Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!cbosgd!ihnp4!ihuxz!parnass From: parnass@ihuxz.ATT.COM (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) Newsgroups: rec.ham-radio,sci.crypt Subject: Re: "Numbers" stations (possible answers) Message-ID: <2475@ihuxz.ATT.COM> Date: Sat, 5-Dec-87 08:39:50 EST Article-I.D.: ihuxz.2475 Posted: Sat Dec 5 08:39:50 1987 Date-Received: Thu, 10-Dec-87 22:13:45 EST References: <123.003505@adam.DG.COM> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois Lines: 102 Summary: spy vs. spy? Xref: mnetor rec.ham-radio:3496 sci.crypt:742 In article <123.003505@adam.DG.COM>, Pete_Simpson@MERCURY.CEO.DG.COM writes on hearing shortwave broadcasts of coded number groups: > I was listening to one of these last night and the question > popped up again, "What are these people doing?" To my knowledge, no > one has ever come up with a reasonable explanation of why a station > would read off code groups inusing > AM modulation..... > Thanks...Pete Simpson, KA1AXY These "numbers" stations may be found on several frequen- cies, with both males and females speaking in many langu- ages. They remain the subject of debate among SWLs, and attempts by hobbyists to break the coded messages have been unsuc- cessful. One prevailing theory is that they are "spy" sta- tions, sending orders to operatives in foreign countries. Another theory is that they are associated with smuggling activities, like ordering, and arranging for drug deliveries. I agree with the "spy" theory. Monitoring Times reported a few years ago how an SWL traced down the source of one num- bers station.1 Using a Kenwood R1000 shortwave receiver in his car, the SWL found the signals came from within the War- renton Training Center, a U.S. Army facility in Remington, VA, operated by an arm of the intelligence community. Another numbers station was reportedly located in the res- tricted area of Nauen in East Germany.2 The FCC won't talk much about these signals, but I bet you dollars to donuts that the NSA, USN, CIA, etc. know exactly what their purpose is, and monitor them (and operate some) closely. At the very least, our government knows the geo- graphic locations of these transmitters. The use of double sideband, reduced carrier for transmission allows the operative to use a cheap, readily obtainable short wave receiver (e.g., Radio Shack, Panasonic, Sony). Possession of such a common receiver would not draw atten- tion to the owner. Here are just a sampling of numbers stations I've heard. My most interesting numbers logging is the station on 3.780 MHz. Its strength implied a location in North America.3 3.7800 call?_____unidentified: numbers stn, am, yl/Spanish, 5 digit, as s trong as the strongest ham signals on the band at the ti me. Two hams in QSO on same freq in lsb discussing this signal, 0704Z [location?] (B. Parnass) 5.8070 call?_____unidentified: numbers stn, am, yl/Spanish, "1234567890 3 46 346 346 1234567890 ..." [location?] (B. Parnass) 6.8020 call?_____unidentified: numbers stn, am, yl/Spanish, 4 digit, 12/0 2/86 @0210Z [location?] (B. Parnass) call?_____unidentified: numbers stn, am, yl/Spanish, 4 digit, xmti ng concurrently with KKN50 on 6.9252 cw, both were the s trongest signals on the band at s9+20 db, 5/15/85 @0220Z [location?] (B. Parnass) 6.9254 KKN50_____US: State, likely at the National Communications System installation at Warrenton Training Center, embassy-relat ed?, xmting concurrently with yl am Spanish language 4 d igit numbers station at 6.802 MHz, both were the stronge st signals on band at s9+20 db, cw, 5/15/85 @0220Z [Remington, VA] (B. Parnass) 9.0740 call?_____unidentified: numbers stn, female reading numbers in Spa nish, "229 229 229 1234567890...", xmtd some tones also, am, 12/07/86 @0110Z [location?] (B. Parnass) 18.1950 call?_____unidentified: numbers stn, female repeating "Hotel Kilo" 4 times, then 10 seconds of musical tones. Changes to G erman 5 digit number groups at 1615Z. This xmsn type pur portedly originates from Nauen E. Germany, usb, 04/05/87 @1601Z [location?] (B. Parnass) __________ 1. See "U.S. Numbers Station Found!", by Bob Grove Monitoring Times, April 1984. 2. See "Spy Numbers Transmitter Located!", by John H. Demmitt, Monitoring Times, May 1983. 3. I suppose there is a possibility that an American prankster with ham equipment recorded the transmission on another frequency, and played it back on 75 meters. -- ===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-===-=== Bob Parnass, Bell Telephone Laboratories - ihnp4!ihuxz!parnass - (312)979-5414