[Spooks] Cuban Catches

mslaten mslaten at prodigy.net
Thu Mar 17 17:28:19 EST 2005


Hi Sue:

    I am not sure what you mean by "call me stupid but what's the
difference?  Sue
    Could you please be more specific about what you didn't understand?  I
thought I included enough differences in the various types of Cuban numbers
stations to help the crew better ID them.
    Check out the morse and voice station profiles at the Enigma group's
website for more up-to-date profiles.  The Spooks Station list is
out-of-date.  It doesn't even show M8a which replaced M8 about nine years
ago (1996).  M8c was a variant that began about December 2003 and just about
replaced M8a until M8a began to be the format of choice again last month.
M8c was more like a corrupt format than a technically correct morse format.
    M8a would send "BT" at the end of callup, "AR" at the end of a message
and "SK" at the end of the sked.
    M8c would send "K" at the end of callup, "OE" (the E was more like a
blip) at the end of a message, and I believe also "OE" at the end of the
sked.  I believe this format more of a Cuban technical screwup than anything
else.
    After over a year of M8c though, they must have rehired the old signals
officer and he straightened them out with the correct morse protocols (M8a).
    If you just don't understand why you should be as accurate as possible
on the ID, then see my comment to KC?KBH about using the Spooks Database or
Ary's Enigma Database for searches.  You know the old saying "garbage in,
garbage out!"
    Several serious numbers hobbyists, spent many hours devising the Enigma
identifiers to help anyone ID the many, many numbers stations out there.
Some not there anymore, and new ones appearing periodically.  This is just a
way to try and make some sense out of the many broadcasts heard daily around
the world.
    I surely hope I have been clear enough so that you and any other
monitors out there understand.  Don't feel stupid.  We all have to learn as
a continuous process in life.
    Plus there are many new people to the numbers stations on line too.  It
is an exciting and fascinating hobby.
    If I can be of further help in ID'ing or questions on morse (which I
primarily search for) or even some voice questions, I am more than happy to
answer them if I can, or someone else on this board or the Enigma board
might also have the answer.
    Happy Monitoring!

73's
Mark




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