SECRET.TXT Monday, August 14, 1989 3:48 pm Page 1 1 ------------------------------------------------------------- 2 - Uijt gjmf jt cspvhiu up zpv dpusuftz pg uif D)sbdljoh - 3 - - 4 - J)otujuvuf pf B)nfsjdb. Tqfdjbm uibolt up uif Fmwfo - 5 - - 6 - Ijhimpse & uif Topnbo - 7 ------------------------------------------------------------- 8 - Secret Radio Frequencies - 9 ------------------------------------------------------------- 10 11 12 13 14 Sandwiched into the gap between the AM and FM dials are 15 hundreds of secret communications frequencies - some so 16 secret that no one owns up to them. The usual consumer gear - 17 AM/FM radios, TVs, CB radios - brings in only a small 18 portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. To pick up the 19 secret signals, you need a shortwave receiver - and you need 20 to know the unlisted frequencies. 21 Allocation of radio frequencies is quirky. When you flip 22 the TV dial from channel 6 to channel 7, you unknowingly jump 23 over the entire FM radio band as well as such exotia as 24 secret service communications and a special frequency 25 designated for emergency use during prison riots. The U.S. 26 government will provide information on unclassified 27 allocations (those for the Coast Guard, Forestry Service, 28 weather reports, etc.). But it is quiet about secret 29 government frequencies and those of mysterious illegal 30 broadcasters here and abroad. 31 Many shortwave-radio hobbyists keep track of the secret 32 frequiences, however. Their findings appear in such 33 publications as the "Confidential Frequency List" by Oliver 34 P. Ferrell (Park Ridge, N.J.: Gilfer Associates, 1982 35 [periodically updated]), "How to Tune in the Secret Shortwave 36 Spectrum" by Harry L. Helms (Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.: TAB 37 Books, 1981), and "The 'Top Secret' Registry of U.S. 38 Government Radio Frequencies" by Tom Kneitel (Commack, N.Y.: 39 CRB Research, 1981 [periodically updated]). These and similar 40 publications should be consulted for the most up-to-date 41 listings. The selection below includes only the most 42 noteworthy or inexplicable broadcasts. 43 44 Air Force One 45 46 Many of the in-flight phone calls from Air Force One are 47 not scrambled and can be picked up by anyone with a shortwave 48 radio. You just have to watch the newspapers for information 49 on the presidents travels and listen to the right frequencies 50 shortly before landing or after takeoff at Andrews Air Force 51 Base (when calls are less likely to be scrambled 52 electronically). A presidential phone call is usually 53 prefaced by a request for "Crown", the White House 54 communications center. 55 SECRET.TXT Monday, August 14, 1989 3:48 pm Page 2 56 57 Air Force One uses several frequencies including those 58 assigned to Andrews Air Force Base. Transmissions are on 59 single, usually upper, sideband. These transmissions are 60 usually secret, but the frequency numbers have long since 61 leaked out or have been discovered independently. It is 62 suspected that wire services and TV news operations monitor 63 them for leads. The reported frequencies (in kilohertz) are: 64 65 66 6731 13201 67 6756 13215 68 8967 13247 69 9018 15048 70 11180 18027 71 72 73 In addition, 162.685 MHz and 171.235 MHz are secret service 74 frequencies used for Air Force One communications. The White 75 House staff uses 162.850 MHz and 167.825 MHz. Secret Service 76 channel "Oscar", 164.885 MHz, is used for the Presidents 77 limousine. Air Force Two uses the same Frequencies as Air 78 Force One. 79 Although everyone concerned must know that outsiders may 80 be eavesdropping, conversations are often surprisingly 81 candid. (shortwave listeners heard the White House staff 82 urging Air Force Two back to Washington after the 1981 83 attempt on President Regan's life, complete with reports that 84 then-secretary of state Alexander Haig was confusing 85 everybody with his claim of being "in control.") No law seems 86 to forbid such eavesdropping. Ironically, it is illegal 87 (section 605 of the communications act of 1934) to reveal 88 itercepted conversations to anyone else - that being regarded 89 as the wireless equivalent to wiretapping. Even so, The New 90 York Times has run snippets of Air Force One conversations. 91 92 The Central Intelligence Agency 93 94 The CIA and Other Government agencies with clandestine 95 operations are believed to have dozens of authorized 96 frequencies, which may be rotated as needed to throw off 97 eavesdroppers off the track. Call letters are rarely used and 98 several government agencies may share the same frequencies. A 99 further, rather thin veneer of security comes from the use of 100 code words. Government surveillance opperations use a common 101 code: "Our friend" or "Our boy" is, of course, the person 102 being followed. "O" is his office. "R" is his residence. A 103 "Boat" is his car. Once apprehended a suspect is a "Package" 104 and may be taken away to the "Kennel", the agents' 105 headquarters. Does this fool anyone? Probably not. Some are 106 so obvious that it's questionable if they're code words at 107 all. 108 Not all U.S. government broadcasts can be identified as 109 to agency. Conversations are cryptic; letters to the Federal 110 Communications Commission and Commerce Department bring form SECRET.TXT Monday, August 14, 1989 3:48 pm Page 3 111 replys. These frequencies (in megahertz) have been identified 112 with the CIA: 113 114 163.81 115 165.01 116 165.11 117 165.385 118 408.60 119 120 121 Note: I am only going to list a few of the many 122 frequencies known. More can be obtained from the sources 123 listed earlier or from the EXCHANGE [904] 878-4413 via 124 modem. 125 126 DEA - Drug Enforcement Administration (MHz) 127 FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation (MHz) 128 SS - Secret Service (MHz) 129 130 DEA FBI SS 131 --- --- -- 132 163.185 120.425 162.375 (note that 133 163.535 149.375 162.685 the frequencys are 134 165.235 163.835 164.885 usually in bands. 135 172.00 163.875 165.025 Search each band 136 172.20 163.985 165.085 for more.) 137 418.625 167.675 166.405 138 418.675 168.885 169.625 139 418.725 406.275 168.45 140 418.825 408.925 169.925 141 418.975 419.525 171.235 142 143 144 Morse Code Letter Beacons 145 146 Dozens of low-power stations transmit only a letter of 147 Morse code endlessly. No one, including government agencies 148 and the International Telecommunications Union, admits to 149 knowing where the signals are coming from, who is sending 150 them, or why. 151 "K" (dash-dot-dash) is the most common letter. Letters 152 are repeated every two to five seconds, depending on the 153 station. The stations never identify themselves. The 154 frequency used for the broadcast shifts slowly with time, so 155 this list is only an approximate guide: 156 157 Frequency (KHz) Letter 158 --------------- ------ 159 160 4,005 K 161 4,466 U 162 5,306 D and W 163 5,307 F 164 5,795 K 165 5,890 K SECRET.TXT Monday, August 14, 1989 3:48 pm Page 4 166 5,920 K 167 6,203 P 168 6,770 A and N 169 6,800 F and K 170 6,806 Q 171 7,590 W 172 7,656 W 173 7,954 K 174 8,137 U 175 8,144 K 176 8,647 F 177 8,703 E 178 8,752 K 179 9,043 K 180 9,058 U 181 10,211 U 182 10,442 E 183 10,570 K 184 10,614 F 185 10,638 K 186 10,644 D 187 10,645 F