Numbers Stations
Puzzles June 4th, 2006
Numbers stations are shortwave radio stations that are heard from time to time transmitting strings of numbers. The broadcasts typically start out with music or a series of tones to identify the station, then a string of spoken numbers that make up a coded message. The intended recipient is usually unknown, but it is assumed that most of them are meant for spies. Most of these messages go undeciphered.
The voice that speaks the message can be male or female, or even that of a child. The messages sometimes have an eerie mechanical sound due to the way separate recordings of each digit are strung together. Examples of numbers station messages can be found in the movie Vanilla Sky and the television show Lost.
Numbers stations have been in operation for more than 30 years. The fact that these stations continue to operate at such high-power, often interrupting other services, without being shut down leads many people to believe that they are operated by the government. The government, however, denies any involvement.
Some of the messages have been decoded, but most have not. The messages are usually encrypted with a “one-time pad“, which means that each letter is converted to a number then added to a number on a random key (the pad). As long as each pad is truly random and is not used more than once, the code is considered unbreakable.
If you are interested in listening to some of these messages, irdial.com has a four-cd set of numbers station recordings available for purchase or download. They have also issued a set of challenges if you want to take a crack at deciphering some of the messages yourself.
More information about numbers stations can be found here.
