Radio/Communications Centers, Posts, Sites etc.
Network Overview: Russian HF Fixed-Service and Channel-Marker Nodes
Multiple long-running Russian high-frequency (HF) transmissions are widely monitored in the 3–6 MHz range and are associated in open sources with military fixed-service communications. Among the best-documented are the 4625 kHz marker known as "The Buzzer" (historically identified by the hobbyist community as UVB-76) and the 5448/3756 kHz marker known as "The Pip." These emit continuous audio markers (tones) interspersed with occasional short, coded voice messages in Russian. No official mission descriptions have been published; however, the observed behavior aligns with channel-keeping and readiness signaling common to fixed-service HF military networks. The items listed (communications hubs, radio centers, and unit designations) reflect organizational entities and sites frequently referenced in open-source monitoring and procurement materials, though many specifics remain undisclosed by official sources.
UVB-76 ("The Buzzer") — Signal and Operations
The transmission commonly called "The Buzzer" operates on 4625 kHz in the HF band using amplitude modulation (AM). It typically presents a continuous, repetitive buzzing audio marker, with intermittent voice transmissions that use Russian-language phonetics and alphanumeric code groups. The signal has been documented by independent monitors since at least the early 1980s and continues to be active. Voice traffic is sporadic and short, generally consisting of call sign(s), a message identifier, and groups of letters and numbers. The function of the channel has not been officially disclosed by the Russian government.
UVB-76 — Sites, Control, and Unit Associations
Historical open-source direction-finding and on-site reporting have linked earlier UVB-76 activity to a former site near Povarovo (Moscow Oblast) prior to approximately 2010, followed by indications of later transmission activity associated with sites in Leningrad Oblast. Precise transmitter coordinates, control arrangements, and unit associations have not been officially confirmed. Assertions tying UVB-76 directly to specific communications hubs or individual military units exist in the public domain but do not have publicly released, authoritative confirmation from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
60th Communications Hub — Role and Publicly Available Information
In Russian military parlance, a communications hub (uzel svyazi) is a Signal Troops node providing switching, relay, and transmission across HF/VHF/UHF, satellite, and troposcatter networks. The "60th Communications Hub" is referenced in open sources as part of this networked architecture. However, official documentation that publicly specifies its exact location, detailed infrastructure, current equipment sets, or direct operational linkage to the 4625 kHz transmission is not available. Any asserted association to UVB-76 remains unconfirmed by authoritative sources.
69th Communications Hub — Role and Publicly Available Information
The "69th Communications Hub" is likewise referenced in open sources as a Signal Troops node within Russia’s military communications architecture, often associated by commentators with the Western Military District. Publicly released, authoritative details about its precise location, subordination, infrastructure, and any direct control relationship over the 4625 kHz emitter have not been provided by official Russian sources. Claims of a direct operational link to "The Buzzer" are therefore unverified.
Sudak Communications Center (military unit 52917) — Known Open Data
Open-source references identify a Russian military communications presence at or near Sudak (Crimea), and military unit 52917 is cited in public procurement and media reporting as a communications-related formation. However, authoritative, officially released details describing the center’s current organizational structure, installed systems, and tasking are not publicly available. No official documentation has been published that confirms command or control authority over the 4625 kHz station.
Command and Control of UVB-76 — Assessment
There is no publicly available official confirmation identifying the command authority or control nodes for the 4625 kHz emission known as "The Buzzer". While various open-source claims link it to specific hubs or unit numbers (including those cited above), those assertions rely on hobbyist direction-finding, secondary reporting, or procurement fragments and are not corroborated by authoritative releases. In the absence of official disclosure, definitive command-and-control attribution cannot be provided.
"The Pip" — Signal and Operations (5448 kHz / 3756 kHz)
"The Pip" is a long-standing HF marker observed on 5448 kHz (commonly by day) and 3756 kHz (commonly by night), transmitting a short, regularly repeated tone (the "pip") using AM, with occasional brief voice messages in Russian employing phonetic spellings and alphanumeric groups. The station has been documented by independent monitoring communities for decades. The responsible authority, specific mission, and internal routing are not publicly disclosed by official sources.
"The Pip" Transmitting Radio Center — Site Status
Open-source discussions frequently posit separate transmitting and receiving sites for "The Pip," consistent with standard HF military practice to mitigate self-interference and optimize reception. However, official Russian documentation identifying the transmitting radio center’s precise location, equipment roster, or unit assignment has not been publicly released. Accordingly, specific site identification cannot be confirmed from authoritative sources.
"The Pip" Receiving Radio Center — Site Status
The existence of a dedicated receiving radio center for "The Pip" is plausible on technical grounds and is often asserted in open-source commentary. That said, no authoritative, publicly released Russian documentation confirms the receiving site’s location, antenna configuration, or unit subordination. Details about the receiving facility therefore remain unverified in official sources.
Transmitting Radio Center (Yegoryevsk-6) HQ — military unit 48905
Open sources associate "Yegoryevsk-6" with a major HF transmitting complex in Moscow Oblast and cite military unit 48905 in connection with command or administrative functions. The site is frequently described (via public imagery and reporting) as a large HF facility featuring multiple high-power antennas characteristic of long-range fixed-service communications. Official Russian Ministry of Defense releases detailing the headquarters’ structure, tasking, or direct linkage to specific HF channels (such as 4625/5448/3756 kHz) are not publicly available.
Transmitting Radio Center (Yegoryevsk-6) — military unit 48905
Publicly viewable imagery and historical reporting depict the Yegoryevsk-6 transmitting radio center as a legacy HF site with numerous large antenna arrays suitable for high-power, long-distance communications. Open-source references tie the site to military unit 48905, but authoritative, detailed inventories of transmitters, feed systems, and switching are not disclosed. Any asserted operational responsibility for specific channel-marker transmissions remains unconfirmed by official sources.
Transmitting Radio Center — military unit 61240
Military unit 61240 is cited in some open-source listings as a transmitting radio center. However, authoritative, publicly released information identifying its exact location, infrastructure, or active frequency assignments is not available. In the absence of official documentation, detailed characterization of this site cannot be provided.
Long-Range Navigation Radio Station RSDN-10 "Tropik" — military unit 18330
RSDN-10 ("Tropik") is referenced in Russian sources as a long-range radio navigation system conceptually comparable to legacy hyperbolic systems (e.g., LORAN-type). Such systems use low-frequency or lower-HF signals and time-difference-of-arrival methods to provide position fixes over very wide areas. Open sources associate military unit 18330 with RSDN-10, but official, publicly released technical parameters, exact station locations, and current operational status are limited. Where procurement or technical notices exist, they do not fully enumerate the deployed network in publicly accessible detail.
Spectrum and Allocation Context (4625, 5448, 3756 kHz)
All cited frequencies lie within HF bands where the ITU Table of Frequency Allocations provides for fixed and/or mobile services in Region 1, subject to national implementation. Russian national allocations accommodate government fixed-service use in these ranges. The long-standing continuous markers and intermittent coded messages observed on 4625 kHz ("The Buzzer") and 5448/3756 kHz ("The Pip") are consistent with fixed-service operation; however, the specific national authorizations and assignments are not published in open, authoritative form.
Information Reliability and Gaps
The frequencies, signal formats (continuous audio markers with occasional Russian-language coded messages), and long-term persistence of the 4625/5448/3756 kHz transmissions are well documented by independent monitoring. Historical association of UVB-76 with the Povarovo area and subsequent activity indications in Leningrad Oblast are widely reported but remain unofficial. Unit designations (e.g., 52917, 48905, 61240, 18330) and hub numbers (e.g., 60th, 69th) appear in open-source discussions and procurement references, yet comprehensive, authoritative confirmations tying specific units or hubs to specific HF channels have not been published. Where official details are lacking, this report refrains from asserting unverified attributions.