NUMBERS STATIONS. Not a relic of the past. Intelligence agencies use shortwave to communicate with spies, agents and assets in the field. Right now. Today. Let’s listen to a few and learn how to tune in from home — for free.
Since World War One, numbers stations have been transmitting coded messages to spies around the world using shortwave radio. And they’re still transmitting right now. We’re going to listen to a few in this episode.
These transmissions sound strange to casual listeners. But to the right set of ears, they contain information that could change the course of history. In fact, numbers stations *have* changed the course of history.
Countless numbers stations are on the air right now — for what purpose, few really know. And the people that *do* know? They aren’t talking. They’re essentially pirate stations — operating illegally. But, nobody shuts them down. And no government acknowledges they even exist.
Let’s find out why.
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CONTENTS
00:00 – Numbers Stations Exist, Listen Now
00:44 – Logo
00:49 – Welcome to The Why Files
01:03 – Shortwave, Tools of Spies
01:42 – The Lincolnshire Poacher, Cyprus
02:14 – Swedish Rhapsody
02:44 – Yosemite Sam Station Located
04:16 – What Are Numbers Stations?
06:19 – Old Technology Still Valid
06:39 – Skywave, Skip Propagation
06:52 – Global Transmission
07:43 – Broadcasts Vary
08:11 – Cherry Pie Number Station
09:13 – Encryption and Codes
09:45 – How a “One Time Pad” Works
11:40 – Illicit Uses of Shortwave
12:25 – Recent Spies Caught
13:27 – Listen to Numbers Stations Online
14:55 – Future of Numbers Stations
15:51 – Thanks for watching!
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LIST OF NUMBERS STATIONS
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php?board=7.0
NUMBERS STATIONS LIVE
https://priyom.org/number-stations/station-schedule
ONLINE TUNERS
http://jp7fso.proxy.kiwisdr.com:8073/?f=17451cw
http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/
MORSE CODE DECODER
https://morsecode.world/international/decoder/audio-decoder-adaptive.html
CONET PROJECT ONLINE
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SOURCES and FURTHER READING
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/15/married-pair-russian-spies-germany
http://www.radioworld.com
http://lifehacker.com/5961035/how-to-listen-to-real-spy-broadcasts-right-now
https://archive.org/details/ird059
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3202088
http://www.salon.com/1999/09/16/numbers_2/
http://users.telenet.be/d.rijmenants/papers/cuban_agent_communications.pdf
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35647-2004Aug2.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20010221161138/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/issues/2001-02-08/kulchur.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24910397
http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/spying_by_numbers/
#urbanlegend #history #espionage #coldwar #mystery
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