Regarding the 'BUZZER' UVB 76.

I found the following post at another 'alternative' site. It is probably the best explanation that I have seen to date.


Posted 16 June 2010 - 05:18 AM

I spent some time reading a Russian website that HAM radio operators use. They discussed UVB-76 back in 2004. Apparently, what it is, is that the station is located in a building outside Moscow. This building relays orders via morse code telegraph lines to the various enlistment offices of the military. The radio station just does the Buzz noise over and over. It doesn't broadcast anything except the buzz. Why? Well, if you are sitting in the duty room of one of the Russian enlistment offices, you wait for the morse code to come in from the telegraph. When it comes in, you give it to the duty officer, and he looks at a one-time-pad card to find his instructions, etc. But what would happen if the telegraph line was cut or power was lost from the building to the line? The guy receiving the message wouldn't know about it unless he tested the line or looked to see if it was receiving power. He might not notice for hours and miss important instructions. Especially important when you think of when it was built (At least the 70's) and the risk of nuclear attack. So the Russians use a circuit that when power is dropped on the telegraph, the radio comes on, and the officer hears the buzz (It's like an alarm). And they are expected to press a button and listen for orders from the radio, rather than the telegraph.

Likely there were only a few times in history where it was necessary to issue orders over a dead telegraph line. They don't need to test voice communication because the buzzer provides that. (It's a buzzer playing over an open-mic. So they know the mic works, etc just by listening to the buzzer.)

You might wonder why they wouldn't use a telephone instead of morse code. Probably because it's a very simple system to deliver orders even when under nuclear attack. Even if the building was wrecked, someone could use remote power and a telegraph to deliver orders to all of the enlistment offices (If they had the keys to the pads).