For 40 years, scientists, radio amateurs, and intelligence officers have attempted to unravel the enigma of a mysterious radio signal emanating from Russia. Over time, numerous theories have emerged, ranging from the Perimeter system (also known as the Dead Hand complex) to an alien beacon, the transmission of covert information, and ionosphere scanning.
An amateur radio enthusiast can encounter the enigmatic by simply tuning into the shortwave frequency of 4625 kHz. This station has been emitting an array of mysterious sounds since the 1970s, including beeps, hissing (referred to as “white noise”), spoken phrases, and segments from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” It has been transmitting this signal with little interruption for over four decades.
UVB-76, initially identified by its first call sign, later became known as The Buzzer. Another less common name is MDZhB, an abbreviation for “Mikhail, Dmitry, Zhenya, Boris,” which were names mentioned by an unidentified announcer on air. Since 1982, scientists, intelligence officers, and radio amateurs have consistently shown interest in this frequency.
The purpose of this signal’s broadcast remains unknown, with no official explanations provided over the years. The pursuit of the enigmatic station only deepens the mystery. Originally, UVB-76 was believed to be located near Moscow, in the vicinity of Povarovo.
In 2010, the station experienced a day of silence before resuming broadcasts from either the Pskov or Leningrad regions. Following the relocation, tracking the radio signal became more challenging. Documents suggest that the Russian military vacated the initial deployment site within 90 minutes.
“One theory is that the signal comes from a digital station, which is a radio station set up to send coded messages through numbers or using voice, Morse code, or other numerical code. The popularity of these stations grew at the end of the First World War. During the Cold War, they were a useful tool for sending secret messages. The activity of UVB-76 only increased after the collapse of the Soviet Union,” notes Popular Mechanics magazine.
What can be heard on the air
The station transmits a variety of sounds, including voices, buzzing noises, melodies, and sounds akin to shuffling feet. Researchers point out that this diversity is a primary distinction from its analog counterparts.
Moreover, this is not about recording; the assumption is that the broadcast happens live. In various programs, one could discern background noises, footsteps, and voices. Ryan Schaum, an investigator of this phenomenon, posits that the buzzing, often dismissed as static, is actually conveyed through a microphone.
This hypothesis of microphone transmission by Schaum gains support from a particular broadcast where an operator’s mistake was evident. The announcer declared a “malfunction” and started to reiterate a segment of the previously dictated text.
According to the Daily Mail, on November 3, 2001, the operator forgot to turn off the microphone.
“I’m 143. The generator does not accept… This thing comes from the control room,” the operator said in Russian.
Occasionally, “pirates” attack the frequency, but station operators prevent them from using the channel, resulting in interference.
Pirates periodically manage to wedge themselves into the broadcast, and some of them even try to forge messages.
The signal is transmitted intermittently throughout the day, with varying intervals. It is noted that the radio station becomes active during significant events, and some messages may be broadcast repeatedly over several months.
The purpose of the signal, dubbed “Dead Hand,” remains a mystery, with theories ranging from communication with extraterrestrials to frequency reservation. David Stupples, Ph.D., an expert in space reconnaissance and navigation systems, suggested in an interview with Popular Mechanics that the Russian authorities might use it to reserve a channel for air defense or other military purposes, serving as a backup during nuclear war or similar crises.
He further clarified that maintaining activity on the channel is necessary to control the frequency. However, the behavior of UVB-76 does not align with typical frequency reservation practices, which usually involve broadcasting a repetitive basic message. Moreover, the station employs an omnidirectional channel with a highly powerful transmitter, reportedly in the range of several thousand watts. Unlike typical signals, UVB-76 does not emit a recognizable sequence of sounds, and despite attempts to decode any potential ciphers, researchers have come up empty-handed.
“I ran it through signal spectrum analyzers and could not extract any information at all,” the professor said.
The expert did not dismiss the possibility that the station is part of the Dead Hand system, also known as the Perimeter complex in the USSR and Russia. Reliable details on the complex’s operations are scarce. It may operate automatically, with capabilities such as a wake-up and sleep function, or it may be manually controlled. The system is believed to be designed for launching a substantial retaliatory nuclear strike if the country’s leadership is incapacitated.
Another theory suggests that the facility transmits radio signals into the atmosphere to detect UFOs. Some physicists assert that the frequency is utilized for monitoring the Earth’s ionosphere, although this is met with skepticism. Ari Boender, a freelance radio host from Holland and the creator of the Numbers Oddities website, has discussed alternative theories.
“The buzzer is a legend. There are many strange stories about this,” he explained.
One theory suggests that the objective is not to seek out UFOs, but rather to establish a beacon for extraterrestrial beings. Another conspiracy theory posits that Russia utilizes radio signals to manipulate people’s minds. Additionally, there is speculation that the radio channel was employed for the remote operation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Another theory posits that the facility is utilized by Russian spies, yet decoding messages is unfeasible without a codebook. Jochen Schäfer, leader of a civilian group in Germany that pursued professional spies, alleges that agents receive coded messages via the radio channel. He told Wired about this in 2011.
Boender is skeptical of conspiracy theories and believes that the radio frequency known as “The Buzzer” is operated by the Russian Armed Forces. While similar systems exist in other countries’ militaries, “The Buzzer” stands out as distinctly unique.
“Almost certainly the Russian government is taking advantage of this. If it is the Russian government, then it will not pursue peaceful goals,” Stupples said.
There is a channel on YouTube with an online broadcast of radio frequencies.
Strange People and Strange Landscapes
Yegor Yevseev, a 20-year-old Canadian student born in Moscow, set out to trace the origin of a signal in 2014, only to find an abandoned military base. The ruinous state of the base, with its forsaken documents, heaps of refuse, and frayed wires, left a stark impression. In an interview with MailOnline, he remarked on the oddity of both the landscape and the inhabitants, suggesting that he might be unaccustomed to the local way of life.
“There was a man on a bicycle who was riding from the road leading to a dead end. He was carrying only timber and headed towards the field, where, as I know, there is nothing at all for many miles,” Yevseev commented.
The second strange person was a woman with an empty baby stroller.
“The second creepy person was a woman in her 40s, she was with a stroller. At first, I thought it was a resident of the city who went out for a walk, but when she passed by, I saw that her stroller was empty. Who goes to an abandoned military base with an empty stroller for a walk?” he shared his impressions.
Western scientists hold the view that obtaining answers to emerging questions is improbable without input from the Russian Federation.
