{"id":15792,"date":"2015-11-26T08:22:18","date_gmt":"2015-11-26T12:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=15792"},"modified":"2015-11-26T08:22:18","modified_gmt":"2015-11-26T12:22:18","slug":"hackaday-recounts-an-an-unlikely-radio-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/hackaday-recounts-an-an-unlikely-radio-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Hackaday recounts an “An Unlikely Radio Story”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> reader,\u00a0Michael Letterle<\/a>, who shares this story from the excellent website Hackaday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The following is an excerpt from Swans, Pigs, and the CIA: An Ulikey Radio Story<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n

Shortwave radio is boring, right? Maybe not. You never know what intrigue and excitement you might intercept. We recently covered secret number stations, and while no one knows for sure exactly what their purpose is, it is almost surely involving cloaks and daggers. However, there\u2019s been some more obvious espionage radio, like Radio Swan.<\/p>\n

The swan didn\u2019t refer to the animal, but rather an island just off of Honduras that, until 1972, was disputed between Honduras and the United States. The island got its name\u2013reportedly\u2013because it was used as a base for a pirate named Swan in the 17th century. This island also had a long history of use by the United States government. The Department of Agriculture used it to quarantine imported beef and a variety of government departments had weather stations there.<\/p>\n

…[T]he most famous occupant of Swan Island was Radio Swan which broadcast on the AM radio band and shortwave. The station was owned by the Gibraltar Steamship Company with offices on Fifth Avenue in New York. Oddly, though, the company didn\u2019t actually have any steamships. What it did have was some radio transmitters that had been used by Radio Free Europe and brought to the island by the United States Navy. Did I mention that the Gibraltar Steamship Company was actually a front for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)?<\/p>\n

Read the full story on HackADay…<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader,\u00a0Michael Letterle, who shares this story from the excellent website Hackaday. The following is an excerpt from Swans, Pigs, and the CIA: An Ulikey Radio Story: Shortwave radio is boring, right? Maybe not. You never know what intrigue and excitement you might intercept. We recently covered secret number stations, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,172,288,43],"tags":[3354,4088,4440,4441],"class_list":["post-15792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-numbers-stations","category-radio-history","category-shortwave-radio","tag-hackaday","tag-numbers-stations","tag-radio-swan","tag-swan-island"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-46I","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15374,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/hackaday-secret-radio-stations-by-the-numbers\/","url_meta":{"origin":15792,"position":0},"title":"Hackaday: “Secret Radio Stations by the Numbers”","author":"Thomas","date":"October 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Hackaday via Andrea Borgnino) One thing has stayed with the James Bond movie franchise through the decades: Mr. Bond always has the most wonderful of gadgets. Be it handheld, car-based, or otherwise, there\u2019s always something to thrill that is mostly believable. The biggest problem with all of those gadgets\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63912,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/09\/noise-reduction-ideas-via-hackaday-electronics-unmessed\/","url_meta":{"origin":15792,"position":1},"title":"Noise-Reduction Ideas via Hackaday & Electronics Unmessed","author":"Thomas","date":"September 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura for sharing this excellent Hackaday feature: Quieting That Radio. If you\u2019ve ever struggled to hear weak signals through modern RFI, this piece, featuring content from Electronics Unmessed, is well worth checking out. It explores the hidden interference SDR setups often face and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Digital-Modes-e1482065447566.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Digital-Modes-e1482065447566.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Digital-Modes-e1482065447566.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Digital-Modes-e1482065447566.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33268,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/my-radio-spectrum-archive-hope-xii-presentation-on-hackaday\/","url_meta":{"origin":15792,"position":2},"title":"My Radio Spectrum Archive HOPE XII presentation on Hackaday","author":"Thomas","date":"July 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Wow! Thank you, Hackaday: HOPE XII: TIME TRAVEL WITH SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO by: Tom Nardi It\u2019s easy to dismiss radio as little more than background noise while we drive. At worst you might even think it\u2019s just another method for advertisers to peddle their wares. But in reality it\u2019s a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/timeradio_feat.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/timeradio_feat.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/timeradio_feat.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/timeradio_feat.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43684,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/credit-card-crystal-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":15792,"position":3},"title":"Credit Card Crystal Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"June 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Evans, who shares this article from Hackaday that highlights a crystal radio built completely on a smart chip credit card by Billy Cheung. Hackaday notes: This is possible because the smart chip on many credit cards contains a diode. It\u2019s then a simple\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/crystal-radio-credit-card-e1591183584962.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/crystal-radio-credit-card-e1591183584962.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/crystal-radio-credit-card-e1591183584962.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/crystal-radio-credit-card-e1591183584962.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56460,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/radio-waves-gen-tojos-teeth-city-radio-review-wearable-cw-trainer-sister-boniface-and-we-are-broadcasters-oppose-tax\/","url_meta":{"origin":15792,"position":4},"title":"Radio Waves: Gen Tojo\u2019s Teeth, City Radio Review, Wearable CW Trainer, Sister Boniface, and “We Are Broadcasters” Oppose Tax","author":"Thomas","date":"April 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura and Harry Dence for the following tips: Gen Tojo\u2019s Teeth: Morse Code\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/CCrane-CCRadio3-AM-dial-Backlit.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/CCrane-CCRadio3-AM-dial-Backlit.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/CCrane-CCRadio3-AM-dial-Backlit.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/CCrane-CCRadio3-AM-dial-Backlit.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57865,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/radio-waves-the-discovery-dish-pre-launch-china-radio-international-hackaday-prize-and-baseball-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":15792,"position":5},"title":"Radio Waves: The Discovery Dish Pre-Launch, China Radio International, Hackaday Prize, and Baseball Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"October 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura and Ulis (K3LU) for the following tips: Discovery Dish Pre-launch: A Lightweight\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15792\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}