Jump to content

UVB-76

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 89.76.176.180 (talk) at 12:40, 28 October 2010 (new message). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

File:Uvb76 satellite.jpg
Satellite photo of UVB-76 transmitter in Povarovo, Russia.

UVB-76 (sometimes referred to as UZB-76) is the call sign of a shortwave radio station that usually broadcasts on the frequency 4625 kHz (AM suppressed lower sideband). It is known among radio listeners by the nickname The Buzzer. It features a short, monotonous buzz toneⓘ, repeating at a rate of approximately 25 tones per minute, for 24 hours per day. The station has been observed since around 1982.[1][2] On rare occasions, the buzzer signal is interrupted and a voice transmission in Russian takes place. Despite much speculation, the actual purpose of this station remains unknown to the public.

Normal transmission

A spectrum for UVB-76 showing the suppressed lower sideband.

The station transmits a buzzing sound that lasts 0.8 seconds, pausing for 1–1.3 seconds, and repeating 21–34 times per minute.[1] One minute before the hour, the repeating tone is sometimes replaced by a continuous tone, which continues for one minute until the short repeating buzz resumes.[3] Between 07:00 and 07:50 GMT the station transmits using lower power, when transmitter maintenance apparently takes place.[4]

The Buzzer has apparently been broadcasting since at least 1982[1] as a repeating two-second pip, changing to a buzzer in early 1990.[5][6] It briefly changed to a higher tone of longer duration (approximately 20 tones per minute) on January 16, 2003, but it has since reverted to the previous tone pattern.

Malfunctions

Frequently, distant conversations and other background noises can be heard behind the buzzer; this suggests that the buzzing device is behind a live and constantly open microphone (rather than a recording or automated sound being fed through playback equipment) or that a microphone may have been turned on accidentally.[7] One such occasion was on November 3, 2001, when a conversation in Russian was heard:[1]"Я — 143. Не получаю генератор." "Идёт такая работа от аппаратной." ("I am 143. Not receiving the generator (oscillator)." "That stuff comes from hardware room.").[8]

Voice messages & other sounds

Voice messages from UVB-76 were very rare until a sudden spate of activity in August 2010.[9] They are usually given in Russian by a live, female voice and repeated.[10] Approximately seven such messages have been intercepted in over twenty years of (non-continuous) observation.[11] Some well-known examples of such messages include:

  • At 2100 UTC on December 24, 1997: "Ya, UVB-76, 18008, BROMAL, Boris, Roman, Olga, Mikhail, Anna, Larisa, 742, 799, 14."[1][3][12][13]
  • At 0418 UTC on December 9, 2002, a voice message was detected, but with extreme distortion (possibly as a result of the source being too close to the microphone head) that rendered comprehension very difficult.[citation needed] This broadcast has been partially translated as "UVB-76, UVB-76. 62691 IZAFET 3693 8270."[12]
  • At 0757 UTC on February 21, 2006, another voice message was detected, but the speaking voice was highly distorted. The message's content was partially translated as: "75, 59, 75, 59, _, 39, 52, 53, 58, _, 5, 5, 2, 5, _, _, _, _, Konstantin, 1, 9, 0, 9, 0, 8, 9, 8, Tatiayna, Oksana, Anna, Elena, Pavel, Schuka, _, Konstantin, 8, 4, _, 9, 7, 5, 5, 9, Tatiayna, _, _, _, Anna, Larisa, Uliyana, 9, 4, 1, 4, 3, 4, 8"
  • At 1335 UTC on August 23, 2010: "UVB-76, UVB-76, 93, 882, NAIMINA, 74, 14, 35, 74, 9, 3, 8, 8, 2, Nikolai, Anna, Ivan, Mikhail, Ivan, Nikolai, Anna, 7, 4, 1, 4, 3, 5, 7, 4" (Recording of August 23rd transmission) [14][15][16]
  • At 1631 UTC August 25, 2010: "38, 77, 38, 527, a, 3, 50, 3707, 55, 73, 3, 8, 5, 2, 7, Anna, Konstantin, Konstantin, Roman, Elena, Caplya, Ivan, Yakov, 3, 5, Dnjyaj, Viljanka, 5, 5, 2, 3, UVB-76, UVB-76, 38, 527, AKKRECIA, 3609, 55, 73, 3, 8, 5, 2, 7, Anna, Konstantin, Konstantin, Roman, Elena, _, Ivan, Yakov, 3, 5 ,0, 9, 5, 5[a sound similar to someone saying "yeah!"], 9, 3." [17]
  • At 1516 UTC on September 10, 2010: "UVB-76, UVB-76, 27, 416, TREKATOR, 52, 50, 10, 95, AREOGRAFIYA, 18, 05, 35, 23"

Voice messages with MDZhB Callsign:

Date Time Message Cyrillic
09/07/10 1648 UTC 04 979 DRENDOUT 28 52 44 71 TRENERSKIY 37 52 13 21 ДРЕНДОУТ ТРЕНЕРСКЙ
09/08/10 1618 UTC 82 366 PRUTYNOI 63 85 99 71 ПРУТЫНОЙ
09/11/10 0720 UTC 38 170 PREREDA 83 04 40 32 ПРЕРЕДА
09/11/10 1130 UTC 80 033 PREPREKA 73 82 67 63 ПРЕПРЕКА
09/12/10 1304 UTC 13 626 TREHLETOK 00 45 29 47 ТРЕХЛЕТОК
09/13/10 1514 UTC 40 788 BREZNOY 72 79 79 36 ZHRECHESTVO 38 76 04 87 ВРЕЗНОЙ ЖРЕЧЕСТВО
09/14/10 0717 UTC 22 328 PRIBORNYIY 88 71 54 28 ПРИБОРНЫЙ
09/14/10 1051 UTC 86 412 TRIBUNAL 37 43 92 03 ТРИБУНАЛ
09/16/10 1318 UTC 21 157 SPICHNY 00 20 55 53 СПИЧНЫЙ
09/16/10 1639 UTC 85 43 KRINUM 01 48 04 95 PRIORITET 14 08 28 71 КРИНУМ ПРИОРИТЕТ
09/17/10 1152 UTC 19 620 PRIRODA 15 76 95 38 ПРИРОДА
09/17/10 1226 UTC 94 864 TRITIL 60 98 13 59 ТРИТИЛ
09/18/10 1630 UTC 2551?? BRIZ 29 34 76 83 БРИЗ
09/19/10 1444 UTC 75 476 PRIZMATIN 80 87 64 28 KHRIZOPRAZ 06 21 50 18 ПРИЗМАТИН ХРИЗОПРАЗ
09/28/10 0615 UTC 59 923 PRONYuRSTVO 104 88 09 183 ПРОНЮРСТВО
09/30/10 1114 UTC 56 590 MYAGKOTELIY 07 98 37 35 МЯГКОТЕЛЫЙ
09/30/10 1148 UTC 68 447 TYANUSHCHIY 17 97 96 31 ТЯНУЩИЙ
09/30/10 1230 UTC 82 992 VYAZOVINA 00 42 82 06 ВЯЗОВИНА
09/30/10 1237 UTC 51 315 VYAZOVINIY 78 81 57 15 ВЯЗОВИНИЙ
09/30/10 1252 UTC 24 397 YARMO 84 74 15 42 YARMOUK 55 61 60 81 ЯРМО ЯРМОК
09/30/10 1258 UTC 33 010 DROVNY 66 05 57 49 ДРОВНИ
09/30/10 1302 UTC 06 183 KROVNIK 56 50 47 49 КРОВНИК
10/02/10 1328 UTC 29 723 PROTOKLAZ 91 48 71 29 PROTESKA 66 21 59 78 ПРОТОКЛАЗ ПРОТЕСКА
10/25/10 1320 UTC 23 485 PROLUTKA 19 15 09 75 TROIMA 53 80 24 01 [18]
10/28/10 1315 UTC 29 959 DRUNDOUT 28 52 44 71

The station has recently been spoofed by European pirate radio operators. Morse code transmissions on frequency addressed shortwave listeners by name with expletive-laced messages. It is impossible to determine which transmissions, if any, are originating from UVB-76 due to pirate interference.[19]

Location and function

The station's transmitter is located near Povarovo, Russia [20] at 56°4′58″N 37°5′22″E / 56.08278°N 37.08944°E / 56.08278; 37.08944 which is about halfway between Zelenograd and Solnechnogorsk and 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Moscow, near the village of Lozhki. The location and callsign were unknown until the first voice broadcast of 1997.[citation needed]

The purpose of UVB-76 has not been confirmed by government or broadcast officials. However the former Minister of Communications and Informatics of the Republic of Lithuania has written that the purpose of the voice messages is to confirm that operators at receiving stations are alert.[3][13][21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Boender, Ary (January 2002). "Oddities". ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter – Issue 8. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  2. ^ "The UK’s leading mobile question and answer service passes 22 million answers", Response Source, March 22, 2010
  3. ^ a b c "Russian HF Beacons". Thirty-second edition of the N&O column / Spooks newsletter. 2000-12-24. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
  4. ^ Michalski, Jan. "Radio Station "UVB-76"". Archived from the original on 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
  5. ^ "Morse Stations". Seventy-fifth edition of the N&O column / Spooks newsletter. 2004-08-02. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  6. ^ Boender, Ary (1995). "Numbers & oddities: Column 1". World Utility News.
  7. ^ "Mysteriózní rádio už 30 let vysílá záhadný signál a teď i tajnou šifru", Technet.cz, August 27, 2010 (English)
  8. ^ "Sierra Papa India Echo Sierra", Forth, March 20, 2010
  9. ^ Newitz, Annalee, "They're broadcasting those Russian numbers again", ion9, August 27, 2010
  10. ^ "El misterio de las emisiones de radio secretas", ABC, August 26, 2010 (English)
  11. ^ http://googlesightseeing.com/2009/07/the-buzzer-uvb-76/
  12. ^ a b Michalski, Jan. "Радиостанция "УЗБ-76"" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2003-04-14. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  13. ^ a b "Single Letter Markers". Posts from the SPOOKS and WUN listservers. 2000. Archived from the original on 2007-11-25. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  14. ^ "August 23, 2010 9:35AM PST Voice transmission confirmed".
  15. ^ "UVB-76 wakes up, 4chan message warns of World War, New World Order", From The Old, August 25, 2010
  16. ^ Cutlack, Gary, "Mysterious Russian ‘Numbers Station’ Changes Broadcast After 20 Years", Gizmodo Australia, August 25, 2010
  17. ^ "Recorded transmission", UVB-76.com, August 25, 2010 1631 UTC.
  18. ^ "Recorded transmission", uvb76.freeforums.org, October 25, 2010 1320 UTC.
  19. ^ Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities (the Spooks Newsletter)", Edition #155, August 2010 [1]
  20. ^ Geere, Duncan (August 2010). "Mysterious Russian 'Buzzer' radio broadcast changes". WIRED.CO.UK. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  21. ^ Pleikys, Rimantas (1998). Jamming. Vilnius Lithuania: Rimantas Pleikys.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to UVB-76.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UVB-76&oldid=393413435"