Xref: utzoo rec.ham-radio:14963 sci.crypt:2465 sci.electronics:8599 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!HAVANAMOON From: HAVANAMOON@cup.portal.com (Havana - Moon) Newsgroups: rec.ham-radio,sci.crypt,sci.electronics Subject: Re: Spy numbers transmissions Message-ID: <24033@cup.portal.com> Date: 14 Nov 89 01:37:48 GMT References: <23733@cup.portal.com> <28978@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <16746@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> Distribution: usa,world Organization: The Portal System (TM) Lines: 38 "Spy Numbers Transmissions" are a shortwave oddity which have been around for the last 25 years. They are commonly heard in English, German, Spanish and the Slavic languages and take the form of four and five digit groups of numbers which are preceded by a three digit "identifier" and "group count". They are generally broadcast by a mechanical-sounding female voice, although Morse code (CW) "cut number" transmissions are also frequently reported. The who, where and why aspects of these transmissions are, for the most part, unknown. Their mysterious nature has resulted in their common characterization as 'spy' trans- missions. The spy theory has been enhanced over the years by the FCC's inconsistent position in response to numerous inquiries by the Shortwave Listening community. If you've never heard a numbers transmission, tune your radio to 11468 kHz any Saturday at 4pm EST (2100 UTC). You'll almost certainly hear a 'classic' numbers transmission which will run from 15-30 minutes. The signal from this Saturday transmission is very powerful and can be heard across the United States. If you're interested in additional information, I've written two books on the subject - "Uno, Dos, Cuatro: A Guide to the Numbers Stations" and "Los Numeros: The Numbers Stations Guide" both are available through Tiare Publications, Department P/U, Box 493, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. Numbers continue to fascinate the Shortwave Listening community. There are a number of other publications which detail this topic on a regular basis. If you'd like to know more, let me know. Havana Moon