Ok I'm weird. But I've got to ask. Has anyone here run across a Number Station? Anyone know anything about the conet project (other than google spew) Anyone know what I'm talking about???

I haven't heard one recently but I do still here the station that continuously puts out the time pulses on Shortwave.

Yes. The 'Atencion!" signal (traced to Havana) has changed from 5883 to 5890something in the recent past. I run across it occasionally around 6-7 Zulu.

Brett

I hear it in Spanish.

During the late 70's and through the 1980's when I was into tuning utility stations on the Shortwaves -- usually USAF HF and Navy HF comms, as well as maritime mobile comms -- I used to hear the female Spanish numbers station almost every night, or at least every other night.

It would usually appear in one of the sections of the shortwaves allocated to utility stations. The carrier would come on strong for a while, and then you'd hear 'atencion' followed by a number, and then a series of numbers by the female voice in Spanish. I don't recall hearing it during the daytime.

I don't recall hearing it in the early 2000's when I once again took up DXing, but then, I wasn't tuning the utility frequencies. I haven't heard it this time around, either, but then -- like in the early 2000's -- I don't tune the utility bands anymore. When I listen to the SW bands, I mainly tune the 41, 31, 49 and 60 meter bands, as well as the ham bands.

When the military switched around a lot of their comm frequencies in the 90's, and maritime comms started dropping off, I sort of lost interest in utility listening.

They're still around, but certainly not as common as they were. Probably using cellphones now!

5 letter code groups are actually encrypted transmissions and some times made from electro/mechanical encryption devices. Spin offs of the enigma.

The Conet project cds were available free to download a few years ago. Yeah, it's weird but at least there are no commercial interruptions - and they never preach or ask you to send money!
-DS

My son plays the video game Call of Duty - Black Ops which has a lot of references to numbers stations. I haven't heard a numbers station while DXing in a while but I haven't been working the dial as much recently. I'll have to troll around 5890 to see what pops up.

Yes, I have run across a number station. I bought a "1000" there, and then they sent me to the Letter Depot for a Z.

Garret

Search the forum, there are at least 2 other long threads about numbers stations.

I still hear the Spanish female one, all the time on various freqs. Just keep listening and tuning, you will find them.

The Conet Project video on YT is creepy. However, everything on the video is what you can hear.
Search Lincolnshire Poacher Shortwave. I used to hear that a lot too.

Hey All,

Over the years I have heard "the Poacher", Israeli numbers, German numbers and LOTS of Spanish. If I remember correctly, I THINK I have copied some Spanish over the last year or so.

In general the amount of SW "utility" stations seems to have really crashed in recent years.

K

There are still quite a few out there. In the US, even a crystal set (with appropriate amplification) can pick up V2a, the Spanish Lady numbers station (Cuba) in the 49M SW band, as well as M8a (CW). You can also hear Mossad alphanumeric stations, USAF EAMs (Emergency Action Messages), Chinese stations, Korean stations, British stations, Russian stations, etc., but these will require more patience to find (as well as a good rig and antenna).
-Sean