[Spooks] Numbers Tutorial

[mslaten]

Hi List:

    Thought I would give another tutorial on one of the morse stations.  The
enigma designator is M13.  I believe he is thought to be from Eastern
Europe.  If anyone has any more information on this, please let me know.
    He is not always an easy one to hear.  I find it best to copy him from
2100z - 2300z, anything earlier is pure luck to copy.
    This network seems to start the UTC day between about 0200z and 0800z
and then repeats the message later.  Do a database search to catch some of
the past intercepts for M13 on the Spooks Database and the Enigma Database
on Ary Boender's "Numbers and Oddities" site.  M13 changes frequencies each
month, but will repeat the sked a year later.  Usually broadcasts the 1st
and 3rd or the 2nd and 4th weeks each month.  Each month has one message and
the message number advances by one the next month.  Messages are usually
short, like 20-22 groups.  Although, a variant M13d has been known to send
over 500 groups for a 5 hour marathon!  CW is sent about 5 WPM, so is good
practice for those trying to learn morse.  The only cut number is 0 which is
sent as a T.  All the other nine numbers are long.  The following is copy I
made from today's intercept:


261 (R5) BT 290 22 BT        //2105z //10926m

02426 59332 16408 29412 03186
08956 58481 14003 05521 04416
08115 52039 04155 31068 44503
36803 29792 19453 08465 35731
61245 63640 BT                //2108z

261x12 BT 290 22 BT

02426 59332 16408 29412 03186
08956 58481 14003 05521 04416
08115 52039 04155 31068 44503
36803 29792 19453 08465 35731
61245 63640 BT

0 0 0                                //2112z

(End of sked)

Note: A little Enigma shorthand for those who wonder about the x12 and the
R5.  The x12 means that the call 261 was repeated 12 times, this could have
also been represented by R1, which is 1 minute.  The R5 means that 261 was
repeated for 5 minutes.

    After the initial callup for 5 minutes the station sends BT or "=" which
is morse shorthand for a break, 290 is the message number and 22 is the
group count of the upcoming message.  Next months message from 261 will the
message number 291.  The message is sent and the BT is sent again.  261 is
called again for only 1 minute and then the message is repeated a second
time.  (If you don't get it the first time, you get another chance!) When
the message is concluded, three zeroes (0 0 0) are sent and the station goes
down.  This is the end of the sked.
    Hope you find this of interest.  By the way, if you take the time to
learn morse (at least the numbers and a few letters) you will find there are
many more morse numbers stations than voice stations.

73's
Mark