There were tremendous technical obstacles.
这里面有很多技术上的障碍。
Not only was the basic Vocoder already very complicated.
原始的声码器本身就已经很复杂了，
It also required the allocation of seventy-two different frequencies,
现在它还需要分配72个不同的频率，给那12串六进制数。
for the twelve streams of digits were to be played like music, with a different frequency, not a different amplitude, for each possible digit.
这12串数要像合声音乐一样，用不同的频率演奏出来，而不是不同的振幅。
The system also required perfect synchrony between sender and receiver, and had to allow for the fading and time delays in the Atlantic ionosphere.
这套系统还需要发送方和接收方保持完美的同步，要适应大西洋上空的电离层状态，以及时间延迟。
The result was a roomful of electronic equipment at each end of the system:
于是，英美两端都架设了满满一屋子的电子设备：
A terminal occupied over 30 of the standard 7-foot relay rack mounting bays, required about 30kW of power to operate, and needed complete air conditioning in the large room housing it.
终端设备占据30个标准的7英尺继电器机柜，需要大约30kW的功率，整个房间需要全面的温度控制。
Members working on the job occasionally remarked about the terrible conversion ratio—30kW of power for 1 milliwatt of poor-quality speech.
参与这项工作的人，有时会感叹这可怕的转换率——输入30kW的功率，输出1mW的语音信号。
But it worked, which was the main thing. For the first time, secret speech could cross the Atlantic.
但重要的是，它很有用，这使加密的语音第一次跨越了大西洋。
Alan's inspection of the apparatus on behalf of the British government preceded a formal Anglo-American agreement on the subject.
在英美官方接洽之前，艾伦就作为英国政府的代表，先行考察了这套系统。