Ryan Silva describes some of the odd shortwave signals out there that transmit streams of numbers accompanied by snippets of what one can only assume are codes in the form of music. It’s creepy, scary, and bizarre, and makes me want to rush out and buy a shortwave radio so I can puzzle over them in the middle of the night. Ryan includes some audio files that will give you goosebumps – at least, if you’re creeped out by that sort of thing like I am.
On the shortwave bands there are a number of strange stations that broadcast long strings of numbers or letters, usually read by an automated voice, usually in five-digit groups. It is generally believed that intelligence agencies use these stations to transmit encrypted messages to agents in the field. Why transmit them over unreliable, anybody-can-hear shortwave radio? I dunno.
Even stranger than these broadcasts are the oddball civilians who listen to them. Why listen to hours of broadcasts which, though transmitted in terms or symbols you can understand, are completely incomprehensible when taken as a whole? For me, I think it’s because it reminds me of college. But others may have other reasons.
