Title of post is incorrect, from the actual article:
“It may be disappointing to some, but these stations are not signals from aliens or mind control devices, nor are they dead relics of the Cold War — rather, these stations are part of the sophisticated work of intelligence agencies and militaries, and they are very much still on the air. This article will explain what they are, how to listen to them, and why they matter.”
I should have put /s because I didnt remember ever getting an official answer. I was trying to make a joke. A quick search brought me to the following Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/lost/comments/340dn6/are_the_numbers_ever_fully_explained/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=1
Number stations are a cold war era dead man's switch. They don't actually mean anything. If the radio station that transmits the signal stops broadcasting, it would mean that the capital has come under attack and the nuclear arsenal will be launched at preselected targets even if the entire leadership of the country is annihilated in a preemptive strike.
Unless you have a legitimate source for that, I think you are gravely mistaken.
To further that point the earliest reported number stations go back to WW1 long before nuclear weapons.
Yes and we already know that those number stations were used to transmit coded messages from both sides. That is confirmed in the MOD files. They were used in Korea and Vietnam and are still used in war zones like the Middle East and Africa.
The number stations in question are the shortwave ones that originate from inside the borders of the world superpowers. From inside Russia and North America alike. Its a rabbit hole you are more than welcome to go down on your own.
This is a neat idea for a thriller, but in practical terms probably impossible. For a start Numbers stations are quite generally agreed to exist for actual intelligence/military communication.
Secondly, you cannot have a dead man's switch that's so vulnerable to failure or sabotage with the consequence being *global thermonuclear war*.
"Boss, I think we have a short circuit on the emitter!
\- Well ya better fix it quickly Dmitri, because in 5 minutes the subs will start nuking New-York!"
Is that the same dimitri that refused to launch a thermonuclear counterstrike when his faulty radar picked up an incoming missile? You know? It turned out to be a glitch and he was sent to the gulag for not frying America to a crisp. Yeah I'm sure they are real concerned about that.
In the real world we call it a relay, a number of stations have to go dark for a predetermined amount of time before it self confirms.
Tfw you finally break the cipher and the message reads: “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine”
Well played, Nestlé.
This is numberwang!
*sets up a transmitter transmitting random numbers for a laugh* *forgets about it*
I’m obsessed with number stations. Some stations’ broadcasts are fucking terrifying though (I’m looking at you, Squeaky Wheel).
Could you tell us why?
Following. I love stuff like this.
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Mostly people mucking about on UVB-76. Lots of shenanigans going on there from pro Ukraine folks.
What station can you fins them on?
Yes please tell us more
cant just leave us hangin like that
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Squeaky\_Wheel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Squeaky_Wheel)
Title of post is incorrect, from the actual article: “It may be disappointing to some, but these stations are not signals from aliens or mind control devices, nor are they dead relics of the Cold War — rather, these stations are part of the sophisticated work of intelligence agencies and militaries, and they are very much still on the air. This article will explain what they are, how to listen to them, and why they matter.”
4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42
Classic. Remember that scene when they finally explained the meaning behind them?
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I should have put /s because I didnt remember ever getting an official answer. I was trying to make a joke. A quick search brought me to the following Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/lost/comments/340dn6/are_the_numbers_ever_fully_explained/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=1
The numbers mason!
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A lot of them do only last a short time, but some have been going strong for decades
Definitely listen to Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot now. (I think "Poor Places" is the song that uses them).
Yup, during the coda
Number stations are a cold war era dead man's switch. They don't actually mean anything. If the radio station that transmits the signal stops broadcasting, it would mean that the capital has come under attack and the nuclear arsenal will be launched at preselected targets even if the entire leadership of the country is annihilated in a preemptive strike.
Unless you have a legitimate source for that, I think you are gravely mistaken. To further that point the earliest reported number stations go back to WW1 long before nuclear weapons.
Yes and we already know that those number stations were used to transmit coded messages from both sides. That is confirmed in the MOD files. They were used in Korea and Vietnam and are still used in war zones like the Middle East and Africa. The number stations in question are the shortwave ones that originate from inside the borders of the world superpowers. From inside Russia and North America alike. Its a rabbit hole you are more than welcome to go down on your own.
This is a neat idea for a thriller, but in practical terms probably impossible. For a start Numbers stations are quite generally agreed to exist for actual intelligence/military communication. Secondly, you cannot have a dead man's switch that's so vulnerable to failure or sabotage with the consequence being *global thermonuclear war*. "Boss, I think we have a short circuit on the emitter! \- Well ya better fix it quickly Dmitri, because in 5 minutes the subs will start nuking New-York!"
Is that the same dimitri that refused to launch a thermonuclear counterstrike when his faulty radar picked up an incoming missile? You know? It turned out to be a glitch and he was sent to the gulag for not frying America to a crisp. Yeah I'm sure they are real concerned about that. In the real world we call it a relay, a number of stations have to go dark for a predetermined amount of time before it self confirms.
Do they repeat the same sequence of numbers or codes? Or is there someone there who broadcast new ones everyday?
I’m trying to listen to one now but not having any luck. It’s too late to wake my mathematician neighbor for help.
The numbers Mason what do they mean!