Religion and Number Stations

[ZuMBLe]

What else is there to SWL? I had bought my dad a Eton E5 years ago because I had broken his shortwave radio when I was a kid. He never used the E5 so I repossessed it from him last night. =) I got home, strung up the external wire antenna around my ceiling and heard, whole lotta not much. The strongest stations were the religious stations.

Around 2am EST, I heard a faint signal in the 3mhz range and tried to tune it in. Flipped over the SSB and fine tuned. It turned out to be a female voice reading numbers. This was some SPOOKY stuff. I listened for about 10 minutes then turned the radio off because I felt like I was in a episode of the x-files. =)

What else is there to listen to besides religious stations and number stations?

 

[tracker1962]

ZuMBLe

I recently stumbled upon a website called GlobalTuners.com
I realize that you might want to use your tuner so this may not be for you?
If so, disregard this answer.

GlobalTuners are radios set up around the globe.
You get to use their expensive setups and actually tune the radios on-line.
I decided on this method as it"s fun to do it yourself in your own backyard but this truly opens up the world to me.
My long wire is coming down and my Realistic DX-440 going back into storage.
If interested, check it out.

tracker.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

First off you need a better antenna and get it outside. A simple wire as long as you can make it and as high as you can get it will be like a quantum leap over anything inside around the ceiling. I haven't spent much time on shortwave in the last several years but there are still a lot of broadcasters on the air. Check out this site for links to various broadcasters.

Shortwave broadcasters - Shortwave Radio: Broadcasters

Each site has their own info regarding broadcast times, languages, and target areas. Often even if the USA is not the primary target area, signals can be heard very well so give it a try.

 

[GLR]

The number stations completely fascinate me. Some great information on the internets about their history and use.

 

[Shockwave]

If the numbers stations sound spooky or like an episode of X-Files, it's because use of them is devious and obviously encoded. When you research their use and who they are broadcasting to, it scares me to think who may be doing it next. If you figure out what I mean, don't go run and type it here. Use common sense.

 

[ZuMBLe]

I know where you're going with this but I think the possibility of that on the unlikely side. From what I read, everyone (govts) knows these stations exist and probably know where they are but there is probably a gentleman's agreement to allow all of them to operate. Supposedly, for a effective setup, you need A LOT of power and a huge antenna. If the other people we are talking about start doing this, I wouldn't be surprised if a guided bomb turns the transmitter off.

If the numbers stations sound spooky or like an episode of X-Files, it's because use of them is devious and obviously encoded. When you research their use and who they are broadcasting to, it scares me to think who may be doing it next. If you figure out what I mean, don't go run and type it here. Use common sense.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

The numbers stations have been around since World War One. Stations have been traced to originating from RAF station Akrotiri in Cyprus, Cuba,a Warrenton Virginia military facility,southern Florida, Russia (possibly the same site in Pripyat as the infamous "Russian Woodpecker", as well as others in eastern Europe and US territories.

 

[ZuMBLe]

I'm sure regular people have tried to find these stations. That could be a pretty exciting vacation. My GF would probably disagree though. Haha.

 

[mackmobile43]

What is a "number station"

 

[pro151]

Numbers station - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One theory.

 

[Wire Weasel]

There are also the SW pirates. These are individuals who broadcast "programs" for fun and entertainment. There used to be some highly creative operators who created and aired some extraordinary original comedy material that was some of the funniest stuff you could hear anywhere. Other stations play only their favorite music which I think is boring. You never know what you might hear. I think the main operating frequency is still on and near 6955 and may be AM or USB mostly. The pirates have a website where you can learn all the current info you would need.

The Free radio Network

 

[ZuMBLe]

I was just wondering about pirate radio stations on SW bands last night! Thanks!

There are also the SW pirates. These are individuals who broadcast "programs" for fun and entertainment. There used to be some highly creative operators who created and aired some extraordinary original comedy material that was some of the funniest stuff you could hear anywhere. Other stations play only their favorite music which I think is boring. You never know what you might hear. I think the main operating frequency is still on and near 6955 and may be AM or USB mostly. The pirates have a website where you can learn all the current info you would need.

The Free radio Network