Category Archives: Numbers Stations

A Mystery Signal and a Fast Answer from UDXF

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who write:

Hi Thomas

I still have a tendency to scan the utility frequencies from time to time, much as I did over 50 years ago. Now, though, I can listen in through the various Kiwi SDR receivers scattered around the globe. Having obtained my amateur ticket in 1974, I got a lot of practice copying the CW repeating “markers”, especially those in the maritime bands.

Recently, on March 20 at 1821 UTC, to be exact, I came across a CW signal repeating the same message over and over on 6839 kHz, while tuning my friend Ken’s Kiwi SDR in Northern Thailand. The text read: VVV Q2M Q2M Q2M de NYZ NYZ

At first, I thought NYZ might be some kind of U.S. military callsign, but I decided to confer with an expert, Ary Boender, at the UDXF in the Netherlands. My e-mail was sent out at 10:57 am local time, and by 11:02 I had my answer! And not at all what I expected.

Ary writes:

This is a Chinese military station, Enigma designator M89.
Here is some info about it https://www.numbersoddities.nl/Chinese-military-nets.pdf
Also related is: https://www.numbersoddities.nl/M89-profile.pdf

My thanks to Ary and the UDXF, the Utility DXer’s Forum. This is a very useful site and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Utility DXing. Check it out here:
https://www.udxf.nl/index.html

Dan Greenall, Ontario, Canada

New Persian Numbers Station Surfaces After U.S. Attacks Iran

6 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Paul Jamet who shares this article from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty about a Persian-language numbers station that has recently appeared on shortwave:

https://www.rferl.org/a/mystery-numbers-station-persian-signal-iran-war/33700659.html

Long-time shortwave listeners know that numbers stations often seem to surface during periods of geopolitical tension. With the recent U.S. attack on Iran drawing global attention, it’s not surprising that this signal has also caught the eye of the press. Whether or not it’s connected to intelligence activity, it’s a reminder that shortwave radio still quietly plays a role in the background of world events.

New Farsi Numbers Station Reported on 7910 kHz

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Cuff, who shares an article from Seth Hettena’s Substack about the appearance of a new shortwave numbers station believed to be broadcasting in Farsi. Numbers stations–mysterious broadcasts that read sequences of numbers–have long been associated with intelligence agencies communicating with field operatives using unbreakable one-time pad encryption. According to the report, this new signal first appeared around the time of recent military strikes involving Iran and has been heard on 7910 kHz. One of our readers reported hearing it around 2:15 UTC recently.

If you capture a recording of this numbers station, please reach out as I would like to add it to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. Thank you!

UVB-76 Plays “Swan Lake” and Transmits Cryptic Codes, Fueling Speculation

1 Reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Fred Waterer, for sharing this article highlighting unusual activity from Russia’s shortwave station UVB-76, sometimes known among shortwave listeners as “The Buzzer.” Known for its continuous buzzing and occasional coded voice messages, the station recently broke pattern by playing music–including Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake–and transmitting atypical sounds alongside cryptic codes, sparking speculation about the source and meaning of the broadcast.

Read the full article by clicking here.

“Old-school static wins the spy wars”

4 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Cuff, who shares this Komando.com piece on how old-school shortwave number stations remain active in espionage. Intelligence services — notably Russia — still send coded beeps and voice-read numbers using one-time pads because radio is simple, anonymous, and hard to trace.

Sure, we’re all shortwave enthusiasts and many of us grew up with number stations abound, but it’s always great to see popular websites pick up on this. Read the full article on Komando.com.

Join Us: Become a Contributor for the SWLing Post!

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The SWLing Post has been online since 2008, and over the years, I’ve seen our readership grow into a vibrant, international community of radio enthusiasts who support each other.

From the beginning, my goal for the SWLing Post has never been to focus on me, but rather to highlight the diverse ways people enjoy radio and to share news about international broadcasting. To achieve this, I’ve invited select individuals to contribute as guest writers and provided them with accounts to post their own content.

As our community has expanded, I want to open the door even wider and invite more of you to contribute directly to the SWLing Post. This will help alleviate the bottleneck of getting timely information out, especially as I am currently in one of the busiest stages of my life.

If you’re interested in receiving a volunteer contributor account, which will allow you to create and submit posts for approval and publication by me or one of our editors, please contact me via email or leave a comment on this post.

To qualify for a contributor account, please note the following requirements:

Community Involvement: We prefer to see that you’ve been an active, long-standing member of our community by commenting on posts. If you’re new to us, we will first need to review and post your contributions before granting you an account. This is due to the high volume of spam guest post requests we receive—often dozens each week.

Comfort with WordPress: You should be comfortable creating posts in WordPress, the platform we use for the SWLing Post. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to train individuals on WordPress, but numerous tutorials are available since it’s the most popular blogging platform in the world.

We are looking for original content that reflects the genuine spirit and kindness of our community. Our goal is to ensure that contributions are not only informative and engaging but also embody the warmth and enthusiasm that characterize our shared love for radio. As long as your content is respectful, informative, and true to the spirit of radio enjoyment, it will align with our standards and be a valuable addition to the SWLing Post.

If you’re interested, please comment on this post or email me directly, and I will get back to you via email.

Thank you!

Thomas Witherspoon (K4SWL)

Cuban Numbers Station HM01 Goes Cuckoo! And Other Cuban Broadcast “Shenanigans”…

9 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Madtone, who shares the following recording of Cuban Numbers Station HM01 and notes:

Hi Thomas,

I was reading HF Underground earlier and a post on it mentioned that HM01 had gone a bit mad “10345 kHz is HM01 Cuban Lady with what sounds like a cuckoo clock“. Well I got up straight away and tuned in on VE7AV KiwiSDR and here it is in all it’s glory:

It almost sounds a bit reggaeish and even has what sounds like a little drum roll in parts.

If you’re feeling a bit down or tired today please have a listen as this’ll cheer you up!

All the best

Pete

Wow–thanks for sharing this recording with us, Pete! What a mystery behind this numbers station! Was the cuckoo intentionally or unintentionally added to the audio at the studio or transmitter level? What could that signify? Since the audio is tracking with the HM01 broadcast, it seems to be originating from the same transmitter.

Perhaps this adds more context or confusion: SWLing Post contributor Paul Walker has noted a number of audio “shenanigans” from Cuban broadcasts. Here are a few notes from his listening post in Alaska:

0320UTC Mon Aug 28 and Cuba is missing from 9700 for the 2nd time in a week, but instead of regular programming they’re broadcasting a horror movie of some kind. I can detect some kind of noise under the movie but it’s like a screech/hum, which is all I heard from 9700 last time it was on.
I should also add, after the first time i heard 9700 down on 9600, I subsequently heard it back on 9700 again…..so something’s up!
And now HM01 aka Suzie Cubana on 10345 is broadcasting……. along with Suzie counting down the numbers and the digital data bursts, theres a cuckoo bird cuckooing over the top of that audio.
In the 0500 UTC, Rebelde on 5025 kHz noted running TV audio too….some English language movie.
The domestic Radio Rebelde AM and FM web feeds appear to be running normal programming

What do you think is going on?