Numbers stations

maquiladora

Numbers stations are shortwave radio stations of uncertain origin that broadcast streams of numbers, letters (using a phonetic alphabet), or words. It is not known publicly with certainty where these signals originate or what purpose they serve. The voices that can be heard on these stations are often mysterious: mechanically generated; spoken in a wide variety of languages; usually female, but sometimes male or those of children. Numbers stations appear and disappear continuously, although some stick to regular schedules, and their overall activity has increased slightly since the early 1990s.... Wiki article

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For decades, SWLs have been hearing stations that do nothing but read blocks of numbers, usually using a woman's voice, in a variety of languages and on innumerable different frequencies. All available evidence indicates that some of these transmissions may be somehow connected to espionage activities. These are the numbers stations, the most enduring mystery on the shortwave bands.
Even though they do not operate on any fixed schedule or frequencies known to the public, numbers stations are really very easy to hear. Just tune outside the established shortwave broadcasting or ham radio bands and you'll hear several with patient tuning. While numbers stations can be heard any time on any frequencies, most seem to be heard in North America during the evening and night hours on frequencies from 3 to 12 MHz.

Short wave listners equipped with spectrum analyzers have found data bursts buried within numbers transmissions. Subaudible tones have been detected on other numbers signals. And listeners like Brian Webb of California and Zel Eaton of Missouri have heard numbers transmissions, in the AM mode...

Some clips...

Spooky tone and message

Mossad station

CIA station

Spooky! :eek:

Kernel

Probably espionage communications. Some of the transmissions heard in the US have been thought to originate in Cuba, and from foreign embassies (particularly Israeli - Mossad).

maquiladora

Kernel wrote:

Probably espionage communications. Some of the transmissions heard in the US have been thought to originate in Cuba, and from foreign embassies (particularly Israeli - Mossad).

I agree that espionage is the likely candidate, but isnt it fasinating that in this realm of high technology that regular am radio is still used to transmit secrets and instructions to agents around the world? But I guess if the system works, why change it.

billy the squid

Murphy's law really, The more sophisticated a system is, the more likely it is to screw up , I would imagine that there is a certain logic to keeping things simple.