"The Buzzer" or "Hummer" as you like

 

The Buzzer - voice alert on 4625 kHz

I got to know this strange signal on Short Waves in 1999 when monitoring military signals from Russia and tested my special Signal+ (softwareradio) units. The Buzzer signal was very loud and it was very easy to find. Most time the Buzzer -signal was active on 4625 kHz; but other QRGs (frequencies) was in use too.

While visiting St.Petersburg in 1999, I met there some radio enthusiast who told me more about this station. I had met these persons in 1991 for the first time when I visited there too and we had a pleasure to visit many FM- and MW- stations there. Even made some programs (in English) at Radio Baltic, St. Petersburg. Maybe I should write more about those nice interviews and meetings there - I am sure that nobody would be worried after 30 years  😎 Let´s see what will be happen.

Anyway, "guides" told me that The Buzzer ("Жужжалка") is a Russian military commandment network serving the Western Military District.. While no other transmission are in progress the station sends it special signature channel markers to occupy the channel. In general the traffic has three (3) standard types of messages to transmit:

• "Monolith" -messages (containing 5-digit groups)
• "Uzor" - messages (similar to Monolith but without 5-digit groups)
• Command messages (command network(s))

This special stations is located in St.Petersburg and the Buzzer is controlled from the Sudak communication hub or center at Agalatovo. I had a big pleasure to get some nice photos of those huge antennas  there. They said that those antennas are owned by KGB. Later I thought that the antennas would be owned by GRU (The military intelligence) - who knows. Anyway the antennas were there and luckily it was not me how went and took the pictures 😄 The Agalatovo -site is not the only one -there are at least two or three more stations like that.

My sources reported me some time ago that The Buzzer moved from St.Petersbug to Moscow district and transmits from the abandoned 143rd Communication Hub in Povarovo using special call sign "UZB76" in its messages. If you can read Russian, you can check the latest info here. 

Needless to say that the Buzzer activity has significantly increased since the start of Ukraine war. In fact the activity increased as early as 2014 when situation in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea changed dramatically.  

And finally an interesting page to read if You are interest thing like the Buzzer.

My radio from Russia - "Spy corner" as they says
Kadran R-399A