The "New Star" YL/CC numbers station on 8300 continues on a daily basis. I've also been hearing it on 9725. A few times I've heard a jammer on the 8300 frequency, but I don't think it was related to New Star. The first time I heard it, the jammer ended during the callup and before the message started. Other times I've heard it the jammer was never on throughout a full message. It's hard to tell what the jammer was trying to jam or if they're just warming up for a full-time jamming mission against New Star. Time to keep listening.

I've started reading a book entitled The Sword and the Shield, which is a history of the KGB written from secret documents smuggled out of Russia by a former KGB agent. One particular item of interest to numbers monitors is mention and pictures of a radio transmitter, receiver and cipher machine used by agents in a boobytrapped container that was buried in Switzerland. It was reported in the ENIGMA newsletter some time back of a similar item dug up in Wales. It must be assumed that there are many such radios hidden all over Western Europe. I've only started reading the book, so a thorough review will be in a future column.

The Winter SWL Festival is just around the corner. It will be held March 10-11, 2000 at the Holiday Inn in Kulpsville, PA. If you've never been to the fest, make plans to go. It's always a lot of fun to go and meet other SWL's (and pirates!) and just talk about radio. I'll be at the ACE table again this year.

Now, time to take a look at some logs:
4016 - Cuban CW cut # stn (1-0=ANDUWRIGMT) w/ 5F grps at 0338. (Sevart-KS)
4028 - Cuban YL/SS 5F msg in AM azt 0519. (Sevart-KS)
4028 - Cuban CW cut # stn (1-0=ANDUWRIGMT) at 0317 w/ 5F grps. (Sevart-KS)
4470 - YL/EE in AM at 0400 w/ 179 callup, then 612 grp 5F msg. Signed down w/ 00000. (Sevart-KS)
4645//5407 - E5 in AM at 0200 rptg 911 Count 63 (Maky-AR)
6255 - Cuban YL/SS 5F number msg in USB at 0436. (Sevart-KS)
6270//7760 - E10 in USB at 0100 rpting ULX (Maky-AR)
6379 - CW M22 //10356 4XZ in tfc at 0000. (Maky-AR)
6876 - 5F grps in CW at 0530, ended w/ 000 000. (Sevart-KS)
6959 - Lincolnshire Poacher YL/EE 5F numbers msg in USB at 2145 w/ end of bdcst. (Sevart-KS)
8300 - "New Star" YL/CC 4F numbers stn in AM at 1409 w/ jammer in background. (Sevart-KS)
9725 - "New Star" YL/CC 4F numbers stn in AM at 1409, not // w/ 8300. (Sevart-KS)
11209 - ?? XW whales at 0000. (Maky-AR)
11545//12603//13375 - E3 in USB at 1600 rptg 53667 (Maky-AR)
12300.5//14421 - V5 in AM at 0300 rptg 109 Grupo 53 (Maky-AR)
13452//15651 - V5 in AM at 0100 rptg 946 Grupo 128 (Maky-AR)
24644 - E3a in USB at 2200 rptg 33694 (Maky-AR)

That's all for this month. Please send your loggings, comments and suggestions to me at the address at the top of the page. See you in Kulpsville.