The Word 6/The Word 6.adf/FiLeS/SecretFrequencies.txt/SecretFrequencies.txt

Text File | 2022-11-05 | 20KB | 417 lines

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     -                 Secret Radio Frequencies                  -
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Sandwiched  into  the  gap  between  the AM and FM dials are hundreds of
secret  communications  frequencies - some so secret that no one owns up
to them.  The usual consumer gear -

AM/FM  radios,  TVs,  CB  radios - brings in only a small portion of the
electromagnetic  spectrum.   To  pick  up the secret signals, you need a
shortwave receiver - and you need to know the unlisted frequencies.

Allocation  of  radio frequencies is quirky.  When you flip the TV
dial  from  channel 6 to channel 7, you unknowingly jump over the entire
FM  radio  band  as well as such exotia as secret service communications
and  a  special  frequency  designated  for  emergency use during prison
riots.   The  U.S.   government will provide information on unclassified
allocations  (those  for  the  Coast  Guard,  Forestry  Service, weather
reports, etc.).  But it is quiet about secret government frequencies and
those of mysterious illegal broadcasters here and abroad.

Many   shortwave-radio   hobbyists   keep   track  of  the  secret
frequiences, however.  Their findings appear in such publications as the
"Confidential  Frequency  List" by Oliver P.  Ferrell (Park Ridge, N.J.:
Gilfer  Associates,  1982  [periodically  updated]), "How to Tune in the
Secret  Shortwave  Spectrum" by Harry L.  Helms (Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.:
TAB  Books,  1981),  and  "The 'Top Secret' Registry of U.S.  Government
Radio  Frequencies"  by  Tom Kneitel (Commack, N.Y.:  CRB Research, 1981
[periodically  updated]).   These  and  similar  publications  should be
consulted  for  the  most  up-to-date  listings.   The  selection  below
includes only the most noteworthy or inexplicable broadcasts.

                             Air Force One

Many  of  the in-flight phone calls from Air Force One are not scrambled
and can be picked up by anyone with a shortwave radio.  You just have to
watch  the  newspapers  for  information  on  the presidents travels and
listen  to the right frequencies shortly before landing or after takeoff
at  Andrews  Air  Force Base (when calls are less likely to be scrambled
electronically).   A  presidential  phone  call is usually prefaced by a
request for "Crown", the White House communications center.

Air  Force  One  uses  several  frequencies  including those assigned to
Andrews  Air  Force  Base.   Transmissions are on single, usually upper,
sideband.   These  transmissions  are  usually secret, but the frequency
numbers   have   long   since   leaked   out  or  have  been  discovered
independently.    It  is  suspected  that  wire  services  and  TV  news
operations  monitor  them  for  leads.   The  reported  frequencies  (in
kilohertz) are:

           6731 13201
           6756 13215
           8967 13247
           9018 15048
           11180 18027

In  addition, 162.685 MHz and 171.235 MHz are secret service frequencies
used  for  Air  Force  One  communications.   The White House staff uses
162.850  MHz  and  167.825 MHz.  Secret Service channel "Oscar", 164.885
MHz,  is used for the Presidents limousine.  Air Force Two uses the same
Frequencies as Air Force One.

Although   everyone   concerned   must   know   that  outsiders  may  be
eavesdropping,  conversations are often surprisingly candid.  (shortwave
listeners  heard  the  White  House  staff  urging Air Force Two back to
Washington  after  the  1981 attempt on President Regan's life, complete
with  reports  that then-secretary of state Alexander Haig was confusing
everybody  with his claim of being "in control.") No law seems to forbid
such  eavesdropping.   Ironically,  it  is  illegal  (section 605 of the
communications  act  of  1934)  to  reveal  intercepted conversations to
anyone  else  -  that  being  regarded  as  the  wireless  equivalent to
wiretapping.   Even so, The New York Times has run snippets of Air Force
One conversations.

                    The Central Intelligence Agency

The  CIA  and  Other Government agencies with clandestine operations are
believed  to have dozens of authorized frequencies, which may be rotated
as  needed  to  throw off eavesdroppers off the track.  Call letters are
rarely   used  and  several  government  agencies  may  share  the  same
frequencies.   A  further, rather thin veneer of security comes from the
use  of  code  words.   Government surveillance opperations use a common
code:   "Our  friend"  or  "Our  boy"  is,  of  course, the person being
followed.   "O"  is  his office.  "R" is his residence.  A "Boat" is his
car.  Once apprehended a suspect is a "Package" and may be taken away to
the   "Kennel",  the  agents'  headquarters.   Does  this  fool  anyone?
Probably  not.   Some  are  so obvious that it's questionable if they're
code words at all.

Not  all  U.S.   government  broadcasts  can be identified as to agency.
Conversations   are  cryptic;  letters  to  the  Federal  Communications
Commission and Commerce Department bring form replys.  These frequencies
(in megahertz) have been identified with the CIA:

       163.81
       165.01
       165.11
       165.385
       408.60

     Note:  I am only going to list a few of the many
     frequencies known.  More can be obtained from the sources
     listed earlier or from the EXCHANGE [904] 878-4413 via
     modem.

   DEA - Drug Enforcement Administration (MHz)
   FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation (MHz)
   SS - Secret Service (MHz)

      DEA FBI SS
      --- --- --
    163.185 120.425 162.375 (note that
    163.535 149.375 162.685 the frequencys are
    165.235 163.835 164.885 usually in bands.
    172.00 163.875 165.025 Search each band
    172.20 163.985 165.085 for more.)
    418.625 167.675 166.405
    418.675 168.885 169.625
    418.725 406.275 168.45
    418.825 408.925 169.925
    418.975 419.525 171.235


                       Morse Code Letter Beacons

Dozens  of  low-power  stations  transmit  only  a  letter of Morse code
endlessly.   No one, including government agencies and the International
Telecommunications Union, admits to knowing where the signals are coming
from, who is sending them, or why.

     "K"  (dash-dot-dash)  is  the  most  common  letter.   Letters  are
repeated  every  two  to  five  seconds,  depending on the station.  The
stations   never  identify  themselves.   The  frequency  used  for  the
broadcast  shifts  slowly with time, so this list is only an approximate
guide:

     Frequency (KHz) Letter
     --------------- ------

     4,005 K
     4,466 U
     5,306 D and W
     5,307 F
     5,795 K
     5,890 K
     5,920 K
     6,203 P
     6,770 A and N
     6,800 F and K
     6,806 Q
     7,590 W
     7,656 W
     7,954 K
     8,137 U
     8,144 K
     8,647 F
     8,703 E
     8,752 K
     9,043 K
     9,058 U
     10,211 U
     10,442 E
     10,570 K
     10,614 F
     10,638 K
     10,644 D
     10,645 F
     10,646 R and K
     11,156 K
     12,151 K
     12,185 U
     12,329 U
     13,328 U
     13,637 F
     14,478 K
     14,587 K
     14,967 K
     15,656 U
     15,700 U
     15,705 U
     17,015 D
     17,016 C
     17,017 F
     17,018 UE and TA
     18,343 K
     20,456 E
     20,992 O and C

These stations broadcast mostly during the night hours of North America.
They  are  most  often  picked  up  in North America, Australia, and the
Orient.   But  because  of the easy propagation of shortwave signals, no
one is sure where they are coming from.

An  analysis  in  the Confidential Frequency List holds that the signals
are coming from 25- to 100-watt unattended transmitters somewhere in the
South  Pacific.   An alternate theory places the Morse code "beacons" in
Cuba.   It  is  known  that  there used to be a "W" station operating at
3,584  KHz,  a  frequency supposedly reserved for amateur use.  When the
American  amateurs  protested  to  the Federal Communications Commission
about the interference, the FCC complained to the Cuban government.  The
staion disappeared shortly thereafter.

Actually,  all of the beacons must be presumed to be illegal.  Shortwave
stations   are   supposed   to  be  registered  with  the  International
Telecommuncations Union; none of those listed above are.  The purpose of
the  stations  is as unclear as their location.  A single letter conveys
no  information.   There  are  legitimate  navigational beacon stations,
which  broadcast  their  call letters.  But such stations are registered
and operate on fixed frequencies from known locations.  Keeping location
and frequency information secret would defeat their purpose.

Maybe,  then,  the letter beacons are navigational stations operated for
the benefit of a select few.  Some think they are operated by the Soviet
Union,  in  Cuba,  for  some  military  purpose.   Still,  the  globe is
crosshatched  with  legitimate  navigational beacons.  It is hard to see
what  further  navigational  aid the Soviets could expect to derive from
their own secret network of beacons.

It  has also been suggested that the beacon stations are really teletype
or  other data transmission stations and that the Morse code letters are
just  a way of keeping the channel free between transmissions.  A few of
the  stations  started  transmitting  some  sort  of data - audible as a
characteristic  high-speed  typewriterlike  sound  - in 1980.  There are
other  ways  of keeping a data channel open, though.  Most radioteletype
stations  transmit  the  code  for  space  between  transmissions.  (The
radioteletype code is different from Morse code.)

Finally, still others think the letter transmissions are themselves some
sort  of code.  Granted, the letter can't mean anything, but some wonder
if  the  precise  length  of  the  interval  between  the  letters means
somthing.  Or the frequency shifts may hold the message.

    The number of Morse code letter stations seems to be increasing.

                            Numbers Stations

Well  over a hundred "numbers" or "spy" stations have been reported, all
rather closely following a pattern.  On the typical numbers station, the
announcer  is - or seems to be - a woman.  No one knows who the woman is
or  where  she  is  broadcasting  from.   She speaks Spanish, German, or
Korean.   Save  for  a  few  words  at  the  begining and the end of the
transmission,  the  message  consists  of  reandom numbers, announced in
groups  of five, four, or, rarely, three digits.  As with the Morse code
stations,  the numbers stations are all on unauthorized frequencies.  No
government  or  organization  owns  up  to the broadcasts; offically, at
least, the FCC claims no knowledge of them.

Many  of  those  who  have  listened  to  the  broadcasts  carefully are
convinced that the woman is in fact a robot.  The voice has a mechanical
ring, somtimes a click between each digit.  It seems to be the same type
of  device  used by the telephone company to give the time or to forward
phone numbers.

The  exact format of the messages varies with the language and number of
digits  per  group.   With  Spanish,  five  digit groups, for example, a
typical transmission might be:

        Atencion 290 22...Atencion 290 22...Atencion 290 22
        ...65438...34742...23453...23454...29584...24836...
        22334...34635...10202...19375...34653...23457...
        12345...94532...24643...27543...14795...24568...
        75744...74755...87194...63549...Final,final.


Broadcasts are during the night hours of North America and seem to start
shortly  after  the  hour.   After  the  "Final,final," the transmission
stops.   It  is  claimed  that  a  given  transmission is repeated a few
minutes later on a slightly different frequency.

There  seems  to  be  no  escaping  the conclusion that the messages are
numerical  code.   The second number (22 in the example) - is the number
of  digit  groups  in  the  message.   There  dosen't  seem  to  be  any
demonstrable  significance  to the first number although it probably has
some  signifigance.   Some  think  it  is  an identifying number for the
sender or the receiver.  It may also indentify the code used if there is
more  than one.  Note that the numbers above are only random (except for
22) and were never really broadcast.

The  four-digit  transmissions  in Spanish are different.  A three-digit
number  (perhaps  that  of  the  sender or receiver) is repeated several
times, followed by the digits 1 through 10.  ("uno, dos, tres...") and a
string of Morse code dashes.  the word "grupo" is followed by the number
of four-digit groups to come and repeated once - for example, "Grupo 22,
grupo  22."  The message - groups of four Spanish numbers - follows.  At
the end the voice says, "Repito grupo 22," and the message repeats.  The
station goes off the air after the repeat.

Any  attempt  to  explain  these  broadcasts  is  complicated by numbers
broadcasts  in  other  languages.   There are also broadcasts in German,
Korean,  and  English.   Occasional  transmissions  in  Russian, French,
Portuguese,  and  even  Serbo-Croatian  are  reported.   Somtimes a male
(mechanical?)  voice  reads  the  numbers.  The female robot voice doing
English  language broadcasts is often described as having an Oriental or
German  accent.  Typical of the uncertainty surrounding numbers stations
are  the  reported  English messages prefaced with a female voice saying
"Groups disinformation" and ending with "End of disinformation." Perhaps
the voice machine has a bad rendering of "This information."

Still  other  stations  transmit messages consisting of letters from the
phonetic   alphabet   (Alpha,  Bravo,  Charlie...).   Some  spice  their
broadcasts  with  music,  which  ranges from ethnic tunes to wierd tones
that may or may not conceal a message.  Reported frequencies for numbers
and phonetic-alphabet stations include:

F/M  =  Female/Male  S  = Spanish R = Russian F = French E = English P =
Portuguese C = Czech SC= Serbo-Croatian G = German


Frequency Male language
  (KHz) Female --------- ------ --------

3060 F S (All are numbers stations 3090 F S unless otherwise noted) 3365
M  SC  4640  M  S  4642  F  F  4670  F S&E Numbers & phonetic 4740 M S&P
Interlude  from  Aida 4770 F G 5020 F S 5075 F S 5110 M C Slavic musical
interlude 5812 F S 6770 F S 6790 F S 8875 F S 9040 F S&E 9345 F S 9450 F
E  + Musical tones 9463 F S 9950 F S 10450 F K 10500 F G 10532 F S 11545
F G 11618 F G 11635 F S 13320 M R 14947 F G 14970 F E + Beep tones 23120
F G 30050 E 30250 E 30420 E 30470 E

Whatever  is  going  on, it's a big operation.  Harry L.  Helms' "How to
tune  in  the  shortwave spectrum" has a list of sixty-two stations that
includes  only  those  with  a  female voice reading five digit codes in
Spanish.   Much  time  and  effort  are going into the broadcasts.  Some
numbers  stations  transmit  on  the  upper  sideband  rather than using
amplitude  modulation  (AM).   Signals  are  usually strong.  Because of
ionospheric  reflection,  they  can be picked up over most of the globe.
This makes direction finding difficult.

Two  explanations  are  offered for the numbers stations.  It is rumored
that  some  of the stations are communications links in the drug traffic
between  the  United  States  and  Latin America.  If so, Spanish is the
logical language.  The numerically coded messages could tell where drops
are to be made, how much to expect, and other minutiae that would change
from  day  to  day.   Weak  support  for  this  comes  from some amateur
direction  finding,  which seems to place many of the Spanish broadcasts
Somewhere south of the United States.

But  even  those  who  subscribe  to  this  explanation agree that other
numbers  stations,  probably  most  of  them  worldwide,  are engaged in
espionage  - governmental or organizational communication with agents in
the  field.   Which  government?  The Spanish stations are usually heard
between  7:00 PM and 6:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.  The night hours are
best for clandestine broadcasting as weak signals propagate farther.  So
the spanish language broadcasts are probably coming from a time zone not
far  removed  from Eastern Standard Time (the EST time zone includes the
central Caribbean, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru.)

On  the  basis  of  signal  strengths  and  broadcast  times,  it can be
similarly be postulated that the German Stations are coming from Europe,
or  maybe  Africa,  and the Korean stations are coming from the Orient -
oddly enough.

As  far as the Spanish stations are concerned, suspision points to Cuba.
In  1975 U.S.  listeners reported muffled radio Havana broadcasts in the
background  of  the  Spanish  stations.  A station at 9920KHz is said to
have used the same theme music as radio Havana.

But  then  there  are  American  ham  radio operators who swear that the
spanish  stations must be in the United States.  "How to Tune the Secret
Shortwave  Spectrum"  tells of listeners in Ohio who reported four digit
numbers  stations  coming  in  stronger  than  anything else on the dial
execpt  for  a  50  kilowatt broadcast band station a few miles distant.
Similar reports come from the Washingtom, D.C., area.

Probably  the simplest of all the many possible explanitions is that the
Spanish  stations  are opperated by Cuba for the benefit of Cuban agents
in  the  United  States.   The Radio Havana Broadcasts in the background
would  have  been a mistake.  The engineer was listening to radio Havana
and  forgot  the  mike  was  on,  or  maybe radio Havana and some of the
numbers  stations share facilities and the signals got mixed.  The local
quality  broadcasts  heard  in the U.S.  could be Cuban agents reporting
back  to  Havana.  Each agent would have his own mechanical voice setup.
Not that you can carry around a 50000 watt transmitter in your pocket.

The  actual  explanation  may not be the simplest, though.  According to
Helms,  some  shortwave  listeners  believe that the four and five digit
number  transmissions  are totally differnt opperations.  The four digit
transmissions,  at  least  some of which seem to originate in the United
States,  may  be  the work of the U.S.  government.  Only the five-digit
transmissions  may  come from Latin America - and may be associated with
local  governments  or U.S.  foreign agents.  Harry L.  Helms speculates
that  the  United States may have faked the radio Havana background just
to divert suspission from an American espionage operation.

Any  glib  explanation  of the numbers stations is further challenged by
another  incident Helms cites.  An unnamed listener was receiving a five
digit  numbers  broadcast  in Spanish.  At the end of the broadcast, the
station accidentally (?) stayed on the air, and faint female voices were
heard  reading  numbers  in  German  and  English.   If  the  report was
accurate,  then  the numbers stations could be the work of one worldwide
operation.   Choice of language could be arbitrary.  Whatever his or her
native  tounge,  an agent need only need learn ten words of, say, Korean
in order to receive a numerical broadcast in Korean.

No  one  willing  to  talk  has  broken  the  code or codes used for the
transmissions.   If  the  codes  are  sophisticated  enough  it  may  be
pointless to even try.  A random four or five digit number added to each
number  in  the group will scramble the code.  The numbers would have to
be  agreed  upon before transmission.  If a different number is used for
each  number  block  and  if  they are not repeated it is mathematically
impossible for outsiders to break the code.

At 3820KHz there is a four-note electronic tune.  At 12700KHz there is a
plaintive,  twenty-one-note,  flutelike  melody.  At 15507 KHz there are
beeps.

The EXCHANGE serves as a message base for exchanging information dealing
with  radio  frequencies.  If you wish to post the frequencies from your
area (confidential or not), get frequencies for other areas, post sample
broadcasts,  reveal the coding method or purpose of these broadcasts, or
just talk to a friendly bunch of guys and gals feel free to call.

The EXCHANGE :  (904) 878 - 4413..24HRS..300/1200/2400 baud
                                   (Modem only, of course)

Special thanks to William Poundstone