The radio signal at a frequency of 4625 kHz has been on the air supposedly since the late 70s. The earliest available recording of the broadcast is from 1982. From the moment it was discovered by radio amateurs, this signal has been constantly buzzing. Once every few years, the buzzing stops and the voice in Russian reads out a mixture of numbers and Russian names.
For example, a message broadcast at the end of December 1997:
“I am UVB-76, I am UVB-76. 180 08 BROMAL 74 27 99 14. Boris, Roman, Olga, Mikhail, Anna, Larisa. 7 4 2 7 9 9 1 4 ″
Instead of stopping broadcasting with the collapse of the USSR, UVB-76 became even more active. Since the turn of the century, voice broadcasts have become more and more frequent.
The first thing that comes to mind is that the broadcast is a kind of message that was recorded once and has been played back every time since. However, WB76 listeners quickly determined that each new message is not a copy of the previous one. The buzz is created manually each time.
In 2010, the volume of Internet broadcast discussions increased many times over. This was due to the fact that UVB-76 began to issue messages almost every month. A chunk from Swan Lake, a female voice counting from 1 to 9, a Morse code question mark, and strange telephone conversations could all be heard on 4625 kHz.
Promotional video:
All this activity took place just before the most significant event in the history of UVB-76 observation since the 70s when it was first discovered. In October 2010 the station changed its location. It looks like the increased activity and the move were somehow connected. At the new location, the broadcast changed its callsign to - МДЖБ.
Previous attempts to locate the transmitter have led to a Russian military base near the village of Povarovo, 19 km from Moscow. After the signal changed location, several groups of researchers and people interested in UVB-76 tried to get into the bunker from which the signal was broadcast for 30 years. When they arrived in the village, one of the locals told the story of a storm in 2010.
The evacuation took place as quickly as it was mystical. One night, a very dense fog covered the village and all personnel from the military base were evacuated within 90 minutes.
Russian military base from which the UVB-76 signal was broadcast until 2010.
After the researchers entered the base, they found that it was completely abandoned. Personal belongings and equipment were scattered everywhere, and the bunker was flooded with water. One group of researchers described the bunker as "a quiet and dark place, like a labyrinth with many corridors and rooms." A notebook was found in which a log of all UVB-76 broadcasts was kept. The mystical signal, which has amazed the whole world for 30 years, has now received physical evidence, and its connection with the Russian army has also been confirmed.
This is how a genuine notebook with a recording of UVB-76 broadcasts looks like:
However, the secret of the signal has not yet been solved. Various messages appear periodically on this frequency. Listeners all over the world tune their receivers or listen to the online signal every day. Here on this link you can download a stream that rebroadcasts the UVB-76 signal in real time.
Along with the increased interest in the broadcasts themselves, attempts to discover the new location of the transmitter did not stop. However, judging by the latest research, the signal is now broadcast from several places in Russia. Here are the three most possible ones:
The small village of Kirsino has an official population of only 39 people. One of the signals comes from here.
The most likely candidate is the Pskov region. Multiple attempts to detect the signal have led exactly here.
There was also a new theory among people interested in UVB-76. Is it possible that the signal is somehow connected with the state radio station Voice of Russia? One of the possible sources of the UVB-76 signal was detected very close to the antenna southeast of Kolpino. This equipment is used by the Russian government to broadcast radio throughout the country. One of the first reports from UVB-76, after the move, was a piece from Swan Lake. At the same time, the instrumental part from Swan Lake is very much loved by the Voice of Russia radio.
Although the old signal location has been found and investigated, the purpose of this broadcast remains unknown. And as with any mystical things - this is fertile ground for a variety of conspiracy theories.
Probably the most official explanation ever obtained is a scientific paper published by the Borok Geophysical Observatory. This state institution is a branch of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They explain that the signal is generated by an observatory that uses 4625 kHz to measure changes in the planet's ionosphere.
A favorite theory among fans is that the UVB-76 signal is an audio version of the so-called Dead Man's Switch system. In the event of a nuclear strike that leaves the army command without the possibility of leadership, this system should automatically launch a counter-strike. While the existence of such a system is not questioned, it would be naive to believe that this buzzbox is the sound of an imminent nuclear apocalypse.
The most plausible theory for the origin of the UVB-76 signal suggests that this is the communication system used by the army in western Russia. Coded messages are orders for a variety of military units that make it easy and cheap to convey information to multiple locations at the same time. As for the buzzer, it is supposed to be just a marker to fill the airwaves and prevent others from using the same frequency. This photo, taken in one of the military enlistment offices of Russia, indirectly confirms this theory.
Considering that this information is on display, it is quite safe to conclude that the signal is not part of the "Dead Man's Switch" system, and indeed is not hidden at all. It turns out that for many years the Internet listened to the negotiations of the western units of the Russian army.
And despite the fact that the secret of UVB-76 seems to have been solved, many people continue to listen to the broadcasts. In the hope of catching one or another secret and mystical message. For those who know the truth, this is nothing more than a funny social phenomenon. However, for visitors / x / and radio amateurs, UVB-76 is more than that. For them, it is a signal of an impending apocalypse, an international spy network or a secret Russian space experiment.
Believe it or not, it is difficult to deny the fact of mixed feelings when you hear unreal and as if from another world, messages from UVB-76.