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For more than 30 years the Shortwave radio spectrum has been used by the worlds intelligence agencies to transmit secret messages. These messages are transmitted by hundreds of “Numbers Stations”.

Shortwave Numbers Stations are a perfect method of anonymous, one way communication. Spies located anywhere in the world can be communicated to by their masters via small, locally available, and unmodified Shortwave receivers. The encryption system used by Numbers Stations, known as a “one time pad” is unbreakable. Combine this with the fact that it is almost impossible to track down the message recipients once they are inserted into the enemy country, it becomes clear just how powerful the Numbers Station system is.

These stations use very rigid schedules, and transmit in many different languages, employing male and female voices repeating strings of numbers or phonetic letters day and night, all year round.
The voices are of varying pitches and intonation; there is even a German station (The Swedish Rhapsody) that transmits a female child's voice!

One might think that these espionage activities should have wound down considerably since the official “end of the cold war”, but nothing could be further from the truth. Numbers Stations (and by inference, spies) are as busy as ever, with many new and bizarre stations appearing since the fall of the Berlin wall.

Why is it that in over 30 years, the phenomenon of Numbers Stations has gone almost totally unreported? What are the agencies behind the Numbers Stations, and why are the eastern European stations still on the air? Why does the Czech republic operate a Numbers Station 24 hours a day? How is it that Numbers Stations are allowed to interfere with essential radio services like air traffic control and shipping without having to answer to anybody? Why does the “Swedish Rhapsody” Numbers Station use a small girls voice?
These are just some of the questions that remain unanswered.

Now you will be able to hear this unique and extraordinary phenomenon for yourself, as Irdial-Discs releases  THE CONET PROJECT: the first comprehensive collection of Numbers Stations recordings released to the public.

This Quadruple CD is an important historical reference work for research into this hitherto unreported and unknown field of espionage. The CDs contain 150 recordings spanning the last twenty years;  taken from the private archives of dedicated shortwave radio listeners from around the world.

Many of the stations on the CD have ceased operations, and can no longer be heard. The 4 CDs are accompanied by an 80 page, perfect bound booklet, and a post card.

Info, Ordering and Links

The Conet Project

You may email Irdial-Discs here: irdial@irdial.com
Information on ordering the CDs from anywhere in the world can be found here.
To communicate with Irdial-Discs in private, here is our PGP public key.
JOURNALISTS
Here is the CONET Project Press Room.
Read ENIGMA for information on Numbers Stations: Click Here for information.

Order the CD package from Amazon.com


And now, to celebrate the release of the CD, Irdial-Discs is proud to announce that we are going to attempt the impossible: Cracking a Numbers Station Message!

We have had some feedback on the crack challenge. Read it here.

Read what some of the smartest people on the planet had to say about cracking Numbers here and here.

If you monitor Numbers Stations, subscribe to Spooks. Spooks is a mailing list (reflector) devoted to the discussion of spy numbers stations and cryptography. To subscribe, send an email to: majordomo@qth.net
with a blank subject, and the following one line of text in the message body: subscribe spooks.


Numbers Stations Web sites that you must visit:

  • Simon Mason, author of 'Secret Signals: The Euronumbers Mystery' and major project contributor has posted the text of his excellent book on the web here.
  • Chris Smolinski runs the spooks list, and his site is at: www.spynumbers.com
Steve Jackson Games

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If you are a Shortwave Numbers recordist, and would like to contribute to the project, it is too late. How ever, we will be releasing an addendum CD of recordings received after the closing date. We are especially interested in older recordings of station types that are no longer active. We also want to hear from all of you that have up to date recordings;  whatever the type of recording you have, get in touch with us; your contribution can only help make the project more complete.


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