# Who operates those weird "numbers stations" on shortwave radio? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 22, 2007, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980 "2007-03-22T03:23:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/1 "2007-03-22T03:23:28Z")
I remember reading Cecil’s [article](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_330.html) about short wave radio stations broadcasting number codes in one of his books and thinking it was a little disturbing. This article was written 18 years ago. Are these radio stations still broadcasting secret messages? Has anyone decoded what they are sending? ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/2 "2007-03-22T06:39:43Z")
The column has probably already been updated once. The publication date was August of 89’, but Cecil goes on the explain why these stations still exist even after the end of the Cold War, which I believe ended later on the same year of the column. > [@](#): > > Interestingly, the volume of coded message traffic doesn’t seem to have dropped appreciably with the end of the Cold War. I suppose that only makes sense. Even if you were running fewer spies than you used to, you’d keep the code numbers booming out at the same rate so as not to clue the bad guys should you have the need to expand your agent roster in the future. I do agree though, a new update is in order. A lot has changed since the end of the Cold War. In the age of Terrorism and the Patriot Act it would be interesting to learn if the CIA still uses these methods, and maybe even if terror cells can use them as well. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/3 "2007-03-22T06:47:44Z")
Some numbers station sites: > **[Spy Numbers Stations Shortwave Radio](http://www.spynumbers.com/)** > > A resource for information about Shortwave Spy Number Stations [http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/page30.html](http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/page30.html) > **[FreeUK - Customer information](https://www.claranetsoho.co.uk/freeuk)** > > Claranet, one of Europe’s leading managed IT services providers – acquired FreeUK, an ADSL broadband provider. As part of the acquisition we have now decommissioned the FreeUK website and all FreeUK customers will now be supported by the Claranet... ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/4 "2007-03-22T12:56:56Z")
I’d never heard of these before! Fascinating. Ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/5 "2007-03-23T13:00:38Z")
For some reason, I want want to start one of these stations, and broadcast a group of numbers that, when decoded, would read: "one, two, three, four, five … " ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/6 "2007-03-23T22:12:45Z")
Check out this place, The Conet Project collected these for a long time. You can also order 4 CD sets of recordings You can listen to stations online or download MP3 ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2007, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/7 "2007-03-24T03:39:42Z")
[QUOTE=lawoot] For some reason, I want want to start one of these stations, and broadcast a group of numbers that, when decoded, would read: "one, two, three, four, five … " [/QUOTE] “four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty three, forty two …” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/8 "2007-03-24T04:12:00Z")
A guy at work had a Ham Station and tuned one in for me once. Very creepy in many ways. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2007, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/9 "2007-03-25T06:24:58Z")
Heard it myself some years ago an emotionless male American voice sounding like the harbinger of doom and clear as a bell. There were letters as well as numbers in the code as I recall. We were told at the time that it was something to do with the U.S. nuclear strike programme(U.S. program)I always assumed that it was being transmitted to or from American air bases in Britain. ---
**Author:** ![funkychuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@funkychuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funkychuck)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/10 "2007-03-29T20:47:44Z")
I just posted something on this in the general discussion thread (sorry; noob) anyway, I’ve heard a numbers station in South Carolina that doesn’t actually broadcast numbers, just electronic chatter like a broken Atari. It’s really creepy. Then I made the mistake of heading further down the rabbit hole and clicking on the first link in Queen Bruin’s post. He makes mention of a Yosemite Sam numbers station first picked up in 2005; I remember hearing it during a brief experimentation with CB radio back in 1996. Spooky. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-operates-those-weird-numbers-stations-on-shortwave-radio/396980/11 "2007-03-29T21:32:43Z")
[QUOTE=funkychuck] I just posted something on this in the general discussion thread (sorry; noob) anyway, I’ve heard a numbers station in South Carolina that doesn’t actually broadcast numbers, just electronic chatter like a broken Atari. It’s really creepy. [/QUOTE] Sounds like it good be a [packet radio](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_radio) link.