Is UVB76 Gone Again?

All channels on the Internet repeater have only static for 4625 kHz. The PVO air defense transmissions at 3 kHz are still there, though much weaker. The Internet link works, though at greatly reduced volume. The Buzzer is simply not there.

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Yesterday was quite an interesting day. It is apparent that The Buzzer was using two different transmitters, and maybe two different call signs. It's hard to know for sure. UVB76 is at least a standard international call from Russia's alphabetical block. The other one heard yesterday, MDZhB, is Cyrillic. Cyrillic has appeared in Russian station IDs before, but as tactical calls. So the possibilities are:

Two transmitters, using different call signs.
Two transmitters, one sending a message using a tactical ID.
Two transmitters, both using message-specific tactical IDs.

One interesting possibility is that the second transmitter, which has truly world-spanning capability, was activated specifically for the three messages sent over it, then shut down again. All of this indicates a high degree of human intervention in what was assumed to be an automated transmission, which in turn would indicate that it's more than just an old Cold War system no one ever turned off.

This would tend to support the commonly offered theory that UVB76 is a military alerting station for some kind of command control comms. This would resemble a far less active version of the USA's Emergency Action Message (EAM) broadcasts, which are coded military orders with priority traffic status.

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The Buzzer IS Back!

Several hours have passed, and the buzzz buzzz buzzz continues. Ary Boender has reported that some of the spurious frequencies detected earlier this year were also briefly active, which would strongly indicate that the same transmitter is in use. This, plus the power changes and intermittent 50-Hz hum would seem to indicate that work on the equipment remains in progress.

Another numbers mailing list member has provided transcripts of the three female Russian voice messages that appeared just as The Buzzer came back up:

MDZHB MDZHB 33560 Trenogiĭ 8606 5944 MDZHB MDZHB 33560 Trenogiĭ 8606 5944 Pryom

MDZHB MDZHB 64009 Arun 0835 3598 Trutnik 5512 1847 MDZHB MDZHB 64009 Arun 0835 3598 Trutnik 5512 1847

MDZHB MDZHB 82366 Pruyanoĭ 6385 9971
MDZHB MDZHB 82366 Prutyanoĭ 6385 9971

The MDZhB at the start might be a station identifier of some type. Russia uses these at times. "Zh" is a Russian character. The call or whatever is МДЖБ. Russia has used Cyrillic characters in call signs before. They were also found on the old CW military intelligence net, in Cyrillic Morse.

Note the lack of phonetic spelling. Could this be a different originating station with a different format, and would this explain the different ID or whatever it is?

But, for now, the evidence is overwhelming that The Buzzer is back. Internet users can take off their foil hats.

4625 kHz Fun Continues

Precisely at 1800 UTC, a nasty 50-Hz hum appeared on the Buzzer signal. About half an hour prior to this, the strength of this signal dropped greatly.

Yes, 50 Hz is the power frequency in Russia.

It is definitely not a 60-Hz hum.

Someone else is sending VVVVVVVVV K in Morse, and of course the off-frequency air defense strings continue unabated.

Yet More 4625 kHz

At 1639 UTC, I am tuning on the GlobalTuners receiver in Austria. The upper sideband is definitely much louder than the lower sideband. The difference is about 5 S units, whatever those are on this radio. A carrier is present, and it is on frequency.

Is The Buzzer back? We'll have to wait and see.

More 4625 kHz

Currently (1625 UTC), authentic-sounding AM buzzes and Russian female voice messages are being sent. I'm dubious, but the use of AM mode is interesting. Someone who can tune their radio will have to find out if there is a suppressed lower sideband. I can't tell over the Internet.

Is the Buzzer Back?

I don't think so. At precisely 9:11 AM (hmmmm) Pacific Daylight Time (1611 UTC), the buzzing sound started up again. But it is much louder on the USB stream than the AM one, and since The Buzzer was in upper-sideband, full-carrier mode (H3E), this should not have been the case. Russian test counts and ominous 50-Hz noises are also being broadcast on 4625 at present.

Yesterday had several interesting non-pirate transmissions on this frequency. "F6J6" is a Russian duplex military net with a callup or roll call daily around 1800-2000. The voice message may or may not have been the same agency doing the ones on The Buzzer.

Then there's the intermittent Morse code at 3 kHz, indicating that the station is off-frequency. This has to be the Russian Air Defense (PVO). What you're hearing is an automated system which sends character strings in Morse code, at regular intervals. These have a strict format, in which the first character is a break (BT) and a time stamp appears. This time is local to the Moscow area. The rest of the data is presumably target locations. Missing characters are substituted with a question mark (?). These stations have been on for years.

4625 kHz Festivities Continue

Coming up on a week since The Buzzer suddenly went silent, and the pirate fest continues. Check http://uvb-76.blogspot.com/ for the latest.

At 2312 UTC, someone has a loop of The Buzzer and what sounds like classical music.

Earlier, someone was sending waterfall pictures which made Russian characters for a word which can translate as the male reproductive organ.

Real or bootleg military broadcasts continue, in CW. One net control station is on daily at times between 1700 and 2000, working stations duplex.