Subj : Numbers stations
To   : Angus McLeod
From : Spaceman Spiff
Date : Tue Aug 16 2005 07:30 pm

  Re: Numbers stations
  By: Angus McLeod to Digital Man on Sat Aug 13 2005 12:44 am

 >   Re: Numbers stations
 >   By: Digital Man to All on Fri Aug 12 2005 17:20:00
 > 
 >  > What experiences do any of you have with "Numbers stations"?
 > 
 > I've heard them.
 > 
 > They are obviously coded messages being passed for clandestine purposes.
 > Given the technology available today (like encrypted e-mail, or even
 > encrypted digital radio transmissions on various bands and even spread
 > spectrum) I'd have to assume that they are intended for reception by
 > operatives under deep cover, who can not have any incriminating hardware
 > lying about.  You can copy the numbers stations with a simple shortwave
 > receiver and a pencil, and then (providing you have the key) decrypt the
 > message.
 > 
 > I can see the system being used to send a message to a spy operating in a
 > foreign country, rather than, say, to an /embassy/ in a foreign country.
 > 
 >  > From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_station:
 > 
 > I find some of the analysis here interesting.  For instance, they say that
 > Class-B, AM transmitters operating in the HF bands are the norm, and that
 > Polyphase and PDM modulators are not used because "energy costs were not
 > an issue", and then wanders off into a discussion of DRM.  Frankly, I
 > wouldn't consider the energy budget to be of much concern to these people,
 > and I am surprised that they (Wikipedia) do not consider the complexity of
 > the *receiving* station necessary to copy these transmissions.  An
 > amplitude modulated signal can be received with a single diode (a la
 > crystal-set), whereas Polyphase and PDM modulated signals are not so easy
 > to copy.  If, as I suspect, the point is to signal to someone in posession
 > of absolutely minimum suspicious hardware, an AM transmitter in the HF
 > band is about as easy as it gets.
 > 
 > Obviously, the transmitter would have to be class-B or class-A (less
 > efficient) since class-C transmitters are only good for FM (more complex
 > receiver) or CW (more training needed for the operator).  I can't imagine
 > why they thought the transmitter class was germane to the discussion.
 > 
 > I am interested in hearing any ideas other DOVE-Netters may have.
 > 
 > 
 > 
01010110 01100101 01110010 01111001 00100000 01110000 01100101 01110010
01100011 01100101 01110000 01110100 01101001 01110110 01100101 00100000
01100001 01100111 01101110 01100101 01110100 00100000 01000001 01101110
01100111 01110101 01110011 00101110 00100000 01010111 01100101 00100000
01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110000 01101100 01100001 01101110
01101110 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101111 01110000 01100101
01110010 01100001 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01001101
01100001 01110010 01100111 01100001 01110010 01101001 01110100 01100001
00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110111 01100101 00100000
01100001 01101110 01110100 01101001 01100011 01101001 01110000 01100001
01110100 01100101 00100000 01100011 01110010 01110101 01110011 01101000
01100101 01100100 00100000 01001001 01100011 01100101 00100000 01100001
01101110 01100100 00100000 01110011 01100001 01101100 01110100 00100000
01101111 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110010
01101001 01101101 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000
01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100110 01101001 01101110 01100101
01110011 01110100 00100000 01110010 01110101 01101101


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