The language was Spanish. V20 was possibly related to the Cuban spy network La Red Avispa, which was formed by a total of 27 agents. Last heard in August 1998, shortly before the network was dismantled. Some of these agents would also be involved in the case of the Cuban Five later that year.

Format:

Note that the letter was pronounced by its name and not using a phonetic alphabet. The three figure group was usually pronounced in a 1+2 format (for example, dos noventa).

Operation

V20 could be heard on Saturdays between 14:00 and 15:00 UTC on 6868khz (one hour later in winter). Transmissions were sloppy and informal, and slight changes in format were common. There were reports of music playing before the test count, as well as background voices that sometimes tried to make the operator laugh or make mistakes.

Information extracted from Numbers & Oddities #44 and Chris Smolinski's Numbers Racket. Recording courtesy of Chris Smolinski.