The mysterious Numbers Stations

I found a website with really clear recordings, much better than others I have heard on this thread...

home.freeuk.com...

Check it out...


-- Boat

[edit on 27-12-2005 by Boatphone]

Thanks for all the great links, you guys.

Xperta is a handy little program to convert polytones into plain text.
anas.worldonline.es...

You can try with a very clear XPH recording downloadable from home.planet.nl...

external image

We are still left with a bunch of unbreakable numbers, though. If by any chance you come across a spy, maybe you could steal his OTP table from his pocket and run away with it, before he put it in his mouth to turn it into chewing gum.

I would guess its meant for illuminati mind controlled slaves to listen to and program their brain. Numbers do something to your subconscious mind.

73 Mitch,

Man you got some guts.. I don't like posting my call online.. too many wackos!

Anyway, I'd really suggest anyone who is interested in the topics on this site get themselves a shortwave radio. Things you can find.

You have WWCR that can be like art bell show on acid at times.
Pirate radio
Numbers stations
Military comms
Drug runners and other nerdowells (However you spell it)
News from around the world... you would be amazed how much doesn't get covered in the US media.
Many types of digital communications.
Some just plain weird stuff.

This thread has really got me interested in doing that to be honest.

Can you or any other radio buff suggest any good shortwave radios that are worth buying?

Cheers.

[edit on 8/1/2006 by FactoryLad]

Very interesting. I'd also like to get into this.
How do you make one, or what one do you buy?

Kinda reminds me of Lost with those numbers that kept repeating themselves for years on the airwaves.

This one should do it.
ICOM PRC-1000

After checking out the Xperta program and analysing the sound file provided in the users post, I did a quick google search for anything to do with arranging digits in groups of five. One of the search results was an article about the VIC Cipher (Here). It was created by the soviets, but later 'de-coded' by the US when a soviet defected in the 1940's....

Most numbers messages are supposedly KGB or CIA...coincidence? or not? Anyone here feel upto the challenge of seeing if they can decode a message using the VIC cipher? I'm not sure if it's even possible to decrypt considering the number of steps required to encrypt it, but it might be worth a shot.

I noticed in the article it mentioned in order to adapt the cipher to the english language, you have to a space/null now and then. I'm not cryptologist so I don't know how that works...but it is interesting in the numbers message I tried to decrpyt, it came up with the following:

HEADER
343 343 343 1 343 343 343 1 343 343 343 1 343 343 343 1
343 343 343 1 343 343 343 1 343 343 343 1 343 343 343 1
343 343 343 1

MESSAGE
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> _________01437 00095 27777 39755 37370
00937 28393 55069 01410 93757 41417 72478 99956 65237 23597
79272 70799 31987 39383 03288 32959 42466 88375 10278 62524
05963 30513 96721 36094 86748 16957 99231 91641 89864 37132
03772 61827 01506 68637 81623 50063 14681 30535 07714 58223
14627 13364 72297 43475 63020 21898 36232 82418 81211 59939
28612 42224 04948 07579 21895 45840 58678 30807 80592 52769
16210 27084 35603 14149 48029 03249 72268 44338 52630 98513
64462 02183 46315 40836 22696 76273 11030 56070 67471 71672
51818 06607 38442 24582 45497 97593 31978 41790 01271 91253
24127 25142<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<2

Is it possible the "1" in the header is a marker telling whoever this message was aimed at where to insert a null (00000?), or which number grouping to ignore?. It also said something in the article about all messages end up around 150 characters long. I read the article fairly quickly so apologies if I'm wrong.

In the 'decrypted' message....

Each group of 5 digits represents a series of characters. Each "1" in the head resembles a null (ie: 00000). There are 19 groups of 5digits in the message. There are 9 1's in the header.

So, 19 x 5 characters = 95 characters
9 x nulls ( 9 x 5 groups of zeroes) = 45 characters

That makes 140 characters in total. Close, but no cigar. Maybe I'm on the right track, or maybe not. Either way, maybe it will help get you guys thinking

Nice observation, LordGoofus. I'm no expert cryptologist either, I'll try thinkering with the VIC Cipher and see if I can come up with something.

I'm also trying the Vigenere Cipher, I did not succeed to solve the numbers yet. This cipher was used for the Kryptos sculpture at CIA Headquarters in Langley, and they managed to decode the message so I'm not sure if they would trust that cipher to be strong enough for numbers stations but one never know.

No need to get yourself an ICOM to start with. You can get a good portable from Grundig, Sangean, Radio Shack (re-named Sangean's for the most part), Sony, and many others from $150-$250 new.

One feature you might want is Single Sideband Reception (SSB) That's the mode you will find a ton of interesting stuff on. (Numbers stations are broadcast in normal AM... the idea is so even the cheapest receiver can pick them up)

I listened to the entire conet project recently, very strange stuff some of it is downright creepy. Heres what I dont get if the messages repeat and are all ways the same how would it be sending new information. Seems like if it was instructions to spys or whatever then you would never hear the same stuff everyday. nonetheless strange.

Some people have suggested that they may be for sleeper agents (hence the broadcasts over frequencies that require no special equipment to pick up, aside from a scanner which can be purchased relatively easily.) These sleeper agents would probably go years in 'dormant' mode, so the message being broadcast to them wouldn't change for a long time... my guess is that 90% of the numbers stations are broadcasting something meaning "no instructions yet.. keep waiting."

I've been listening to these samples:

www.swldxer.co.uk...
www.swldxer.co.uk...
www.swldxer.co.uk...
www.swldxer.co.uk...
www.swldxer.co.uk...
www.swldxer.co.uk...
www.swldxer.co.uk...

ok. im going to run up and down for a bit waving my arms around and shouting 'i know what it is' to that huge section of decoded numbers.

i did a bit of hunting around and found that a randomly chosen selection of ten of those numbers are ALL listed on this site - www.calsky.com... so try it for yourself and see if the rest are there also.

as to what all that means... well, im off to make something to eat to chew on it

[edit on 23-2-2006 by justyc]

Hehehe I just remembered that for a couple of weeks some guy kept calling my voice mail and leaving a long list of first names and strings of numbers. It was pretty strange cause he didnt say "hi, heres those names and numbers you needed..." He just spouted them out instantly and stopped without saying "bye." Maybe he was a spy! Ooo... Im suprised I wasnt "dissapered" for hearing their information!

This kinda reminds me of the movie Phenomenon with John Trevolta when he picked up super fast morse-code and decoded it and sent back a message and the CIA freaked out and picked him up.

Anyways if it is a cypher, then the first string of numbers is probably the "key" for deciphering the list. Just turn your decoder ring to "01437" to see the message! Damn I just listened to the sound file and now I.. love.. the.. new.. world.. order.. freedom is slavery.. ignorance is strength... war is peace.. be..one.. of.. us..

This is by far the weirdest, creepiest, and most intriguing thing I have read on here to date. I have a few questions about it tho:
-Has the government ever made any comments about any type of radio signal like these?
-Has anyone come close to decoding it? Or gotten any sense out of any of it?
-Has anyone found where they are coming from? Is our government doing this?
-Where is it coming from!??

My mothers uncle was very into shortwave radio, he passed away recently however, I wonder if I could come onto some of his equipment...that would be really neat. And my final question:

-Radio signals go on forever into space, could these signals be linked into Project Serpo or any other type of communications? Math is the universal language.....hmmmm

Just adding one to Cugs' list of things you can hear on shortwave....
The older cordless phones,
Yup, you can hear one side of the conversation. They think it's secure, so they talk like no one is listening. Gets good sometimes..

1. i can say that yes, our government does it.
2. i once read an article in popular communications that a very strong source in the u.s. is near remington virginia.
3. these signals generally increase in volume during times of war.
4. and for beer guy, the older cordless phones used to use a frequency just above the a.m. band in the 1620 to 1700 khz region that is now part of the a.m. broadcast band.

[edit on 28-2-2006 by larry994]

This is pretty interesting. I've never ever heard of the number stations. Kind of a neat mystery. Sounds like a communications network. Could be all one group. Kind of hard to believe that multiple goverments would be using the same technique so close by. Has anyone ever come foward and claimed to have have worked on this sort of project.

yeah, they're 'out there', on a.m. voice, on c.w. (continuous wave, or morse code), and in several digital formats.i used to be a shortwave listener when i was younger, and i recall hearing these very often. a useful reference for anyone interested, would be popular communications, if it is still being published. i might just get another s.w. reciever, now that this thread has peaked my interest once again...thanks all.