F-1000

The F-1000 is an alerting system for the army’s units and large units, made by Electromagnetica in Bucharest [1]. It was the only integrated nationwide alerting system, linking all unit and large-unit commands hierarchically to pass orders and report their execution as prestablished codes; its equipment came in versions F-1000-0, F-1000-M, F-1000-A and F-1000-B, according to the echelon [1]. Designed by ICSITA with the Special Production Factory, it worked for a long time with acceptable reliability; its maintenance passed from Electromagnetica to the army’s repair base 191 RTT [1]. It was followed after 1990 by the F-1001 [1].

It worked over the garrison telephone network, using the 3100–3300 Hz band of the voice channel; its versions were F-1000 M for the General Staff, F-1000 O for the armies, F-1000 A for divisions and F-1000 B for battalions and independent units [2]. It sent 14 typed messages to each subordinate unit and 14 general alert messages, and received six report messages upwards, with automatic error correction; the M, O and A units could connect directly with six subordinate units, and after the zero series it was accepted by the Warsaw Pact armies [2]. It was used until the early 1990s; in December 1989 the Romanian army was put on combat alert through it with the code ‘Radu cel frumos’ [3].