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Talk:Shortwave

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Numbers station[edit]

Would this be a useful link? Anna Livia (talk) 20:29, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

Proposed UVB-76 improvements under "Numbers stations"[edit]

I'm coming at this as a long-time radio hobbyist, but I'm also a first-time editor here so I'll do my best to observe the etiquette. So anyway- I'd like to freshen up and generally improve the paragraph in the "Numbers stations" area on the Russian military station commonly called "UVB-76" or "The Buzzer". The paragraph currently refers to it as UVB-76, and mentions "hackers" having "inserted" images in the stations transmissions, but doesn't mention the strong evidence that The Buzzer is one of several Russian military command-and-control stations sending messages to command posts rather than supporting espionage.

Each of these are mildly problematic. First, the UVB-76 "callsign" hasn't been heard in ages. Second, nobody "hacked" any images into the station's signal; rather, people indulged in a bit of radio piracy to broadcast on The Buzzer's frequency with their own transmitter. Third, there is no evidence of The Buzzer ever having an espionage role, but there is quite a bit of evidence (traffic analysis, TDoA direction finding, and posts in various Russian forums) that it's one of the several systems used by Russian military headquarters units as a means to disseminate messages to subordinate command posts.

Consequently I propose referring to the station as "The Buzzer" and parenthetically mentioning that it is often colloquially called UVB-76, referencing its apparent function as a Russian C2 channel, and rewording the final bit to mention that it is an occasional target for jamming by various individuals.

Incidentally, the current January '25 incarnation of the Wikipedia article is pretty good at pointing these things out and I can provide supporting links to various radio hobbyist pages to support my assertions above. — Unsigned, by: 75.132.168.177 / talk / contribs

Feel free to make the changes. You might want to check out our help pages for editing assistance. —cosmikdebris talk stalk 22:36, 5 January 2025 (UTC)