Numbers Stations Moving From SW to VoIP

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gcgrotz

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Interesting... some of my earliest memories of shortwave are numbers stations, we're talking mid-sixties here...

I never heard one like that with what appears to be computer sampled voices, i.e. each number is a different voice. Even the newest loggings of computerized voice have the same voice for each number. Many of them are actually read, sometimes with background noises etc. The Cuban "parrot" incident comes to mind,

Speaking of Cuba, a few years ago a CIA agent in FL was arrested for spying for Cuba. She had a shortwave radio and on her laptop was a file of a Cuban numbers broadcast that the FBI had monitored and recorded earlier. They are most likely decoded with a "one-time pad".

The Cubans sometimes seem to use the same transmitters as their shortwave service, with numbers coming shortly after Radio Havana closes, some with the same hum on the audio, and the one with the parrot in the background.

About 10 years ago some monitors traced some transmissions to the CIA station in VA at Vint Hill Farms by parking just outside and monitoring the S9+60 signal when it came up. That site is now the new FAA Potomac Center ARTCC and approach for all of DC area from Balto to Richmond.

Like I said, interesting...
 

kb2vxa

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Sounds like crapola to me, using VoIP serves no useful purpose when text messaging is far more expedient. In any case the connection is easily broken, the CIA won't put up with it any more than the RIAA did with P2P file sharing.

Oh, the US never operates SW jammers, that's uncivilized, only the Commies do that. Then again the VOA has shown up on the frequencies used by domestic SW broadcasters, that's odd, only the Commies do that. (;->)
 

kb2vxa

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Don't forget K2VOA, the callsign of the Piscataway (NJ) Amateur Radio Club, PARC. "CQ FD de Kilowatt Two Voice of America..."

Oh Nexus, did you REALLY have to give the URL for the Voice of American Imperialist Propaganda? (;->)
 

bobbybeachbum

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While I think this may be true, I don't think VOIP will ever completely replace HF for clandestine purposes for the same reasons the Net can't replace SW broadcasting. Some of the remote target areas, for example rural Central or South America probably won't have reliable power, internet or cell phone coverage for a while.
 

bobbybeachbum

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kb2vxa said:
Bobby, I can just picture a bunch of naked tribesmen running around the Amazon Basin or Paupua with cell phones! (;->)

Warren, I'm not sure that's too far off. When I spent some time in the Philippines 20 years ago all the local kids would congregate outside our screen door to watch the TV since it was the only one in the barrio. Now a lot of their own kids have cell phones!
 

kb2vxa

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Bobby, the Philipenes aren't that far from Papua so maybe the Mauri can put up a big antenna, BUT there's still the Amazon. Then too "Ah say, ah say that was a JOKE son!" or are you too young to remember Allen's Alley? (;->) Oh, if they keep cutting down trees those fake cell towers will look more out of place than usual.

(Don't reply, I only get worse.)

CP, where are you in relation to the transmitter site? If there is one there it's news to me, Delano CA is primary since Bethany OH is long gone and I'm not sure if Greenville NC is still in operation. When I was young they had one in Bound Brook NJ and every time I passed along Rte. 22 in front of that huge log periodic the car radio nearly jumped out of the dash board. Then too you may be near a relay, this could get interesting.

Now what was that about VoIP? Oh, now I remember. The VOA like them all streams audio on the Net but it'll not replace megawatts of RF on shortwave. Hmmm, seems this thread started with numbers stations but since they use the same transmitters they're not going away any time soon either.
 

ffexpCP

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kb2vxa said:
CP, where are you in relation to the transmitter site? If there is one there it's news to me, Delano CA is primary since Bethany OH is long gone and I'm not sure if Greenville NC is still in operation. When I was young they had one in Bound Brook NJ and every time I passed along Rte. 22 in front of that huge log periodic the car radio nearly jumped out of the dash board. Then too you may be near a relay, this could get interesting.

I have no idea. I don't hear it all the time, seems some times of year are worse than others.
 
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