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Description
Over the past few days I have developed a deep fascination with a phenomena called numbers stations.
Numbers Stations are transmission broadcasted on shortwave radio signals where artificially generated voices (though sometimes live voices as well) read off strings of numbers, letters, or the NATO phonetic alphabet. Other numbers station have their messages hidden in polytone sounds or Morse code. Some of these stations utilise music, beeping, buzzing, or other forms of electronic noise to begin and end these transmissions.
These numbers stations have been reported to have existed since World War II. Though number stations still exist today, they were particularly active during the Cold War. The purpose of these stations or who they're for or from is not entirely known. The most likely and agreed upon theory is that these stations are used government agencies to send messages and instructions to spies anonymously for them to decode using a One Time Pad format that is impossible to decode without the proper knowledge.
Numbers stations gained attentions thanks to The Conet Project in 1997. The Conet Project: Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations is a set of recordings of numbers stations and noise stations based on the work of numbers station enthusiast Akin Fernandez.
The most well known numbers stations are The Lincolnshire Poacher, Cherry Ripe, The Swedish Rhapsody, and UVB-76 (among others).
The Lincolnshire Poacher has been off transmission since 2010. It was an English station that played the tune of the folk song The Lincolnshire Poacher before and after number messages. It was believed to have been based in Cyprus for British intelligence. A recorded example from The Conet Project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnXPqU…
Cherry Ripe was the counterpart of the Lincolnshire Poacher also believed to have been used by them. This one was an English station believed to have been based in Australia or Guam. The station played the tune for the folk song Cherry Ripe for intervals. Cherry Ripe went off transmission in 2009. A recorded example from The Conet Project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcJK56…
The Swedish Rhapsody was an East German station believed to have been used by the Stasi. It was nicknamed for the music used before and after number messages read by a generated voice that sounded like a little girl. It went offline after the Berlin wall fell. A recorded example from The Conet Project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTz9Ob…
UVB-76 is a still active station called The Buzzer. The reason it's called that is it only broadcasts a loud buzzing noise constantly and on occasion sends voices messages. UVB-76 is still active and believed to be transmitted somewhere in Russia. UVB-76 is not technically a numbers station. It is a military channel meant to send messages to the Russian army (much like USAF EAMs). More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UVB-76
The Conet Project can be freely downloaded and listened to here: archive.org/details/ird059
More info can be found here:
www.brogers.dsl.pipex.com/inde…
www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigm…
www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigm…
www.simonmason.karoo.net/page3…
priyom.org/
Resources used:
fav.me/d1hpx8j
fav.me/d2sd805
fav.me/dauoyv
fav.me/d5i003t
fav.me/d2f4dmr
fav.me/d4vv1hj
fav.me/d4f03wu
fav.me/d4u78hw
As for the message in this? I'm not going to be a douchebag and tell you to crack it yourselves. How I did it was with various generators. It's lyrics to my account namesake Monochrome by Covenant: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcbsCY…
Numbers Stations are transmission broadcasted on shortwave radio signals where artificially generated voices (though sometimes live voices as well) read off strings of numbers, letters, or the NATO phonetic alphabet. Other numbers station have their messages hidden in polytone sounds or Morse code. Some of these stations utilise music, beeping, buzzing, or other forms of electronic noise to begin and end these transmissions.
These numbers stations have been reported to have existed since World War II. Though number stations still exist today, they were particularly active during the Cold War. The purpose of these stations or who they're for or from is not entirely known. The most likely and agreed upon theory is that these stations are used government agencies to send messages and instructions to spies anonymously for them to decode using a One Time Pad format that is impossible to decode without the proper knowledge.
Numbers stations gained attentions thanks to The Conet Project in 1997. The Conet Project: Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations is a set of recordings of numbers stations and noise stations based on the work of numbers station enthusiast Akin Fernandez.
The most well known numbers stations are The Lincolnshire Poacher, Cherry Ripe, The Swedish Rhapsody, and UVB-76 (among others).
The Lincolnshire Poacher has been off transmission since 2010. It was an English station that played the tune of the folk song The Lincolnshire Poacher before and after number messages. It was believed to have been based in Cyprus for British intelligence. A recorded example from The Conet Project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnXPqU…
Cherry Ripe was the counterpart of the Lincolnshire Poacher also believed to have been used by them. This one was an English station believed to have been based in Australia or Guam. The station played the tune for the folk song Cherry Ripe for intervals. Cherry Ripe went off transmission in 2009. A recorded example from The Conet Project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcJK56…
The Swedish Rhapsody was an East German station believed to have been used by the Stasi. It was nicknamed for the music used before and after number messages read by a generated voice that sounded like a little girl. It went offline after the Berlin wall fell. A recorded example from The Conet Project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTz9Ob…
UVB-76 is a still active station called The Buzzer. The reason it's called that is it only broadcasts a loud buzzing noise constantly and on occasion sends voices messages. UVB-76 is still active and believed to be transmitted somewhere in Russia. UVB-76 is not technically a numbers station. It is a military channel meant to send messages to the Russian army (much like USAF EAMs). More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UVB-76
The Conet Project can be freely downloaded and listened to here: archive.org/details/ird059
More info can be found here:
www.brogers.dsl.pipex.com/inde…
www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigm…
www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigm…
www.simonmason.karoo.net/page3…
priyom.org/
Resources used:
fav.me/d1hpx8j
fav.me/d2sd805
fav.me/dauoyv
fav.me/d5i003t
fav.me/d2f4dmr
fav.me/d4vv1hj
fav.me/d4f03wu
fav.me/d4u78hw
As for the message in this? I'm not going to be a douchebag and tell you to crack it yourselves. How I did it was with various generators. It's lyrics to my account namesake Monochrome by Covenant: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcbsCY…
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Comments28
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I found it on Priyom.org that the Swedish Rhapsody actually never used a little girl's voice. The misconception comes from the fact that the female voice was soft-spoken and the recording from the Conet Project was mistuned, so it was a slightly higher pitch than normal. But still, one of the scariest and most iconic numbers stations, and my all-time favorite.