{"id":30374,"date":"2018-01-18T22:05:45","date_gmt":"2018-01-19T02:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=30374"},"modified":"2018-01-18T22:05:45","modified_gmt":"2018-01-19T02:05:45","slug":"going-by-the-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/going-by-the-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Going By the Numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>For those who follow numbers stations or, like me, enjoy seeing articles about numbers stations, below are a few paragraphs from a recent article in Radio World<\/strong> <\/em><\/a>by author James Careless:<\/p>\n

\u201c6-7-9-2-6. 5-6-9-9-0.\u201d Tune across the shortwave bands (above AM\/MW), and chances are you will come across a \u201cnumbers station.\u201d There\u2019s no programming to speak of; just a mechanical-sounding voice (male or female) methodically announcing seemingly random groups of single digit numbers for minutes on end.<\/p>\n

Congratulations! You are now officially a spy-catcher, to the extent that you may have tuned into a spy agency\u2019s \u201cnumbers station\u201d transmitting one-way instructions to their minions worldwide.<\/p>\n

Numbers stations are unidentified radio broadcasts that consist usually of a mechanical voice \u201creading out strings of seemingly random numbers,\u201d explained Lewis Bush, author of \u201cShadows of the State<\/a>\u201d a new history of numbers stations and the spies who run them. \u201cThese are sometimes accompanied by music, tones or other sound effects.\u201d He said. \u201cThere are also related stations broadcasting in Morse Code and digital modes.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The article goes into some of the history of numbers stations, but also talks about modern stations from all over the world. A worthwhile read for those so interested!<\/p>\n

Do Shortwave \u2018Numbers Stations\u2019 Really Instruct Spies?<\/a><\/p>\n

Cheers! Robert AK3Q<\/p>\n

Robert Gulley, AK3Q,\u00a0is the author of this post and a regular contributor<\/a> to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs<\/em>\u00a0at All Things Radio<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For those who follow numbers stations or, like me, enjoy seeing articles about numbers stations, below are a few paragraphs from a recent article in Radio World by author James Careless: \u201c6-7-9-2-6. 5-6-9-9-0.\u201d Tune across the shortwave bands (above AM\/MW), and chances are you will come across a \u201cnumbers station.\u201d There\u2019s no programming to speak […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"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":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,869,3,172,43],"tags":[4109,4088,34],"class_list":["post-30374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-clandestine","category-news","category-numbers-stations","category-shortwave-radio","tag-clandestine","tag-numbers-stations","tag-shortwave"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-7TU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10770,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/numbers-stations-featured-in-highbrow-magazine\/","url_meta":{"origin":30374,"position":0},"title":"Numbers stations featured in Highbrow Magazine","author":"Thomas","date":"September 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post reader, Richard Cuff, who shares this link to a numbers station piece in Highbrow Magazine; one of the more comprehensive numbers station articles I've read in a while. Here's an excerpt: \"Many nights, Spooks turn on their shortwave radios and drift through the frequencies. On any\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"towers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/grimetonbandw-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":781,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2010\/07\/npr-explores-numbers-stations\/","url_meta":{"origin":30374,"position":1},"title":"NPR Explores Numbers Stations","author":"Thomas","date":"July 18, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This weekend, NPR's Guy Raz interviewed\u00a0Mark Stout, the official historian at the International Spy Museum. Their topic? Numbers stations. Click hear to go to NPR's webpage, listen and\/or read the full transcript. You can also download an MP3 audio file of the report by clicking here. For even more numbers\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\/2010\/07\/npr_logo.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5758,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/numbers-stations-stranger-than-fiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":30374,"position":2},"title":"Numbers stations: stranger than fiction","author":"Thomas","date":"February 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"More mentions of numbers stations in the popular press, thanks to the new movie, The Numbers Station. Hat tip to SWLing Post reader, HK: (Source: Reelz.com) [...]If you ever find yourself wishing your life was filled with a little more mystery, a little more excitement, save up thirty dollars and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"towers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/grimetonbandw-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5575,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/shortwave-radio-recordings-listen-to-cuban-spy-numbers-station-hm01\/","url_meta":{"origin":30374,"position":3},"title":"Shortwave Radio Recordings: Listen to Cuban Spy Numbers Station HM01","author":"Thomas","date":"February 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Numbers stations have always been a dark oddity that pop up from time-to-time in the course of shortwave radio listening. There is unquestionably an air of mystery and intrigue which surrounds them.\u00a0With the release of the movie The Numbers Station, many non-SWLers may be enticed to explore the HF bands.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WFL_015","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/CubanFlag-300x202.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":447,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2009\/11\/david-goren-explores-numbers-stations\/","url_meta":{"origin":30374,"position":4},"title":"David Goren Explores Numbers Stations","author":"Thomas","date":"November 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"September, 22 2011: Out of SWLing Post archives--David Goren Explores Numbers Stations: David Goren, independent radio producer and shortwave enthusiast, has produced a radio documentary about numbers stations for The Lost and Found Sound Series. It has been recently picked up by L.A. Theatre Works. What are numbers stations?\u00a0 I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"towers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/grimetonbandw-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5614,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/finally-the-official-trailer-for-the-movie-the-numbers-station-with-john-cusack-and-malin-akerman\/","url_meta":{"origin":30374,"position":5},"title":"Finally: Official trailer for the movie The Numbers Station with John Cusack and Malin Akerman","author":"Thomas","date":"February 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The long-awaited trailer for the new movie, The Numbers Station: We first mentioned the The Numbers Station\u00a0in 2011, when it was still being filmed. In this film, John Cusack's character, Emerson, has been given\u00a0the task of protecting Katherine (Malin Akerman), the operator of a shortwave numbers station that broadcasts encrypted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30374","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\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30374\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}