This is a copy of The Numbers Racket CD-ROM, which I prepared back in 1998. I am presenting it here, unedited, for historical purposes. Obviously most if not all of the information is 'out of date' today, but think of it as a snapshot of what the Spy Numbers scene was like in the late 1990s.

Like what you see here? Help support my work by taking a look at my software , and buy something of interest :) It's all available for download before purchase, so you can try it out.

Enjoy!

The Numbers Racket

The Numbers Racket

For several decades now, since at least the 1950's, shortwave listeners have been hearing mysterious transmissions, usually consisting of a voice, often female, reading off a series of numbers. The transmissions last anywhere from just a few minutes up to an hour. They can be heard throughout the day. Transmissions have been known to be repeated, sometimes months after the initial broadcast.

The most generally accepted theory is that these are messages from intelligence agencies to their agents in the field - messages to spies. As a result, these stations have been nicknamed "Spy Numbers Stations".

Numbers Station monitoring is an exciting part of the radio hobby. These stations almost never verify reception reports (although one has!), so collecting QSL cards is not part of the Numbers Station "scene". There are no published schedules, so it is up to listeners to determine the transmitting schedules themselves. Many Numbers Stations enthusiasts have formed a tight-knitted community, to help share information learned about these mysterious stations.

This CD will allow you to explore the mysterious world of Numbers Stations, and listen to dozens of stations from as many intelligence organizations, many of which are no longer in existance. (both the stations and the intelligence organizations!)

Table of Contents

The Basics

  1. Introduction
  2. Why Numbers Stations?
  3. How Are Messages Sent?
  4. Terminology
  5. How To Listen
  6. ENIGMA Classifications
  7. Morse Code Stations
  8. Station Families

The Stations

  1. The Babbler
  2. The Bored Man
  3. Bulgarian Betty
  4. The Buzzer
  5. The Cherry Picker
  6. The Counting Station - The CIA
  7. Cuban Atencion Stations
  8. Czech Drums and Trumpets
  9. Czech Lady
  10. DFC37 and DFD21
  11. Fife Free
  12. Four Note Rising Scale
  13. High Pitch Polytone
  14. KKN50
  15. The Lincolnshire Poacher
  16. Magnetic Fields
  17. MOSSAD - Israeli Intelligence
  18. Mystery Beeper
  19. New Star Broadcasting Station
  20. NNN Station
  21. Oblique
  22. Old Phonetic Alphabet Stations
  23. OLX
  24. The Rasper (LINK-11)
  25. Ready Ready
  26. The Russian Man
  27. The Skylark
  28. Single Letter High Frequency Markers
  29. Six Tone Station
  30. Strich
  31. Swedish Rhapsody
  32. Three Note Oddity
  33. Two Letter Phonetic
  34. Whales / Backwards Music
  35. The Woodpecker
  36. Station YT

The Ende

  1. Parodies of Numbers Stations
  2. The Warrenton Training Center
  3. Other Sources of Information
  4. Language Guide
  5. Bibliography
  6. Havana Moon
  7. Contributors
Copyright 1998 Chris Smolinski. All Rights Reserved.
Last Update: August 31, 1998.

This is a copy of The Numbers Racket CD-ROM, which I prepared back in 1998. I am presenting it here, unedited, for historical purposes. Obviously most if not all of the information is 'out of date' today, but think of it as a snapshot of what the Spy Numbers scene was like in the late 1990s.

Like what you see here? Help support my work by taking a look at my software , and buy something of interest :) It's all available for download before purchase, so you can try it out.