Numbers Station UVB-76 (AKA MDZhB). Part of the Russian Perimeter System?

What is UVB-76?

UVB-76, also known more recently as MDZhB is a ubiquitous shortwave radio station that broadcasts a singular buzzing tone approximately once every 2 seconds on frequency 4625. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's location has narrowed down to a region roughly 25 miles northwest of Moscow. Very infrequently, the buzzing is temporarily interrupted and a Russian voice comes on the air, speaking a seemingly nonsensical string of numbers and letters before repeating the same sequence a few times, then unceremoniously the buzzing resumes. The station has been lovingly named "The Buzzer" by shortwave radio enthusiasts. This station has been in operation since at least 1982, possibly even before that. From the few voice transmissions that have occured, and some various oddities of the station (Such as an instance of someone speaking OVER the buzzer), it's clear the device that makes the buzzing sound is placed behind a live microphone.

The station has only ever gone dark one time in it's history, and that was for upgrades to the station and it's redesignation to MDZhB. The station has been somewhat of an enigma, with official Russian sources telling varied stories as to it's purpose. Some have denied it's very existence, others have called it an atmospheric research station, and most recently, it was told that it's voice messages are intended to make sure other military areas are listening and alert. This is important, and I'll explain why later. Though it's purpose has never been officially confirmed and remains a source of speculation, many people believe it's a "Numbers Station". Along with "The Buzzer", it is speculated that there two "sister" stations to UVB-76. These are named "The Pip" and "The Squeaky Wheel". These station also continuously broadcast a carrier noise 24/7, and are occasionally interrupted by voice messages. This is important to note as well.



What is a "Numbers Station"?

A Numbers Station is a shortwave radio station that broadcast occasional coded messages for operatives in the field. Usually used for espionage, these stations relay messages or orders to spies operating in different areas via a series of numbers or letters encoded with a "One Time Pad" type of encryption. This means that although the message is broadcast to anyone with the equipment to receive it, only the intended recipient can decode the message. These stations have been in operation since shortly after World War II, and saw it's height of activity mostly during the Cold War. Though many of the original numbers stations have since gone dark, there are several that still operate around the world, and some NEW ones with a majority of them being either English (American or UK), Russian, Spanish, and German. With the events playing out around the world, there has been a recent resurgence of old Numbers Stations being confirmed reactivated by listeners, and more than a few new stations. Could this an indicator that the Cold War is once again back in full swing? Listed below are some notable examples of Numbers Stations. Fair warning, these are very unsettling.





What is the Perimeter System?

The Perimeter System (Also known as "Dead Hand") is a Cold-War era nuclear control system used by the Soviet Union and is speculated to still be in use today by Russia. It is a "fail deadly" system designed to automatically launch a massive nuclear retaliatory strike should Moscow/Government/Military leaders be killed or otherwise incapacitated by a First Strike from a Nuclear Armed nation. By most accounts, it is normally switched off and is supposed to be activated during dangerous crises only; however, it is said to remain fully functional and able to serve its purpose whenever needed. It has existed since the early 60's and in 2011 the commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, Sergey Karakaev in interview to a Russian tabloid confirmed the operational state of Perimeter.

So how is all of this connected?

(Please note the following is only my speculation)

UVB-76 is a Military operated numbers station that occasionally sends messages out to make sure other military installations are listening and monitoring the station. These military installations are specifically Nuclear missile silos, nuclear armed submarines, and various command and control locations for Russia's nuclear arsenal. It is part of Russia's Perimeter system. Should the station go unexpectedly silent for a period of time, it is to be assumed that Moscow, which feeds power to the station, has been disabled or destroyed by a nuclear strike. This station is one of the most vital parts of the Perimeter system. UVB-76, along with the The Pip and The Squeaky Wheel, broadcast to specific military stations around Russia and the world. Essentially the noise is meant to mean "All is well". If these broadcasts stop, various military installations are then to attempt to contact Moscow or other essential areas. If all methods of communication fail, they are then instructed to launch pre-planned nuclear strikes against the United States under the assumption that Russia has been hit with a first strike. All without direct orders from Moscow leadership.

This is a frightening concept, in my mind. I'm in no way saying "Nuclear War is on our doorstep", but with the upgrades to UVB-76 in 2010, it can be assumed that Russia still maintains the Perimeter system. Contrary to popular reports on the Perimeter system, it is currently ACTIVE and capable of responding to any decapitation strike by a nation. With the current unstable relations between the west and Russia, these stations and the system it is connected to are certainly a terrifying prospect. I, for one, will be keeping an ear on UVB-76. I think that station will be the harbinger of our possible nuclear destruction. Once The Buzzer goes silent, duck and cover.

What are your opinions on the subject?

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

i don't know about fail safe , its more like fail death because if a nuclear war does break out we will all be in danger .

it would take hundreds of years for our planet to recover if ever, hundreds of thousands would die with the fall out
and starvation .

what is the point of fighting a war that no one can win.

lets put all the government people in an arena and let them fight to the death , then shoot the winner .
i think that is the only way we will ever have world peace .

originally posted by: tom.farnhill
a reply to: ScientificRailgun

i don't know about fail safe , its more like fail death because if a nuclear war does break out we will all be in danger .

it would take hundreds of years for our planet to recover if ever, hundreds of thousands would die with the fall out
and starvation .

what is the point of fighting a war that no one can win.

lets put all the government people in an arena and let them fight to the death , then shoot the winner .
i think that is the only way we will ever have world peace .

I agree, in Nuclear War there are no winners, only survivors. And yes, Perimeter is certainly a "fail deadly" system. Like the "Dead Man's Switch" on subway trains, if the operator suddenly dies, the system activates. One case it simply stops a train. In the other we all die.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

"Once it goes silent, duck and cover"

Ummm. The OP was interesting but it seems the conclusion may be over-dooming.
With the stakes so high, there are likely 2-3 workable backups. I believe you mentioned it in the OP.

So let's look at the the buzzer sequence. It can't be the "all clear" because it's too easy to spoof (fake). That is, unless the signal is actually modulated with more information. Just a thought. I'm sure the spooks have been all over this signal.

The alpha-numerics are most likely the all clear and specify when to expect the next transmission. I would expect that the frequency of the codes would indicate the response time of the system and probably the threat level. So if you want to doom on something, see if the codes are coming out every hour or every 5 minutes. Then get worried.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

TY for the extensive explanation,; S&F to you. If these stations are part of their Perimeter system it means that Russia never fell back from its mistrust o the world. Which does not surprise me at all with their good 1,000 year history of constant invasions. (Mongols, Tartars, Napoleon, Hitler and now NATO/IMF/USA/NWO) In a sense it is a good way to know they are up and running. The reactivation of other stations seems to be an indication of Russia telling the "others" not to F*** with them. Makes me feel kind of "safe". If they go silent, - ... well then we know what that means.

originally posted by: InverseLookingGlass
a reply to: ScientificRailgun

"Once it goes silent, duck and cover"

Ummm. The OP was interesting but it seems the conclusion may be over-dooming.
With the stakes so high, there are likely 2-3 workable backups. I believe you mentioned it in the OP.

So let's look at the the buzzer sequence. It can't be the "all clear" because it's too easy to spoof (fake). That is, unless the signal is actually modulated with more information. Just a thought. I'm sure the spooks have been all over this signal.

The alpha-numerics are most likely the all clear and specify when to expect the next transmission. I would expect that the frequency of the codes would indicate the response time of the system and probably the threat level. So if you want to doom on something, see if the codes are coming out every hour or every 5 minutes. Then get worried.

Agreed on there being backups, as you and I mentioned, the are two known sister stations. I'm not trying to get all "doom porn" on ATS, but I do know if I hear UVB-76 go silent, I'll be hella sure to check The Pip and The Squeaky Wheel as well. The voice message that it transmits are actually incredibly rare, only two or three broadcasts from it's discovery until about 2009, when it mysteriously began to transmit more voice messages than usual. Since about 2013 it's been mostly quiet (aside from the usual Buzzer noise.)

originally posted by: tom.farnhill
a reply to: ScientificRailgun
...
lets put all the government people in an arena and let them fight to the death , then shoot the winner .
i think that is the only way we will ever have world peace .

That had been suggested in the book/movie "All quiet on the Western Front". For some reason politicians seem to have never embraced that Idea. I wonder why?
I would suggest that since most "western powers" no longer have the draft and as such use a "professional/volunteer military" the only way to go is to NOT sign up. Hopefully by the end of the year Canada's Harper government is gone and then the border should again be open to all deserters as back in the days of the good ol' Vietnam War.

a reply to: Guenter

i have not seen that film but i am going to look for it now , thanks for the heads up .

so much for me thinking i had an original thought .

originally posted by: Guenter

originally posted by: tom.farnhill
a reply to: ScientificRailgun
...
lets put all the government people in an arena and let them fight to the death , then shoot the winner .
i think that is the only way we will ever have world peace .

That had been suggested in the book/movie "All quiet on the Western Front". For some reason politicians seem to have never embraced that Idea. I wonder why?
I would suggest that since most "western powers" no longer have the draft and as such use a "professional/volunteer military" the only way to go is to NOT sign up. Hopefully by the end of the year Canada's Harper government is gone and then the border should again be open to all deserters as back in the days of the good ol' Vietnam War.

Wouldn't that be a fitting solution? Gather up all the politicians in the world, put them all in an isolated forest somewhere, and host the first "Political Hunger Games". Winner gets a cake. Then shot.

a reply to: Guenter

i know just what you mean , its like when the children are playing in another room and things suddenly go quiet
then you know they are up to some mischief .

For interested parties, you can listen to UVB-76, or just Shortwave radio in general on this Software Driven Shortwave Radio.

Simply go to this page, and you'll see a small box that say "frequency". Type 4625 into that box, and viola, The Buzzer. Depending on weather and time of day, the station doesn't always pick up The Buzzer, so don't freak out if you don't hear anything. Most likely just bad propagation.

a reply to: ScientificRailgunAwesome, informative thread. Thanks for putting this together OP.

I just watched a movie this past weekend called "The Banshee Chapter" (supposedly based on a true story) about these short wave radio frequencies and people who have been tracking them for decades. The movie didn't talk about a military application for these things but it really does make sense.

Things are really escalating with U.S.-Russia and I fear it's only a matter of time before either side makes a move, from which there is no going back. I really hope that isn't so but that is how it is looking about now.

a reply to: FamCore

Thanks for your kind words. I've been a shortwave enthusiast for a number of years, and have a particular fondness for Numbers Stations. I'll have to look up that movie, I'd never heard of it! Thanks for the recommendation.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

I read this a few days ago and thought I would share . "Ten Reasons Why We Should Celebrate the Inevitable Nuclear Holocaust
Our leaders are eager to escalate a conflict that could very easily spiral out of control. So why not embrace the inevitable? www.informationclearinghouse.info...

"Russia has been sending signals that it is not backing off from this conflict, that the situation in Ukraine is too important to its national security. Recent signals of Russia’s resolve include its reformulation of its military doctrine that views NATO expansion into Russia’s neighborhood as the major threat; and the view of US policy in Ukraine as a proxy war against Russia.

While some scholars and journalists point to the possibility, if not inevitability, of the all out war, major news outlets prefer to underreport the depth of the conflict, treating it as something farcical rather than tragic. Maybe the press and politicians have the point? After all, how can a possible war with a nuclear-armed rival be serious? So let’s learn from our political leaders and stop worrying. We might as well die laughing: "

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

This was last march. I don't think you were onboard yet. But it was a good thread.
It was the first I heard of the numbers station.

www.abovetopsecret.com...&mem=

There are many more Numbers Stations throughout the world regions, or known as Enigma identifiers. US Embassies in foreign lands and foreign Embassies use them for secure relayed information reasons. Europe does have quite afew of them. South America's aswell. The Middle East (Isreal). Asia also has there Stations too. Australia also used to use a Numbers Station, It was a USB mode Frequency of 15682.0kHz. Code Name EO3 or Cherry Ripe, however has since been deactivated of since 2009. Now Cherry Ripe or E3/E4 is now located in Guam and now operated by MI6. Not all Numbers or listening stations have anything to do with Nuclear dead man insurance policies. They are purely for randomized speech codes for agents/officers in the field & Embassy relays.

originally posted by: Bigburgh
a reply to: ScientificRailgun

This was last march. I don't think you were onboard yet. But it was a good thread.
It was the first I heard of the numbers station.

www.abovetopsecret.com...&mem=

You're right, that was before my time. I do remember sitting on the edge of my seat when I heard UVB-76 go active right after the Crimea annexation. I do listen to 8992 every so often. They operate out of Andrews Air Force Base in the U.S.

Thanks for the thread link, I've got some reading to do!

a reply to: Bigburgh

That was an excellent thread.
I learned a lot from that one!
Glad you pointed it out so I don't have to go dig for it.

That was the first time I had heard of these stations as well.
Chilling stuff!

originally posted by: AUSTEOReClassified
There are many more Numbers Stations throughout the world regions, or known as Enigma identifiers. US Embassies in foreign lands and foreign Embassies use them for secure relayed information reasons. Europe does have quite afew of them. South America's aswell. The Middle East (Isreal). Asia also has there Stations too. Australia also used to use a Numbers Station, It was a USB mode Frequency of 15682.0kHz. Code Name EO3 or Cherry Ripe, however has since been deactivated of since 2009. Now Cherry Ripe or E3/E4 is now located in Guam and now operated by MI6. Not all Numbers or listening stations have anything to do with Nuclear dead man insurance policies. They are purely for randomized speech codes for agents/officers in the field & Embassy relays.

I may not have been clear in my OP about Numbers Stations. Yes there are multitudes of stations out there, and 90% (or more) of them have nothing to do with impending nuclear holocaust, you are correct. You seem knowledgeable on the subject, since you mention the ENIGMA designations. Thanks for shedding some light on the topic that I may have missed.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

You're welcome. We were all glued then too. I'm glad you put this post together. The timing and the mystery of it all makes my hair stand, as well as many minds here in awe.