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The Secret Russian broadcasts in Stranger Things are real
Collectively these broadcasts are known as number stations and many countries operate them. Let’s open that curiosity door…
Like most people who grew up on a diet of 1980’s culture, I am a huge fan of Stranger Things Season 3. At the beginning of Season 3 we find out that Dustin has managed to intercept a top secret radio broadcast, which features a strange coded message in Russian:
The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west…
Admittedly the Russians probably wouldn’t have been so naive as to broadcast directions to their secret base without some form of encryption, but creepy Russian broadcasts using cryptic code words do actually exist. Collectively these broadcasts are known as number stations, and many countries operate them.
Radio transmission provides a time-tested method of communicating secret messages. The broadcasts themselves can be automated by machine, transmitted from any country, and can penetrate far into enemy territory.
Secret agents, army officials and government agencies can listen in at any time to receive messages from command. All your secret agent needs is a simple radio and a one-time pad cipher book to decode the messages. It is super low tech. There are no phone logs or packets for the NSA to trace, and you don’t have to be Dr Alexei to use the system, which makes it suitable for agents from all backgrounds, including Scoops Ahoy!
The Russian Buzzer Broadcast (UVB-76)
One famous shortwave broadcast nicknamed The Buzzer started in 1973 and still continues to this day. The buzzer could be heard on frequency 4625 kHz and features a repeating buzzer sound 25 times per minute, 24 hours a day. Occasionally, every few months the buzzer signal is interrupted and a voice transmission of a coded message in Russian would take place.
You can hear a clip of the Buzzer below:
