Star Star Broadcasting Station
| Broadcast area |  China |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Recently used: 8300 kHz, 13974 kHz, 19052 kHz, 20025 kHz, 20095 kHz Reported: 8169 kHz, 9276 kHz, 11432 kHz, 14944 kHz, 15388 kHz, 15890 kHz, 18040 kHz[1] USB SW |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Mandarin Chinese |
| Format | Numbers station, female prerecorded voice |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Military Intelligence Bureau,  Republic of China |
| Operator | Voice of Han Broadcasting, Republic of China |
| Technical information | |
| Power | 10000 W (10kW)[1] |
Transmitter coordinates | Guanyin District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan 25°02′09″N 121°05′49″E / 25.035945°N 121.096883°E[1][2] |
Star Star Broadcasting Station (Chinese: 星星廣播電臺[3], ENIGMA2000: V13[4]), the name also known as Xing Xing[1], or misidentified as New Star (Chinese: 新星廣播電臺)[nb 1], is a short wave numbers station using upwards of 8000 kHz upper sideband modulation (USB), broadcasting from Taiwan, and is known for the intro of flute playing.[5]
Believed to be operated by Taiwan's Military Intelligence Bureau of Ministry of Defence, it is broadcast from the Guanyin station of the Voice of Han Broadcasting of Ministry of Defence[1], and address to Taiwanese intelligence agents operating within mainland China.[3]
History
[edit]The history is unknown publicly, however it is still running as of 2024, making it possibly one of the oldest numbers station still active today. In 1995, some reported the station to identify as "Channel Four Broadcasting Station in Taipei, Republic of China, on 8300 KHz",[6] while others at the time claimed they never heard such content.[7]
In 2002, the station broadcast request for letters or email from listeners, with email address and a postal box number in Taipei provided. One listener reported getting an email reply informing him that the station is called "Star Star Radio Station" and even asked him to send his resume.[8] In 2003 two people claimed that they received QSL card from the station but such claim was unable to verify.[8] It is worth mentioning that Taiwanese military units use postal boxes regularly, and Voice of Han do give away QSL cards in the past.[9]
Programs
[edit]Star Star Broadcasting Station is broadcast with female Chinese voice. As of now, it has four numbered programs (#1 ~ #4), although there were five of them in 1995.[10][11] Each program is repeated four times, 30 minute each, for a total of two hours. A different frequency is typically used during the second hour. The broadcast schedule is random that most of the time not transmitting at all.[5][12]
Message format
[edit]The message is delivered through pairs of four digit numbers, most possibly each pair denoting a Chinese character. A Chinese media reported that they may employ book cipher, that is, a particular book is used as the key, and the first two digits refers to the page number, the third the line number, and the fourth the word count in the line.[13]
Another source speculated that the four digit number might refer to the use of Chinese telegraph code.[8] Either way, more encryption methods could be employed to ensure safety.
Contents
[edit]Routine contents
[edit]Start off with Chinese flute playing, the program usually go as follows:[14]
| Chinese program | English translation |
|---|---|
| Intro | |
| (Chinese flute playing intro) | |
| 這裡是星星廣播電臺第A台！ | This is Star Star Broadcasting Station, Program #A. |
| 現在我們即將開始播報電報給您，請您注意，準備抄收！ | We will begin our session. Be advised and prepare to receive. |
| 在這個時間裡，有AAAA單位B月份[第C號]1份電報，電文DD個字。 | In this session, Unit AAAA[nb 2] will be delivered the cable message of 1, of month B, [number C,][nb 3] consisting of DD characters. |
| 請AAAA單位注意，準備抄收。 | Unit AAAA, be advised and prepare to receive. (repeated for all units) |
| Message delivering | |
| 現在開始播報給AAAA單位B月份[第C號]DD個字電文。 | We will start to deliver the cable message for unit AAAA, of month B, [number C,] consisting of DD characters. |
| 請AAAA單位注意，準備抄收。 | Unit AAAA, be advised and prepare to receive. |
| 7909 7909 6824 6824... | (character pairs of four numerical digits, each repeated twice, for a maximum of 20 pairs.) |
| 剛才播報第20組電文。 | We've just delivered 20 pairs of characters. (Repeated every 20 pairs if it has more than 20 pairs.) |
| 9033 9033 4258 4258... | (ditto) |
| 以上是給AAAA單位B月份[第C號]DD個字電文，現在已經播報完了。 | The cable message for unit AAAA, of month B, [number C,] consisting of DD characters, is now over. |
| (The sequence will be repeated for all units.) | |
| Outro | |
| 以上這節特約通訊播報完畢，謝謝您的收聽，祝您健康快樂，再會！ | This concludes the contracted broadcasting session. Thank you for your listening and we wish you health and happiness. See you. |
| (Chinese flute playing outro) | |
Null content
[edit]It is reported that in rare cases, no message is delivered although the program still runs at the scheduled time. The program goes as follows:[12]
| Chinese program | English translation |
|---|---|
| (Chinese flute playing intro) | |
| 這裡是星星廣播電臺第A台！ | This is Star Star Broadcasting Station, Program #A. |
| 在這個時間裡，沒有電報給您。謝謝您的收聽，祝您健康快樂，再會。 | In this session, no cable message is delivered. Thank you for your listening and we wish you health and happiness. See you. |
| (Chinese flute playing outro) |
Media Appearance
[edit]- The Conet Project (1997, 2013) by Akin Fernandez featured a track recorded from the station, dubbed "New Star Broadcasting".
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Due to the similar prononciation of Xin (新, new) and Xing (星, star) in the broadcast and the secretive nature of numbers station that not many documents could confirm its literal name. However, as seen in a change-of-frequency notice posted by state-owned Radio Taiwan International, the correct usage is Xing Xing (星星).[3]
- ^ The unit number is usually a four digit number.
- ^ The number of the message is sometimes omitted.
Reference
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Short-Wave Radio Frequency Schedule for XINGXING in ANY LANGUAGE". Short-wave.info. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ 國家通訊傳播委員會 (National Communications Commission), ed. (2024-07-02). "電臺頻率、發射機地址及座標資料" [Radio Transmitter Frequency, Location, and Coordinates Data]. 國家通訊傳播委員會. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ a b c 呂澄男 (January 2011). "星星廣播電台更頻" [Change of Frequency for Star Star Broadcasting Station]. Radio Taiwan International. Archived from the original on 2015-06-22.
- ^ "ENIGMA 2000 Active Station List" (PDF). signalshed.com (Booklet). 1.3. ENIGMA 2000. September 2017. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ a b "V13 – New Star Broadcasting Taiwan Number Station". www.numbers-stations.com. 2016-02-12. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ "Enigma Spring 1995". radiohobbyist.org. Archived from the original on 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ van den Boogert, Hans (1998). "WHERE IS NEW STAR LOCATED?". New Star Broadcasting Station. Archived from the original on 2000-10-29.
- ^ a b c "New Star Broadcast Station". www.kentfoto.com. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ "漢聲廣播電台からのＱＳＬ - 思いつくまま" [A QSL Card from Voice of Han: What's on My Mind]. goo blog (in Japanese). 2005-11-28. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ "神秘的台灣地下情報員用廣播電台:星星廣播電台" [Mysterious broadcast station for Taiwanese intellegence agents: Star Star Broadcasting Station]. 品蔥. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ "New Star Broadcasting Station". radiohobbyist.org. Archived from the original on 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ a b "V13 › Priyom.org". priyom.org. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ "台军情局向驻大陆间谍下指示仍采用密码广播(图)_资讯_凤凰网" [Taiwanese Military Intelligence Bureau Still Used Coded Broadcast to Give Their Spys in Mainland China Orders]. 凤凰网 (in Chinese (China)). 2007-07-02. Archived from the original on 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
- ^ FirstToken (2024-03-23). Numbers station, Taiwanese, ENIGMA ID V13, 11430 kHz, USB mode, 23 March, 2024, 1330 UTC. Retrieved 2024-08-03 – via YouTube.