UVB-76, the infamous Russian number station alleged to be used by the Russian government to connect with spies, has started broadcasting unusual messages, including various memes and the song Gangnam Style. Number stations are the kind of thing you find late at night on Reddit, listen to, and then spend the rest of the night looking for some ear-bleach.
The stations around since World War I but became more prevalent during the Cold War. usually broadcast a tune, a buzz, or sometimes a cartoon character Yosemite Sam saying “Varmint, I’m a-going to b-b-b-bloooow ya ta’smithereenies” (yes, really), followed by a series of numbers read by a human or synthesized voice, on a bed of static for extra “I They are usually assumed (and sometimes proven) to be a means for states to communicate coded instructions to field agents. They have spooked individuals all over the world, sometimes on a timetable, sometimes seemingly at random, and they are not limited to one language.
One particularly concerning hypothesis is that one number station, “MDZhB,” also known as “UVB-76” and “The Buzzer,” being used as a “Dead Hand” signal. The station emits a repetitive tone that is occasionally interrupted by a foghorn-like sound and a Russian voice providing instructions such as “180 08 BROMAL 74 27 99 14. Ya UVB-76, Ya UVB-76. Boris, Roman, Olga, Mikhail, Anna, and Larisa are some of the characters in Boris, Roman, Olga, Mikhail, Anna, and Larisa’ 7 4 2 7 9 9 1 4; 7 4 2 7 9 9 1 4; 7 4 2 7 9 “… According to the “Dead Hand” notion, the only time you should be concerned is when the signal quits. If that is the case, the monotone serves as a sort of “everything’s fine” alert, ala The Simpsons.
If the signal interrupted for a period due to a nuclear assault, an automated nuclear retaliation activated, according to this unproven notion. You will see that a nuclear apocalypse did not occur after the station stopped broadcasting in 2010, despite a brief burst of activity. Phew. It later relocated to a new site, where it continues to broadcast seldom.
After broadcasting songs like Psy’s global hit Gangnam Style and noises that turn into memes when put through a spectrum analyzer, the station has sparked new suspicion. According to experts who have examined the communications, the cause is most likely pirates who have stolen the frequency. It looks to have returned to its typical beeps and numbers after a brief period of spewing messages. Let us pretend for the time being that Gangnam Style is not a coded message.
