This was our inspiration.

Creation

I initially found the concept of numbers stations through a particular game. I was enthused. Sent it to a new player, who loves Bingo.

Trolled around, found some one talking about Drunkerregnum, and poof -- a task designed just for a numbers station! I just need intro music and creepy numbers in a sequence, right? And static.

Also, since there could be spies involved, I figured I should have an actual message. It'd be pretty boring if I told you the message outright, so instead, I can tell you the process that I used to encode the message.

I started by encrypting the message using a particular cipher. Then I used a really, really common sequence to translate the alphabet into numbers. Applied the numbers to the message using a program made from a good friend (for ease of use -- no crazy tricks to make it harder or anything).

Good luck. It's not unbreakable. If you're really really interested, I can give you the key length.

Then came the fun part.
I needed a voice creepier than my own. I apparently have a maniacal giggle, but I don't think I could do numbers as well as The Belleh Donsah. So, I hire her, and we spent a long, long, long time trying to get 10 digits recorded.  My specific instructions, at first, were to employ a "creepy" voice.  It evolved into a "creepy/whispery/Gollum/girl from "Call of the Zombie" voice.  That is not a very easy thing to do.  I doubt if I succeeded in mastering such a sound, but we had some interesting conversations as a result of this attempt. Thankfully, we recorded all of it, and I took out the funny / bizarre parts.











(She has an infectious laugh, does she not?)



I didn't think it required a script, either. But hey.  It was necessary.  Between trying to concentrate on what I was saying, and him giggling, manically, it was necessary.

So, I got it recorded, fucked with it in FL Studio and Audacity, and poof: it was born.


(10 cool points if you know what the intro is. 50 cool points if you can tell what the other background music is.)



Execution

We finished the task to the letter, but a numbers station isn't much of a numbers station if people aren't listening to it, wishing they knew the one-time pad.


I could put it on the internet.... Hope a few passers-by know what it is.....

Or, I could perhaps, take away the 'choice' factor in the whole listening aspect of this deal. "But how?"

This is an iTrip.


This is an iTrip on drugs.


Steroids. An extended antenna to improve the transmitter range from 5 inches to about 20 feet.


All we had to do was find a place with an identifiable radio.


Went to my (soon to be former) place of work. A test run, if you will. The radio reciever is through that wall. From where I took the picture, I could gank the station (101.1 -- it comes in nicely normally) with no problem. However, it was a little quiet. I went back home, jacked up the volume, put it back in my iPod, and went out with The Belleh Donsah.

Our first stop --


We got in, realized there was NO RADIO playing at all in the shop.  A wonderful Slurpee selection, though.

Fail.


We went over to --



And had a little better luck. We couldn't tell what was playing inside, as it was static-y. However, the place was rockin for 2:30 AM. So we decided to linger around the front. After several trips back to the car to see what the popular stations were playing so we'd know what to take over.

Unfortunately, after an hour of loitering, we only managed to get one person's radio. They looked sternly at their dashboard for a second, switched to another station (that I couldn't find) and drove off.

No picture, no epic surprise. Nothing.


My conclusion: Short of storming a radio station headquarters, it's hard to get anything out to the people.


No guitar, since I spent a few hours on the numbers station track itself. Enjoy.