Secret Agent Radio: “Number Stations”
Occassionally, I’ll read a story on the Internet that grabs my attention. This story about coded messages being transmitted to spies was one such article. Does that sound interesting to you too? Well, go have a look, then come back and we’ll carry on.
Ok, read that? Good. To sum it up, coded messages are broadcast on obscure AM radio frequencies to real spies out in the field. They’re indecipherable to you and me, but for the intended secret agent, they are top secret mission instructions or perhaps life saving warnings.
To be honest, I thought this type of communication died out long ago. Maybe I’m naive, but I had no idea that it’s still going strong today, so I just had to have a listen for myself…
I did have a minor problem though - I am somewhat lacking when it comes to actually owning a decent radio. Fortunately, online AM radios exist and DX Tuners came to the rescue. You can use their “Demo Receiver” to tune into whichever AM radio channel you like (providing that you’re the only person trying to use it at the time that is) and hear these Number Stations for yourself.
It’s surprisingly easy to listen to secret agencies around the World. The clearest I found is the MI6 Lincolnshire Poacher transmission (11545 kHz). I recorded a couple of clips of it (I’m sad like that):
The first clip is of the tune “Lincolnshire Poacher” which is repeated a few times, followed by “98385″ also repeated multiple times. I can only imagine the tune is played to make it easy for agents to find the frequency, and “98385″ is the callsign/location of the agent the message is intended for.
The second one is a snippet of the actual “code”. Cool huh? I reckon it probably translates to something like: ”Agent 98385, please call your Mum. She says you’ve forgotten to take your sandwiches to the secret underground lair…”
You can even see the RAF base the Lincolnshire Poacher is supposedly broadcast from too.
I also managed to snag a couple of clips of Israeli Mossad channels. Similar drill, but alas no groovy music and this time using the phonetic alphabet. Agent call sign first, followed by the actual coded message.
There are a few decent sites on the Internet about Number Stations, so if you’re looking for a bit of further reading/listening, the Conet Project might be a good start.
So it seems international esponiage is alive and kicking and being broadcast across the airwaves at this very moment (for you and me to eavesdrop on). Scary, isn’t it? Let me know if you find anything worth listening to or any more good information…
Happy New Year.
January 2nd, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Ooooh spooky…get it, spooky, ha ha…oh never mind!
January 2nd, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Yes, very good!
Just noticed that there’s a few bits and bobs on Youtube about Number Stations, so I’ll have to have a look later and see if there are any more interesting morsels there.
Might even have to buy myself a proper radio…