Russia's mysterious new shortwave station
The Buzzer, also known as UVB-76 or UZB-76, has been a constant companion for anyone with a shortwave radio tuned to 4625kHz. However, [Ringway Manchester] notes that there is now a second buzzer operating at a frequency close to the original. Of course, like all mystery stations, people try to trace their origin. [Ringway] shows some older sites for the Buzzer and current speculation about current transmitter locations.
Of course, the real question is why? The hum is not quite continuous. There are occasional voicemails. There are also jamming attempts, including one, apparently, by Pac Man.
Some people think the new buzzer is an image, but it doesn't seem to be the same signal. The theory is that the hum is just to keep the frequency clear in case it's needed. However, one wonders if it is not something else. Compressed data would sound like noise. Other theories are that the buzzer is studying the ionosphere or that it is part of a doomsday system that would launch nuclear missiles. Since the signal has been interrupted several times, this seems unlikely.
What's even weirder is that occasional background vocals are audible on the signal. This implies that the hum noise is not generated directly in the transmitter but is a device in front of a microphone.
We've already speculated about the buzzer and the jamming efforts around it. Not exactly a numbers station, but the same kind of appeal.
The Buzzer, also known as UVB-76 or UZB-76, has been a constant companion for anyone with a shortwave radio tuned to 4625kHz. However, [Ringway Manchester] notes that there is now a second buzzer operating at a frequency close to the original. Of course, like all mystery stations, people try to trace their origin. [Ringway] shows some older sites for the Buzzer and current speculation about current transmitter locations.
Of course, the real question is why? The hum is not quite continuous. There are occasional voicemails. There are also jamming attempts, including one, apparently, by Pac Man.
Some people think the new buzzer is an image, but it doesn't seem to be the same signal. The theory is that the hum is just to keep the frequency clear in case it's needed. However, one wonders if it is not something else. Compressed data would sound like noise. Other theories are that the buzzer is studying the ionosphere or that it is part of a doomsday system that would launch nuclear missiles. Since the signal has been interrupted several times, this seems unlikely.
What's even weirder is that occasional background vocals are audible on the signal. This implies that the hum noise is not generated directly in the transmitter but is a device in front of a microphone.
We've already speculated about the buzzer and the jamming efforts around it. Not exactly a numbers station, but the same kind of appeal.
What's Your Reaction?
