deep conceptual level this time! When I’d read about it years ago I knew electronics but was still baffled by it. No wonder Leon Theremin was behind this, a lot of those techniques and mindset come from music rather than traditional industrial electrical signalling. In a way this has a lot of similarities to a tubular bell or guitar string in operation (esp the harmonics), just that it vibrates in RF instead of sound. It’s essentially getting sympathetic vibration from the room after the energiser aerial “plucks/strikes” it. (You can shout into an acoustic guitar while a note plays and audibly modulate it via those sympathetic vibrations!) How cool.

[@wisteela]

Ingenious

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

I ve read a fair bit about this bug. Whats a great story. Pesky Russians LOL.

[@jjhendo]

What happened with the soviets upon being found out then?

[@nataliegrn17]

They built and installed more.

[@RCAvhstape]

The US kept their knowledge of it a secret and then brought it up after the Gary Powers U2 shootdown to embarrass the Soviets, who were getting all self-righteous about how the US was spying on them. "Yeah, okay, you caught us spying on you. But here's solid proof you do it too, so STFU Khruschev and have some more vodka."

[@Peter_S_]

New designs.

[@OxfordShortwaveLog]

Hi Lewis, clearly a lot of research went into the making of this superb video! Such primitive, but effective listening technology deployed by the Russian! 73

[@winstonchurchill6506]

Also the time the whole walls were fitted with bugs behind all the plaster walls.

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

Interestingly, some of those devices appear to have the same old Soviet germanium components that are coveted in today's effect pedals for guitars and such...

[@astrotrance]

Now doubt they realized their cover was blown when they heard, "...the hell is this thing?"

[@afordflex]

awesome

[@lordtherapeutics]

Ingenious. Great video too. / M7ENO

[@vonzigle]

Thanks!

[@RingwayManchester]

Thank you so much!

[@colinstewart1432]

Famously examined by Peter Wright later of Mi5.

[@eliotmansfield]

have you looked through the ant catalog that snoden leaked? They had a bug that used a similar principle that tapped into one of the colour signals on a vga screen cable - it was hidden underneath the (presumably fake) ferrite core found on every vga cable of the to time

[@Redneckmowers]

I like how I go on KZbin and go on his channel to see if he posed something new and he didn’t so I close the tab and go on the game then I open my phone as soon as the game is open and see he posted something 😂🤦🏽

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Woah

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@RingwayManchester >>> Great video...👍

[@davidcooke3811]

I know I'm a bit off topic but I re-watched your scanner video and I remembered I've got an old Uniden bearcat ubc3000xlt. I bought it off eBay a few years ago and have never been able to use it because the battery was done for. It worked for about 3 hours and that was it. I've been trying to get a replacement battery ever since. No luck. So do you have any idea where I might find one. I've literally looked everywhere but no joy. Its a good piece of kit, old but useable. It's been shelved for ages. I got my licence during lockdown so I have a couple of radios, nothing special but it just seems a shame to write it off. Any advice is good. Cheers!

[@andie_pants]

When the Trojans wheel a horse up to your gate, OMG DON'T LET IT IN.

[@charleswoods2996]

Still, what would be better than making people or an agency THINK that they're being spied on when in fact they're not? Good video! KD8EFQ/73

[@vanpenguin22]

Would you happen to know the name by which the Lazer beam on windows method of eavesdropping is known?

[@ianharrison6597]

Thanks

[@RingwayManchester]

Thank you!

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@RingwayManchester >>> *_"...attaching vibrators -- come on, now -- or buzzers..."_* 🤭🤭🤭

[@P-G-77]

Who know... how many of this devices are installed at that time...

[@ntdfmaverick]

What an incredible story! How interesting and scandalous.

[@pieandmashlover]

8:29 come on now! 😂

[@MK-ge2mh]

Great video! But, how do they know Theremin designed it?

[@RingwayManchester]

He had KGB ties and admitted he’d built a similar device for the KGB around the time

[@HighWealder]

So how long was the bug in operation before it was discovered ?

[@paul06660]

Maybe this is what it mean in the Holy Bible where it says you should send your enemies gifts lmao. Great video.

[@SDS-1]

If they only had the cone of silence

[@vanpenguin22]

Learn sign language and keep the blackout curtain drawn.

[@davidrumming4734]

I have heard of The thing before. Very clever. The other stuff inc using a laser beam is beyond me….. I guarantee most people will think all this is made up conspiracy. Even after seeing the video, many would refuse to believe it was actually real or possible.

[@5b4aezmarinoscyprus71]

I don't know how good you are with history but just check what it says Laocoön priest of Thembraic Apollo to Teukri of Trojans, "Equo ne credite, Teucri, Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" In english [beware of Danaans (Greeks) when bring gifts] In Greece (Cyprus) we say this very very often (Φοβοῦ τοὺς Δαναοὺς καὶ δῶρα φέροντας)...

[@robertmeyer4744]

that very interesting. can you trust anything hurd from a bug ? can just give false information buy speaking and right down the real one. burn the paper. this is easy if you know the bug is their and they don't know you found it. still bugs are found to this day. 73's

[@bobsoldrecords1503]

I wonder what the football given by Putin to Trump concealed?

[@NZobservatory]

He didn't need to "bug" Trump. Fat little Donnie handed over everything putin wanted. The power of kompromat, boys and girls.

[@HighWealder]

Hot air

[@tornagawn]

@@HighWealderTrumps greatest thought! See your reply for details…