Numbers Stations

[DX-300]

What are numbers stations? I hear them all the time but on various HF frequencies, for example I'll tune to say 15.016 on USB and then I'll hear
echo...papa...charlie...tango...charlie...Romeo...on and on for a few seconds or minutes. I've heard that their everything from spy conspiracies to ship beacons, I would just like to have this clarified once and for all if possible.

Happy shortwave listening everyone! 8)

 

[mattcawby]

That was probably an EAM on one of the HF-GCS freqs. EAM info:
http://www.wunclub.com/files/eam.html

 

[remedy44]

http://www.dxtuners.com/servlet/IBMainServlet/?ib_page=113&parent_id=36&iw_language=en

 

[ka3jjz]

What are numbers stations? I hear them all the time but on various HF frequencies, for example I'll tune to say 15.016 on USB and then I'll hear
echo...papa...charlie...tango...charlie...Romeo...on and on for a few seconds or minutes. I've heard that their everything from spy conspiracies to ship beacons, I would just like to have this clarified once and for all if possible.

Happy shortwave listening everyone! 8)

Right on all counts. Some are one way messages to people using one time pads, the single letter stations come mostly from the former Soviet Union and are supposedly propagation beacons (tho most suspect they are triggers for another digital transmission to be broadcast elsewhere). 15016 is indeed a GHFS frequency, so what you heard there was likely a coded message.
In fact, there's quite a group that is devoted to these odd kinds of transmissions. If you go to:

http://www.wunclub.com/newsletter.html

View the latest newsletter, then where it says 'go to column' select
'Numbers and Oddities'. You'll get an eyeful...

Welcome to the dark side of HF :wink:

73s Mike

 

[Guest]

RADIO REFERENCE IS A **** HOLE!

 

[pdtek]

no it ain't...

 

[Guest]

RADIO REFERENCE IS A **** HOLE!

 

[pdtek]

no it ain't...

 

[Guest]

RADIO REFERENCE IS A **** HOLE!