A Russian shortwave station shrouded in mystery came alive for the first time in months on Monday, prompting renewed speculation about its true purpose. The station—often referred to as UZB-76 and dating back to the Cold War—has long been a source of fear and fascination among shortwave enthusiasts and online sleuths.
Some have dubbed it the “Buzzer” due to the monotone sounds it has broadcast almost continually since the 1970s, and which has occasionally been accompanied by short coded messages. Two such codes were heard on Monday, including “NZHTI,” a call sign that has been previously used by the station, as well as “HOTEL” accompanied by a series of numbers: 38, 965, 78, 58, 88, 37,
A clip of the broadcast, which can be found online, was shared on social media, with X users suggesting the numbers could be coordinates.
Ary Boender, a radio enthusiast from the Netherlands who runs the Numbers & Oddities website, previously revealed the array of wild theories he’s heard about the station.
“Some say that it is an old Soviet Dead Man’s Switch that triggers a nuclear attack on the west when it stops buzzing.”
Mr Boender says others have posited that it’s a homing beacon for UFOs, or “a mind control device with which the Russians can program your mind”.
The radio aficionado told Mailonline in 2014 that people had even previously claimed it was a “remote control station belonging to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.”
However, Mr Boedner said the theories are nonsense, noting that the buzzer had actually previously stopped on September 1, 2010, while transmitters were moved from near Povarovo to nearby St Petersburg, and it didn’t trigger armageddon.
While the station will continue to be a source of fevered debate, there’s no evidence to suggest the numbers are necessarily indicative of anything ominous.
David Stupples, Professor of Electronic & Radio Engineering, previously spoke to Popular Mechanics, and speculated that if it is used by the Russian government, “it wouldn’t be for peaceful purposes”.
However, he added that the military may simply be keeping it active so they can use it for some form of defence.
“If they don’t actually use it, someone will poach it,” he explained. “They are keeping the channel available by broadcasting and saying ‘this is ours’.”