Numbers Station - Classification

Classification

Although most number stations have various nicknames which usually describe some aspect of the station itself, M. Gauffman of the E.N.I.G.M.A. number stations monitoring group originally assigned a code to each known station. This takes the form of a letter followed by a number (or, in the case of some "X" stations, more letters). The letter indicates the language used by the station in question:

• E indicates a station broadcasting in English.
• G indicates a station broadcasting in German.
• S indicates a station broadcasting in a Slavic language.
• V indicates all other languages.
• M is a station broadcasting in Morse code.
• X indicates all other transmissions such as polytones in addition to some unexplained broadcasts which may not actually be numbers stations.
• T indicates a station broadcasting in an unknown language.

For example, the well known, defunct Lincolnshire Poacher station has the designation E3 (or E03), the Cuban "Atención" station has designation V2 (or V02). The most recent station to be given a designation is the Vietnamese language station V30.

Some stations have also been stripped of their designation if they are discovered not to be a numbers station. This was the case for E22 which was discovered in 2005 to be test transmissions for All India Radio.