What Is Happening To Cuba's Numbers Station? 

There is always the possibility that the "errors" are part of the message in some way. What appears as incompetence could be meaningful to the recipient.

Incompetence or not, there is something so incredibly disturbing and eerie about the audio coming from numbers stations like that.

Think it's using 50s/60s era soviet vacuum tube equipment. Often under- or over- or not-at-all-modulated, self-jamming and a fair amount of hum. Very strong signal here. (Edit: appearance of adult film audio = operator pornsurfing while transmitting - PC probably only has one sound card) (Edit 2: please tell me one of your viewers caught that on tape and can share it with Lewis....:^)

This channel has so much good information, it never fails to dissapoint. Thanks for all the hard work you put in.

FYI, the music at 6:17 with the birds overlaid is, fittingly, "Bird Song" by Yoko Kanno. Which could, itself, be a message. Sure, it's an even lower "bit rate" communications channel, but that could be as simple as a "skip ahead the predetermined key/one time pad pages" or "burn your current pads: new ones are available on the secure VPN" message for the actual encrypted digital payload. Same for any other "oddities".

I could always tell when they were about to start transmitting (or were actively transmitting) on their numbers stations from here in Texas because Radio Habana would stop transmitting. Pretty strong indication of shared equipment, that.

The _blunder_ still isn't as bad as the time they played the number recording in reverse on a reel to reel. I have not heard about the adult film soundtrack, though.

Thank you for covering this. Regarding your last point, Radio Habana and Radio Rebelde have been relaying the full audio of movies/tv shows the last couple weekends. On my channel I uploaded a couple that I caught. I haven't heard any "adult film" but the movie Misconduct (2016) played on radio rebelde the other weekend and I did hear what sounded like it was supposed to be a sex scene. It's interesting that they're having issues with the numbers stations at the same time this is all happening. Makes me wonder what is really going on down there haha.

The bird call song is extremely popular among Chinese alarm clock manufacturers. I have two with the EXACT song. Likely they used the timer trigger feature on the clock to trigger the station, but forgot to turn off the alarm volume, which can be muted.

*if* there's any possibility that their systems are internet connected, it could well be someone just happening to find them in the wild and compromising them, and adding random things that are just as ominous in terms of background. After all, it's XP and legacy OSes have more holes than swiss cheese at this stage in their life! Interesting none the less...

The biggest mistake Ham Radio operators make happens when Windows changes your default system sounds output device. It is always a warning to FT8 and Winlink users. The worst is when WSJT-X users run JTAlert and get their voice alert announcements transmitted over the air. Cringe Worthy.

well the interesting thing is in the early morning CET there are spanish messages sent from vladivostok russia but with no digital modes......cuba is the biggest wholesaler of informations cliients iran, irak, pakistan related entre autre to nuclear stuff....vvery good video again love it !!!

Great upload m8. Numbers station's got me hooked to your channel. Then onto, amateur radio. 👍

Incompetent? HMO1 is my favorite! I live on the American east coast. You can pick it up on a pocket radio. If you're a SDR user, the best reception is on a receiver in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I find it interesting that it's easier to receive HMO1 in the northeast USA than it in south Florida, which is only 100 miles from Havana.

The birdsong and pan pipes is very pleasant to listen too.

Thank you for covering this more in depth. Very interesting video. I have yet to hear that with the birdsong in the background. Have a good weekend.

I was driving to work at 5:00 UTC. I turned on my AM/FM/SW Sony in dash car radio. It was tuned to 9305 khz and there was a numbers station in Spanish. Before I had listened to a US broadcaster on that frequency.

When dealing with things like number stations it's hard to know what is a poorly run system and what's an intentional sigal that means something.

5:38 reminds me of the sort of thing The Orb used to play in their live shows

great work again buddy.

Thank's for the video Lewis. I have heard this station here in Osloas well. The best to you all from LB1NH 🙂

Perhaps the station operators spend too much partying at the Copacabana. The hottest spot north of Havana

I used to hear them fairly regularly a few years ago in the northeast US. But, I have not been able to catch them over the past few months. I can still receive radio Havana easily.

I've only heard a few recordings of V21, the Cuban Babbler, and immediately loved it. Such a shame *that* one is no longer broadcasting! 3:31 - Odin, dos, tri, quatro, pyat,' seis, sem' ..... 🤣 3:33 - That whooshing noise is fantastic! 4:27 - Someone had lotsa fun downloading weird sound files onto their work computer. Who could blame them? WIld how often it syncs up with the broadcasting voice. 5:40 - At least there isn't a narrator naming each bird as they sing! Glad to see The Saint among your supporters. Always thought he was hip. Thanks as always for yet another great video, *dearest* RM!

One possibility is the "accidents" advise which encryption is being used, or else provide a context for the messages known only to the recipients as a safeguard in case the encryption is broken... for example it could mean this message is a decoy, ignore it.

I've been tracking this for a while on multiple frequencies, trying to find a code or a pattern. It's probably a waste of time, but nonetheless, I enjoy numbers stations. Thanks for sharing 👍

Thanks for the video. I remember the old 196 calls. Oh, WBCQ may use 9330 khz. Cheers from the USA.

I think I recognize the second birdsong with flutes. I used to listen to it all the time to help me go to sleep. It was from a CD I think was called Native American Flutes. I bought it from the Natural Wonders store somewhere around 1994 or 1995.

He has way too much information about this like what software they are running. Did they start giving out tours to RU-vid influencers? 😂 /teasing

In the Army, I had to listen to hours and hours of Russian number transmissions. Even today, when I hear Russian number chains, I hear it like it's my native tongue. Useless skill for the most part.

The spoken numbers starting at 3:30 are being spoken in Russian. Interesting.

How do you differentiate third party interference from the broadcast? When China blocks AM stations and I see the result in the UK, it’s pretty difficult to distinguish the difference if the frequency lines up perfectly

GREAT video content and editing was very smooth. ❤ 😊 Always brings me back in time. Thanks 73 Leo. k

i agree with your stance on the birdsong, though i'm also wondering if a hacker group had something to do with it, given the 'system' in place for it and the incident with the radio station 😜

I love the idea of the intended recipient hearing the background and being like "oh, I see we are going with the computer bird cipher variant this time" and the a film was another clever hidden surprise.

I always assumed that the double signals were someone trying to jam it.

I haven’t looked for them lately, but HM01 absolutely booms into my QTH in NE Ohio.

Most people are careful about what are they transmitting at what band etc meanwhile there are stations out there broadcasting windows xp and bird sounds. Makes me wonder if OFCOM is actually bothered at all. Personally I think not really unless there's money to be made.

I've never heard the cuckoo sound on Windows XP before... Sounds more generic than Windows

There was also what sounded like an interval signal, strangely, an electronically generated version of the Westminster chimes

"Something is always wrong at Radio Havana Cuba..."

While the first birdsong was a looping stock sound effect it is still strange hearing it here, being ingrained in my mind from a point and click game i played at maybe age 7 or 8

I don’t know what’s going on lately but I can’t even hear HM01 anymore. I used to be able to hear the signal perfectly whenever they broadcasted during the night but whenever they are supposed to transmit, I never hear them anymore. It’s nothing but dead air when the top of the hour hits and it’s a shame really because I live in the United States and HM01 is the only number station I could pick up. All the rest of them are in Europe or Russia. Have they gone dark or are they just not targeting North America anymore? I can’t even hear them on a WebSDR. Doesn’t matter which one I use.

The birds arent encrypted no but they are certainly an identifier possibly a key rotation identifier for the encryption of the data stream to come. We used to use invisible characters in emails to identify what pgp key was meant to open the attachments without saying whay pgp key was meant to be open the attachment.

The mixed voice headers and digital does something interesting. The numbers are initially in what sounds to be Russian, and then Spanish and then back to Russian. Nothing was said about this at all

The birdsong is part of the code. You can hear numbers repeat if you replace the bird sounds with a dot and dash. The mixed signal at the beginning was weird having Russian over Spanish.

That bird song reminds me of a lot of Chinese tiktok ambient music. hmmm...

Wonder if I'd be able to pick that up with my PL660 here in Minnesota..

Fantastic video as always, but precisely, the name is "HM zero one."

Maybe the relaxing wind instruments and birdsong are there to help stressed out spies relax when they get information. After all, it's got to be a pretty stressful job spying and being sneaky all the time, so if the guy running the numbers station can put on some relaxing sounds when you get your numbers then I'm sure that'd make the job that little bit more bearable.

I'd wager a guess towards China setting up their own sigint station somewhere nearby or maybe even testing what a hand over might entail.

At least we can know they like old anime. That Escaflowne reference stood up like a sore thumb.

ive heard hm01 a few times in the uk just depends on propagation

China has recently set up shop in Cuba. It may have some bearing on the 'oddities'. Don't know. Flute tune fits though.

ambient bird song is somewhat better than cuckoo clock. Actually the ambient bird song is the signal to Czech sleeper cell that does fake Aztec folk music on the street.

Does hm01 still transmit? I have been trying to listen to it for weeks via websdr according to the schedules on priyom but no luck so far.

FWIW: I wish I had known about this stuff when I was living in South Florida {1988-1995}.

Sounds like relaxing massage music.

Cuban Government to HM01: You had ONE job!

What model of Tecsun is that in the thumbnail?

The Cuban DGI on a nickel and dime budget has been outstanding.

I lived in Miami for 15 years some thing inept is very Cuban !!

there has been a few things with radio HC lately that makes me wonder...

Maybe they want others to think its poorly managed so they can send coded messages based on what kind of "error" is happening on the transmission paired with the expected number and file

Interesting how the coo-coo clock ans the numbers were almost on the same cadence

Black ops PTSD triggering

know about "chirp" ( for Compelx Radio programming......as set decryption Codes)? Good luck;)

Could their agents have devices with noise filtering in them?

I hear it loud and clear here in Florida.

Someone using his Windows XP work computer for things he shouldn't, either that, or someone using the computer that's always on in the corner of the office for some reason to do things he, again, shouldn't at work.

"...there's probably a secret encoded message that means something ELSE!" 😛

To Translate. That dude from Guantanamo highjacking the airplane is saying,.. I'M TAKING THIS PLANE TO CU BA 🤣 ... _ _ _ ... 🙄

The issue is not what is being sent but whom is waiting for it on the other end...

Awesome video

I don't speak (is it Spanish?) but I'm sure I heard a couple of Russian numbers at around 3m30s. "ahdin" (один) is the number 1 and "vosem" (восемь) is 8, "dva" (два) is 2 and tre (три) is 3. But maybe I'm just hearing things, or maybe it's some post cold war link to Russia still going on?

Something playing in the background is a very quick way to let a recipient know the transmission is important or the opposite...maybe the normally broadcasting is nothing but garbage and when there is something playing its an actual transmission of information...

I wonder what's gonna happen with these numbers stations around the world on Oct 4 th

Lol I like the bird chirps it's Cubas way to give asmr

❤❤❤

The Asian sounding music that plays with the bird sounds is from, or at least was part of, the soundtrack to Shogun: Total War. A pretty good strategy game for it's time. What an odd choice.

A nice RF Trolling example.

I wish the US would open our relations with Cuba. I would love to visit and explore the country.

the birdsong sounds like the back ground music of a game. can't remember what it was though

Hi, I remember that some of those stations were created to cause interference and silence Radio Marti from Miami. Maybe that can give you a clue why it is so useless.

Unless it isn't a numbers station anymore and they are just messing with the CIA

Over which frequency can be received?

The bird sounds like a canary...

So weird and interesting 🤔

Sounds to me there are two stations transmitting, one cuban and one russian

Are the birds to delete or shift a number?

In all seriousness, that's part of the message and or they knew we'd catch it, they want to see how many people are listening!

Sounds like it's from outer space, someone trying to contact you lewis.

Oh, f*ck. You’re gonna make me broadcast!

One way to divert attention away from the real message transmission. Or increase your listening audience. Too many weird things just to be a coincidence.

Where do you hear cockoo sounds on Windows XP? Do people not customize their computers minimally to disable sounds, lol. LIke when you have turned up the gain, and suddenly a stupid sound blasts like a supernova.

And now they have a fighter jet 👍

I need music for my ears🎉

I suspect this could be the work of Super-Spy Brian Eno.

Its a Cash game, make the opposite side drain its Balck Budget on Surveillance.