#Chinese radio international online series

The longer the signal takes to get up into the sky and down again, the higher it must be.ДЄlas, that canвЂ™t be it either. вЂњTo get good results from the radar systems the Russians use to spot missiles, you need to know this,вЂќ says Stupples. The Buzzer doesnвЂ™t.ДЄnother idea is that the radio station exists to вЂњsoundвЂќ out how far away the layer of charged particles is. If you want to absolutely guarantee that your station can be heard on the other side of the planet вЂ“ and if youвЂ™re using it as a cue for nuclear war, you probably do вЂ“ itвЂ™s important to change the frequency depending on the time of day, to catch up. During the day it moves steadily higher, while at night, it creeps down towards the Earth. The lofty layer isnвЂ™t so much a flat mirror, but a wave, which undulates like the surface of the ocean. Today theyвЂ™re used by ships, aircraft and the military to send messages across continents, oceans and mountain ranges. As you might expect, shortwave signals have proved extremely popular. Which brings us back to the Dead Hand theory. But shortwave frequencies have an extra trick вЂ“ they can bounce off charged particles in the upper atmosphere, allowing them to zig-zag between the earth and the sky and travel thousands, rather than tens, of miles. Higher frequency radio signals can only travel in a straight line, eventually becoming lost as they bump into obstacles or reach the horizon. Both stations are broadcast from the same building. While youвЂ™d be hard pressed to listen to a local station such as BBC Radio London in a neighbouring county, shortwave stations like the BBC World Service are aimed at audiences from Senegal to Singapore. It also means they can travel a lot further. This means that вЂ“ compared to local radio, mobile phone and television signals вЂ“ fewer waves pass through a single point every second. Like all international radio, the Buzzer operates at a relatively low frequency known as вЂњshortwaveвЂќ. Could the Buzzer be warding one off?ДЄs it happens, there are clues in the signal itself. As Russian president Vladimir Putin pointed out himself earlier this year, вЂњnobody would surviveвЂќ a nuclear war between Russia and the United States. Alarmingly, many experts believe it may still be in use. The system was originally pioneered in the Soviet era, where it took the form of a computer system which scanned the airwaves for signs of life or nuclear fallout. As their fans readily admit themselves, they have absolutely no idea what they are listening to. It joins two similar mystery stations, вЂњ the PipвЂќ and the вЂњ Squeaky WheelвЂќ. Today the station has an online following numbering in the tens of thousands, who know it affectionately as вЂњthe BuzzerвЂќ. ItвЂ™s so enigmatic, itвЂ™s as if it was designed with conspiracy theorists in mind. Anyone, anywhere in the world can listen in, simply by tuning a radio to the frequency 4625 kHz. Once or twice a week, a man or woman will read out some words in Russian, such as вЂњdinghyвЂќ or вЂњfarming specialistвЂќ. Every few seconds itвЂ™s joined by a second sound, like some ghostly ship sounding its foghorn. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the last three-and-a-half decades, itвЂ™s been broadcasting a dull, monotonous tone. It is thought to be the headquarters of a radio station, вЂњMDZhBвЂќ, that no-one has ever claimed to run. This sinister location is the focus of a mystery which stretches back to the height of the Cold War.

Beyond its rusted bars is a collection of radio towers, abandoned buildings and power lines bordered by a dry-stone wall. In the middle of a Russian swampland, not far from the city of St Petersburg, is a rectangular iron gate. What you wonвЂ™t find is any reference to, well, you-know-what. YouвЂ™ll find everything from the story about the worldвЂ™s greatest space mission to the truth about whether our cats really love us, the epic hunt to bring illegal fishermen to justice and the small team which brings long-buried World War Two tanks back to life. WeвЂ™ll be revisiting our most popular features from the last three years in our Lockdown Longreads.

#Chinese radio international online series

So now weвЂ™re dedicating a series to help you escape.

BBC Future has brought you in-depth and rigorous stories to help you navigate the current pandemic, but we know thatвЂ™s not all you want to read.