A valid QSL from a spy numbers station
is quite a rarity, and the only known spy numbers station ever known to verify
was on the air in Prague, Czechoslovakia under the callsign OLX. Over the years, many international radio
monitors have heard this enigmatic station when it was broadcasting a series of
numbers in groups of five, either in Morse Code or in speech.
It is understood that these numbers
broadcasts utilize a once only numbers pad and that they are one way
transmissions to spies in another country.
Similar radio transmissions have been noted from other shortwave
stations located in several different countries in Europe and the Americas.
It is believed that the numbers
broadcasts from Prague emanated from the Ministry of Internal Affairs building
in Prague, though the actual location of the shortwave transmitter itself is
not known. The callsign OLX belongs to the Czech News Agency, so probably the
spy broadcasts were transmitted from their shortwave station, perhaps somewhere
on the edge of Prague.
The QSL sheet from station OLX, as
today’s
QSL of the Week, was addressed to “Vassily” and
it shows a panorama picture of downtown Prague.
The QSL verifies a reception report dated December 7, 1995 when the
station was heard on 9320 kHz in SSB single side band mode, apparently in
speech. It
is known that just a few other international radio monitors have received a
verification from spy numbers station OLX.
This broadcast service ended many years ago, in 1977.
(AWR Wavescan/NWS 324)