Lincolnshire Poacher (numbers station)

[! [ Template: Images desire / code / O: RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus / C: 34.61806,32.94253 / D: The Lincolnshire Poacher / | BW ]! ]

The Lincolnshire Poacher was a powerful numbers stations, which got its name from the eponymous English folk song from which it transmits on two stanzas as the identifier.

Shipments

The transmitter has been actively monitored from 1988 to 2008 as a regular, but has been active since the early 1970s.

The transmitter was operated with high probability by the British Secret Intelligence Service and was sent from the island of Cyprus. Radio amateurs found by bearing that he must be on the Royal Air Force base in belonging to the British overseas territories Akrotiri, on which were also several curtain antennas. Sent numbers - groups consisting of five numbers per block, spoken by a female voice synthetically produced in English. The last number of a group was spoken in a loud voice.

History

The exact start of shipments of Lincolnshire Poacher is unknown. It is assumed that the radiations started in the early 70s.

On the foreclosed site of the RAF is a strong over the horizon radar, which led to resentment because of its environmental effects in humans in the near Limassol. Radio amateurs also complained about interference to their bands. In addition, Akrotiri is the location of Limassol BBC Relay British East Mediterranean Relay Station which transmits the program of the World Service for the Middle East.

After the end of the Cold War, the number of numbers stations fell sharply, but the Lincolnshire Poacher remained on the air. In the 1990s, the station was the target of a massive jamming of interfering transmitters.

In July 2008, Lincolnshire Poacher hired its operation. It is believed that the Australian sister station Cherry Ripe took over the program until they did not provide more broadcasts from December 2009.