The Buzzer
| Enigma ID | S28 |
| Name | The Buzzer, Жужжалка, UVB-76 (mistranscription of "UZB76"), UZB76 (pre 1997-2010), MDZhB (2010-2015), ZhUOZ (2016-2019), ANVF (2019-2020), NZhTI (2021-Present) |
| Frequencies | 4625 kHz + Morse (check table below) |
| Status | Active |
| Voice | Male and female, live |
| Emission mode | USB, often with carrier, CW |
| Location |
Controlled from Saint Petersburg (60th Communication Hub "Vulkan"); transmitted from near Saint Petersburg and Moscow
|
| Activity pages |
"The Buzzer", known among Russian listeners as "Жужжалка" (Zhuzhzhalka; English: Hummer), is a Russian military commandment network serving the Western Military District. It broadcasts around the clock on 4625 kHz.
While no other traffic is being sent, the station emits its signature channel marker. The traffic consists mainly of the following standardized types of messages:
The traffic sent on this station is simultaneously transmitted in Morse code on multiple other frequencies. Channel separation issues have occasionally allowed the Morse code simulcasts to be heard on the voice station.
The Buzzer is controlled from the Sudak communication hub ("Agalatovo"). It has a number of transmitter sites, which are switched between often; some of the identified ones include the 69th Communication Hub ("Iskra") and the 60th Communication Hub ("Irtysh"). The structure is built using old equipment that is prone to failure, and suffers from channel separation issues.
Activity Breakdown
Although The Buzzer may broadcast traffic at any time, the vast majority of messages are sent during local daytime on weekdays. The local time for the Buzzer is Moscow Time (UTC+3).
CW Channels
| Jan-Feb | Mar-Apr | May-Aug | Sep-Oct | Nov-Dec | Constantly | |
| Daytime | 5779, 6810, 7490 | |||||
| Night | 4925 |
History
The station was first reported in the 1970s. Prior to 1990, its channel marker was a short, high pitched tone emitted every two seconds.
Until September 2010, The Buzzer served the former Moscow Military District. It transmitted from the now abandoned 143rd Communication Hub in Povarovo near Moscow, and used the collective callsign УЗБ76 ("UZB76") in its messages.
Since September 2010, The Buzzer serves the new Western Military District; some facts about the station move can be found here (in Russian). The activity has also significantly increased due to a much larger coverage area. Since 2010, the Buzzer has gone through a succession of different collective callsigns in its messages:
- 7 September 2010 - 28 December 2015: МДЖБ ("MDZhB")
- 28 December 2015 - early 2019: ЖУОЗ ("ZhUOZ")
- Early 2019 - 30 December 2020: АНВФ ("ANVF"), ВЖЦХ ("VZhTsKh"), 217O
- 30 December 2020 - present: НЖТИ ("NZhTI")