Numbers Stations

[performa]

Has anyone ever heard of them before? I've just found out about them recently and I'm really interested in them They're radio stations on shortwave that transmit number codes, which can be deciphered into a real message, possibly for spies around the world. There's a famous one in Russia that transmits a buzzing tone, with only 3 voice interruptions since it started in 1982. It's called UVB-76 (which was only found out on the first voice message in 1997). There are two other well-known ones called Cherry Ripe and The Lincolnshire Poacher that actually do send out codes, although the Lincolnshire Poacher stopped a few years ago.

Oh yeah, and there's this one.

[Black_Apalachi]

Just listened to a few on YouTube, sound scary. Were they all set up during war time to send messages and have just been left there on a loop ever since?

[Bun]

they creep me out !

[performa]

Just listened to a few on YouTube, sound scary. Were they all set up during war time to send messages and have just been left there on a loop ever since?

There probably were some left there after war as the bases might have been abandoned in a hurry Although there's been a few voices on UVB-76 a few months ago, so people think it's an open microphone instead of a looped system, you can hear doors shutting in the background sometimes. There's two other stations like it, which repeat a noise over and over again. I uploaded this, it's a code message on a station called "The Pip". (taken from http://www.brogers.dsl.pipex.com/page7.html, but you can listen to it in browser instead of having to download it from that website).

they creep me out !

Me too, especially the Nuclear Missile theories...

[Apolva]

Yeh I also heard they're for spys

Like they decode the numbers to get messages or something.

And it is/was illegal to listen to them because they're unlicensed.

[Swastika]

They're creepy, i'd like to hear some more information about them though, seems really interesting.

[performa]

Yeh I also heard they're for spys

Like they decode the numbers to get messages or something.

And it is/was illegal to listen to them because they're unlicensed.

Yeah, the numbers are used with a book of codes, and the spies are told what pages to use, then there's a big subtraction and deciphering process, and the messages are impossible to crack, because when those pages are used then it's destroyed.

Most governments deny they even exist, only one has confirmed it. Yeah, they're apparently illegal to listen to, but that doesn't stop most people!

They're creepy, i'd like to hear some more information about them though, seems really interesting.

An album was released with 150 recordings of numbers stations, here.

A few other good websites for info on them are http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/page30.html and http://spynumbers.com

There's a really good one called The Tyrolean Music Station which, instead of numbers, hides the names of the people it's for in the lyrics of a folk song, and some yodelling Then codes are found in some cryptic lyrics like "Our hen has laid an egg" and "The sunshine has faded."