TESTING OF MESSAGE FACSIMILE EQUIPMENT TO REPLACE THE OFFICE TELECOPIER I NETWORK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01578A000200070020-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 28, 2003
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: September 1, 1974
• Content Type: REPORT

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Voice and Facsimile Section Engineering Report
DATE September 1974
BY
SUBJECT: Testing of Message Facsimile Equipment to Replace
'
the Office 1
elecopier I Network
REF Operational'Requiiements for Secure Facsimile
Equipment, SED/SOD Notes
A. Purpbse
As indicated in the referenced notes the existing office
message facsimile network does not provide adequate service for
the customers subscribing to the service. SYB has been asked
to conduct tests on available facsimile machines and recommend
a replacement for the existing equipment. This report describes
the results of the tests performed to select a suitable replace-
ment.
B. Background
The Agency's office message facsimile network has been in
existence since about 1966. The network uses the'.old Magnafax
.Telecopiers which were acquired by Xerox and now called the
Xerox Telecopier I.
? These facsimiles were chosen as they were the only units
.which could be modified to. meet the TEMPEST requirements.
Currently there are= modified Telecopier I's in the network.
.Their locations are shown on Figure 1.
The most important aspects of a replacement facsimile is its
interoperability w:i.th the existing secure voice systems and
message facsimile units, ease of operation, and the ability to
obtain a TEMPEST protected device. Other lesser requirements
and desirable features are enumerated in the referenced notes.
An. inherent problem ill facsimile is the writing stylC)s which
operates on high voltage and in most instances produces a spark
as it burns the paper with the received information.
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Most off-the-shelf office message facsimile equipment is
fairly easy to use from. an operational stand point. Most of
the equipments have acoustical couplers and are designed for
point-to-point use on the.DDI) commercial telephone network.
Operation of the terminal only requires inserting the paper
in the machine and placing the telephone handset in the
acoustical coupler.
C. Scope of Tests
An updated review of the current facsimile market was con-
clucte;d az~.~1. _f cjiz ; .l acs t~i.i l_e.;cqu pm.cnts we.re.,.c es.i~,:na.ted for. t g.:.
i.ii an attempt -to select a replacement for the' existing Xerox
Telecopier network. The Facilities Branch study conducted in
Ocotber 1973 surveyed essentially the entire market place. No
additional machines were found that could be used as replacements
for the Telecopiers. As indicated in the study, there are three
man.ufactlirers who offer machines which closely meet our office
facsimile requirements. These are the Xerox Model 4.00 Telecopier:,
Graphic Sciences Model dex 580 and the 3M Models VRC 600 and 603.
TEMPEST tests conducted on these equipments indicate a high level
of radiation and therefore requires a large controlled area for
secure operation. However, the purpose of our testing was to
select a replacement. machine and allow'OC-CS to perform
additional TEMPEST tests wi. develo :i.n some
Four facsimile machines were tested for compatibility,
operational usage, and readability ever. the secure voice network.
These were the Xerox 400, 3M 600, 3M 603 and Graphic Sciences
dex 580. Each machine was tested using another manufacturer's
machine at the other end o to see if any problems would be
encountered during a period when the new machines would be phased
into the system or if more than one type of machine is used in
the network. It was found that all the machines tested could
"talk" to the other machines and to the existing Xerox Telecopier
I's. The Graphic Sciences dex 580 has the additional capability
of operating in both the AM and FM modes. The others were.
strictly FM.
D. Summary of Equipment Tested
1. Xerox Model 400
The Xerox 400 is a low volume half-duplex portable message
facsimile machine which requires 4-6 minutes per page. The
Model 400?-l has limited handshaking, but .still works manually
and has no automation. Although fairly easy to use, the
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construction is only average and may not stand up under heavy
use.
Limitations of the Xerox 400 are that only paper 8 1/2 by
11 inches or smaller can be used. The loading is by.rotating
the drum which presents some minor difficulty, also the paper
is only secured. on one edge causing it to flap as the drum
rotates. The Xerox. 400 was found. to have a very strong ozone
odor when receiving. In a confined 'space and receiving many
pages, the odor could be very objectionable.
r}ie'*Iease cost o"C' $'4 .'75 per'ymdn li is~-+lii'gli compare' wiitli
other machines tested. Automatic food is available with. the
Xerox 410, however, as the basic machine is the same, the 410
was not tested separately. Lease cost of- the 410 is $85.50
per month.
2. 3M Models VRC 600
The 3M VRC 600 is a medium volume full-duplex table top
machine with special test features. The VRC 600 does not
have a built-in acoustic coupler and is designed for use on
a. Bell System Data Access Arrangement (DAA) where it is hard-
wired into the telephone system. For testing a portable
acoustic coupler was used which did not perform very well.
The VRC 600 uses an electrostatic-(xerographic:) process
rather than the electrosensitive burning method. The electro-
statically charged paper is fixed with heat and produces a
distinct odor which could, become objectionable if a lot of
papers were received over a short time period.
The VRC 60'0 will take 14 inch paper, but it is critical
on the.paper thickness. Glossy photographs and thin printer
paper (TI Silent 700) did not feed'properly. An automatic
loader is available. The size of the VRC 600 is such that it
is not readily portable and designing an RFI enclosure would
be difficult due to the location of inserting paper for trans-
mission and obtaining' received copy.
The cost of $77.60 per month is not excessive for what the
equipment does, but the only average quality of the received
copy, the fact we could not use the full duplex mode, and the
problems encounteredgLn testing as mentioned earlier definitely
puts the VRC 600 in an unfavorable category.
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3. 3M Model VRC 603 Portable Remote Copier
The 3M VRC 603 is a medium volume half-duplex portable
message facsimile. The unit can operate at three, four and
six minutes per 11 inch page. The 603 uses FM and has a
self--test capability which puts lines on a sheet of facsimile
paper to check the receive section.
The'603 equipment is manufactured in Japan and has a
-plastic- case.. .The. f o r . ion or :reception .i.s
lac'ec7'a'ari tllei at~'t:isig:x r Th an `' `7 mpr,d`ii ac-o-.
tion the printing process produces an unpleasant odor.
However, it is not as objectionable as with some other units
tested. The 603 does not have any handshaking with the
,distant end.
The VRC 603 will take paper up to 8 1/2 by 11 inches.
It has a built-in acoustic coupler for direct use over the
dial telephone.' Operation is straight forward and a buzzer
sounds when the copy is completed.
An additional option available for the VRC 603 is the use
of a battery pack for completely portable use. This could be
used on a car radio phone for instance.
The monthly lease cost of the VRC 603 is $38.80, which is
the lowest of the units tested. Purchase price in quantities
of one to nine is $1,546.30 each.
4. Graphic Sciences dex 580
The dex 580 is a medium volume half-duplex portable
message facsimile device. The dex 580 is one of a series of
Graphic Sciences dex message facsimile equipments. The
dex 580 unit is capable of three and six minute AM for good
resolution copy between other dex facsimiles and six minute
FM for interconnecting with standard FM facsimiles.
The dex 580 is built with a metal case and has a slide
out tray for ease of loading. The unit has positive control
of both transmission and. reception and provides for hand-
shaXing with other dex facsimiles. Due to the positive
control, the operation is not as direct as some units tested,
however, once the operation is known, it is not much more
difficult than the simplest of machines.
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The dex 580 has a built-in acoustic coupler with a sound-
proof cover that reduces ambient noise' and related inter-
ference. Other dex units are designed for use with a Data
Access-Arrangement, thereby, eliminating the acoustic
coupler.
The dex units will accept paper up to 9 by 14 inches.
Although an odor is developed when re'c'eiving copy, it is
significantly reduced by a built-in,charcoal filter.
Monthly lease of the dex 580 .i.s $75.00 and the purchase.
;.i' r ?z.s.' $i3: 6i ;.;1}.0:, es ;for:.; ort:. :
facsimile machines tested.' 'However, the benefit's and
advantages of the dex 580 are significant over the other
portable machines.
'Other versions of the dex family of. equipments are the
dex,585 and 185 which.do not have built-in acoustic couplers.
These are designed for hard wired installations: The dex 585
unit could be used inside to eliminate a double 25X1'
acoustic coupler requirement. inc .ex 0 and 185 do not have
the FM mode for compatibility with other types of facsimiles.
E. Test Results
Since these facsimile machines would be used over the secure
voice network, tests were conducted using the Green phone system
and between the Green and Gray systems. All tests were successful.
Little or no degradation was encountered when.using the secure
phone system versus use on the Black telephone system.
Operational evaluation turned up some difficulties, however;
the Xerox 400 machine secures the paper only on one end which
allows the-paper to flap around the drum. The paper used with
this machine also has the strongest odor. It should be pointed
out that three of the machines tested use the electrosensitive
or burning method. The 3M 6Q0 uses an electrostatic (xerographic)
printing process, however, it still has an unpleasant odor when
printing. The 3M Model 603 uses a paper which has less odor and
the Graphic Sciences machine uses a charcoal filter to provide
an almost odor-free process.
The 3M Model 603 and the Xerox Model 400 require the drwn.to
be rotated 'then the papca; inserted. For loading this is not as
straight forward as it seems. The 3M Model 600 uses a front
loading process which seems easier, however, due to paper thickness
the mechanism sometimes doesn't pull the paper entirely into the
machine. The easiest loading process is with the Graphic Sciences
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machine. The paper is laid into a tray which is then pushed into
the machine.
Graphic Sciences Model . dex 580 has some additional hand-shaking
features which provide stopping the machines from either end and
eliminating the procedure of waiting for a tone from one end before
starting the machine on the other end. Of the four machines
tested Graphic Sciences Model dex 580 provides the eas:i.est loading,
the best copy, the fastest speed and the overall rugged appearance
of a well built machine.
>;s.::A;1; 1.1.2 g:} .. 11' of.'.t,he facs;lali: les tes. ed .p ide4.. -a-cc. ep. ab. e
niiali-ty oi;ieweredefin'ite].y'beter thali t} ers Tab;lb is a
compilation of the technical aspects of the facsimile equipment
tested. The Xerox Model 410 and the Graphic Sciences dex 180
were not tested as they are identical in operation to their.
comparison equipments which were tested. These are shown for com-
parison only.
.Sample copies received are shown on Figures 2 through 6.
Figure 2 is copy received on the existing Telecopi.er I network,
Figures 3 through 6 are received copy from the.Xerox 400, 3M 600,
3M 603 and Graphic Sciences dex 580 facsimile machines. Each of
these copies were transmitted at 6 minutes per page. For com-
parison, Figures 7 and 8 show copy received on the 3M 603 and Graphic
Sciences dex 580 and.3 minutes per page'.
Tests showed copy from the 3M VRC 603 at 3 minutes have less
resolution and was lighter than in the 6 minute mode. Copy from the
dex 580 was comparatively the same for both the 3 minute and 6
minute mode. Both machines show promise for use at 3 minutes
per page each receiving good quality copy.
Additional tests were performed with the dex 580 operating
over a narrowband channel vocoder (IIY-2 to VADAC III) circuit.
Results using acoustic coupling in both.AM and FM modes proved
worthless. One of the main problems is the lack of pitch infor?-
mation from the single carrier frequency put out by the facsimile
modem. The best way around this would be to obtain the digital
signal prior to analog conversion and route it to the digital
output of the channel vocoder. Additional tests will be required
to determine the feasibility of this approach.
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TABLE I
OFFICE FACSIMILE EQUIPMENT
- #
XEROX 1 . XEROX l
410
10.00 25.00
8-1/2 x 11 k 8-1/2 x 11
Sheet , Sheet
sensitive
Built in u i I t in
Electro- ~Iectro-
sensitive -'sensitive
similar to
Model 400
a
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Not tested I
as operatioA
3M
603BBG
15.00 10.00
Graphic
Sciences
dex 580
8-1/2 x 14 8-1/2 x 11J.-'79 x 14
Roll Sheet Sheet
Graphic
Sciences
dex 180
Built in
Electro-
sensitive
Not tested as
operation simi-
lar to dex 508
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F. Conclusions
Based on the results of testing the above mentioned facsimile
equipments only two machines were determined to have the capa-
bility for sending message copy with adequate quality and
resolution. These are the 3M VRC 603 and the Graphic Sciences
dex 580.
Overall the. Graphic. Sciences dex 589 proved to provide the
best quality. The ability to use either 3 or 6 minutes AM and
6 ,mir1ute:s .%I'M is, it.tractive... The .. .e ..580, wa5:jufi;t .a's..e.asyto_.use.
as t:Iie` oth'er' iortable m'achines''- an{1. the' positive' contrc l` afforded
by the Transmit, Stop and Receive controls made for .essentially
trouble-free operation. Table 2 is a compilation of the benefits
available with the dex 580 which are not all available on the
other machines tested..
Although the dex 580 leases for $75
00 th
er
h
.
p
mont
is amounts
to only $245 per year additional cost over the existing Telecopier I
units. Conversion of the Telecopier I network to dex 580 will
cost the'Agency approximately $5,000 more per year. It is
anticipated that once good quality facsimile equipment is in the
inventory the requirement for facsimile units will greatly increase.
G. Recommendations
It is proposed that a Graphic Sciences dex 580 and a 3M VRC 603
facsimile be procured and submitted to Communications Security for
complete TEMPEST testing. It is anticipated that some sort of
fix can be developed that will allow reduction of the security
control zone so that as a minimum ill not be 25X1
needed in the Headquarters building.
Further it is' recommended that upon completion of the TEMPEST
tests all offices with Telecopier I's be requested to lease the
Graphic Sciences dex 580 or 3M VRC 603 and terminate the lease
of their Telecopier I's.
An additional requirement is to have these two facsimiles
tested to determine the difficulty in obtaining a digital output
which could be used on AVD circuitry.
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TABLE 2'
Features of the Graphic Sciences dex 580 Facsimile
The following items are available only on the Graphic
Sciences .dex. 580 type facsimile e.quipznents.
1. Accepts paper up to 9 x 14".
2. Has charcoal filter to reduce odor to acceptable level.
3.. Has flat bed loading drawer for operator convenience.
4. Has enclosed drawer for acoustical coupler for
reduction of incidental noise into transmission.
S. Has positive control action via Receive, Transmit and
Stop buttons.
6. Ha.s capability of 3 minute AM mode for working with other
dcx machines. This reduces distortion and has good
linearity.
7. Has capability of starting or stopping anywhere on the
page.
8. Has metal case for improved physical protection.
9. Has adjustable indices provided to allow sending only
desired portions of documents thereby reducing trans-
missio., time.
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