Number Station: The Lincolnshire Poacher
NOTICE: TO ALL CONCERNED Certain text files and messages contained on this site deal with activities and devices which would be in violation of various Federal, State, and local laws if actually carried out or constructed. The webmasters of this site do not advocate the breaking of any law. Our text files and message bases are for informational purposes only. We recommend that you contact your local law enforcement officials before undertaking any project based upon any information obtained from this or any other web site. We do not guarantee that any of the information contained on this system is correct, workable, or factual. We are not responsible for, nor do we assume any liability for, damages resulting from the use of any information on this site.
Transmission Format
Trnsmissions begin on the hour on three parallel frequencies with a
few bars of the popular English folk tune 'The Lincolnshire
Poacher' repeated twelve times. This is followed by a five digit
message identifier and then the whole sequence is repeated three
times. The actual message is proceeded by a set of high and low
pithced chimes, then the 'Poacher' is played six times. Note the
absence of any group count indicator.
'Lincolnshire Poacher' played twelve times:
63598 63598 63598 63598 63598 63598 63598 63598 63598
63598
Message: Glockenspiel chimes:
54393 54393 63732 63732..... Glockenspie chimes
'Lincolnshire Poacher' played six times
Traffic is presented in English at 11 groups per minute by an
advanced computer synthesised voive system, that is capable of
introducing inflections into each group, givingng the transmission a
lifelike appearance. The inflection systemem works like this. Each
digit position in a group is given a default inflection value:
Position-----Inflection
1-------------Low
2-------------Low
3-------------Low
4-------------Low
5-------------High
Onto this template is superimposed two exceptions. Number 3
always has a High inflection no matter what its position is. While
number 9 aways has a Low inflection no matter what its position is.
The inflection template is characteristic of a human reading number
groups. while the addition of these exceptions attempted to confirm
the human element of the broadcast. The voice itself has a very
deftinite English accent. possibly from the South of the country.
Traffic shedules seem to vary every couple of months and are
therefore quickly outdated. One of the longer lived schedules
begins at 1500 UTC on the daytime frequencies and continues until
its last transmissionn at 2200 UTC, with a frequency change at
1900 UTC.
Each schedule lasts two weeks and begins on a Friday at 1500
UTC. There are no transmissions on Saturday, and only one on
Sunday at 1500 UTC. Traffic restarts on Monday with traffic from
Fridday appearing two hours later. New traffic is introduced into
the 1500 and 1600 UTC Monday slots. This step type scheduling
continues until the 1600 UTC Monday traffic is broadcast at 2200
UTC on Thursday: at this point the schedule is completed and a
repeat of the week beings on the Friday.
One very interesting feature that accompanies these transmissions
and also some CIA transmismons is a curious board band USB
jammer, which is successful in completely drowning out most of
the transmission. One theory says these jamming sights are
deliberately broadcast by the numbers sstation to shroud numbes
transmissions in the transmitters vicinity. With the jammer at a
sigmficantly weaker power than the numbers, only numbers will be
heard at the target area since the jammer will have dropped out.
However preliminary propagation studies carried out on these
jammers have proved that these transmissions do not emanate from
the vicinty of the numbers transmitter sites and can therefore to
termed to be hostile to the numbers station. The general consensus
on the source of this jamming seems to be Iraq, wNch is already
known to liberally jam anything that is in the slghtest political
opposition to the Baghdad reigeme. Another point of curiosity
amongst listeners to this stahon is the choice of preamble music.
The piece, called 'The Lincolnshire Poacher' or sometimes 'The
Poaching Song', has some quite interesting social and historic
significance.
Lyrics of the song, 'The Lincolnshire Poacher'
As me and my companions were setting off a snare Twas there we
see'd a gamekeeper - for him we did not care For we can wrestle
and fight my boys, and jump o'er everywhere Oh, tis my delight on
a shiny night in the season of the year.
As me and my companions were setting four or five And taking on
him up again, we caught the hare alive We caught the hare alive, my
boys, and through the woods did steer: Oh, tis my delight on a
shiny night in the season of the year.
Bad luck to every Magistrate that lives in Lincolnshire Sucess to
every poacher that wants to sell a hare Bad luck to every game
keeper that will not sell his deer Oh, tis my delight on a shiny night
in the season of the year.
|