Selects: What is a Numbers Station?

Number stations, shortwave radio transmissions that broadcast bizarre sequences, are explored, focusing on their history and function. Originating around World War I and peaking during the Cold War, these stations transmit coded messages to spies via shortwave radio, which bounces signals off the Earth's ionosphere. The hosts highlight the difficulty in tracing these transmissions, making them nearly unstoppable, and discuss how governments have never claimed ownership of them. The hosts also discuss the "one-time pad," an unbreakable code involving randomly generated keys, and touch on the Enigma group, shortwave enthusiasts who monitor these transmissions. They also consider theories about the stations' continued operation, including espionage, misinformation, and use by drug runners.