image source: Shortwave Espionage
Numbers Stations are short wave radio stations that feature mysterious broadcasts of mechanical voices reciting strings of seemingly random numbers, clips from songs, buzzing noises & more. Their purpose is unknown, though it is suspected that they serve as a relay for encrypted messages to later be decoded by intelligence agents using one time pads.
After reading the Wired article on UVB-76, I've spent the evening going from one link to another, gathering my favorites below.
Inside the Russian Short Wave Radio Enigma An article by Peter Savodnik from Wired on UVB-76, a disputed number station-like oddity from Russia that has been broadcasting for decades. It has developed a world wide cult of listeners, along w/ numerous theories on its purpose.
http://uvb-76.net/ A blog which hosts an audio feed & archive of the station from the Wired article.Lincolnshire Poacher Wikipedia page on a now defunct numbers station believed to have been run by the British Secret Intelligence Service.
Profile of the Lincolnshire Poacher A BBC Radio 4 program on number stations in general, w/ a focus on the Licolnshire Poacher.
The Conet Project A great set of recordings of number stations via archive.org. These brought more awareness to numbers stations after being sampled on Wilco's 2001 record Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
Shortwave Espionage A mother lode of photographs, articles & links pertaining to numbers stations & espionage.
