FLASH-BACK
During december the radio informer will have a flash back to news items that the radio informer was reporting on that day in december 2004/2005.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Strange things can be heard on your shortwave radio.
credit: http://www.alteich.com
Strange things can be heard on your shortwave radio. For 40 years or more, shortwave listeners scanning the broadcast bands have come across monotonous voices reciting strings of numbers in a variety of languages. What are these weird broadcasts? Where are they coming from? The broadcasts themselves offer no identifying information, and so a small group of shortwave enthusiasts have taken it upon themselves to track them down. Their investigations have led them to conclude that the broadcasts consist of coded messages from intelligence agencies to their agents in the field.
The Cold War may be over, but the broadcasts continue and the community of numbers radio enthusiasts has taken to the Internet to share information and provide samples of the broadcasts to those who are interested but don't have either the equipment or the patience to seek them out over the air. The links below cover most of the major sites, as well as a couple of media reports that provide a good overview for the uninitiated.
Links:
Atencion: Seis Siete Tres Siete Cero: The Shortwave Numbers Mystery -- a story on National Public Radio's "Lost and Found Sound" (May 26, 2000, in RealAudio). An excellent introduction to the subject.
"Counting Spies," by David Pescovitz on Salon.com (September 16, 1999).
Enigma (European Numbers Information Gathering & Monitoring Association) -- "a non-profit making association of listeners who monitor and gather information on 'Number Stations' and other related radio transmissions." Enigma's site includes sound samples, a list of station locations, photos of radio transmitters, and an order form for the association's newsletter (£7.00 in the U.K., £10.00 in the rest of the world).
Shortwave Espionage -- a site created by Simon Mason, author of Secret Signals: The Euronumbers Mystery. Includes a free downloadable copy of the book, sound files, articles, and a long list of links.
The CONET Project -- Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations. Includes information on ordering a 4 CD set covering 25 years of monitoring and recording numbers broadcasts.
Chris Smolinski's Spy Centre -- includes samples of broadcasts, information about the Spooks electronic mailing list, and a database of loggings from numbers radio listeners with over 20,000 entries.
Muzak for Anoraks -- mp3 recordings of recent numbers broadcasts courtesy of Rob Ryan-Silva.
The Numbers Game -- more recordings; also some links.
Shortwave Spy Numbers Stations -- descriptions of various stations and their broadcasts.
Posted by The Radio Informer at 12:16 AM