Yuri has been compromised. However the situation may still be salvageable, as the location of The Number Station is not yet known to the enemy Muggle Marines. Yuri knew that the Muggle surveillance stations are light dependent, and they are unable to track the Cacher Commando’s outside of daylight. You MUST only attempt to reach The Number Station under cover of darkness or the Muggles will scupper our plans. Are you up to the challenge? A pen, torch and 9v battery will all be needed…
The trailhead coordinates of The Number Station will take you to a not particularly obvious footpath that leads to the wood that is home to The Number Station. There is some parking in the superstore opposite, or on the street in Old Amersham. It is a five minute uphill walk to the edge of the wood cutting diagonally through the fields on the obvious footpath.[Update Dec 2020 - The nearby HS2 works mean that the trail head is a movable feast.]
As you enter the wood (The listed waypoint) you should quickly find the first of Yuri’s markers. Make sure that you familiarize yourself with the coded layout of the markers so that you know how to react to each one. Yuri has left you a guide in the images folder on this page. The path that you will be taking is not obvious – you will need your wits and a torch to help you. Make sure that you scan around you as you walk. The markers will be clearest if the source of light is close to your eye level. All markers are approximately eight feet up. Yuri has left you an important code that you need to collect on the way to The Number Station itself. It will provide you with a piece of information that is crucial to unlocking the final stage. 9 volts of electrical goodness will gain you this piece of information.
STAGE ONE INSTRUCTIONS:
In order to obtain the code to access the logbook at the final, you will need to determine the answers to six questions. This part of the puzzle is ‘binary’ in nature. The answer to each question is true or false. At the first phase of the cache you will need to enter each answer in the form of a ‘0’ for false, and ‘1’ for true. All of the questions can be answered from the wikipedia page dedicated to Number Station linked here: Wikipedia - Number Station - you may wish to do this before setting off.
The 'device' at the location has four red leds to show that the unit is powered up, and will show two green leds and provide the access code when the six questions have been entered correctly. An image of the device is in the gallery.
[A] The British number station E03 was also known as the Lincolnshire Poacher. True or False?
North Korea has used number stations continually since the 1960’s. True or False?
[C] The ‘Atencion’ number station was traced to Cuba after it accidentally broadcast Radio Havana Cuba. True or False?
[D] Typically number station broadcasts begin on the hour, or half past the hour. True or False?
[E] 'ENIGMA 2000 Active Station List' is a published classification and directory of live number stations. True or False?
[F] ‘The Conet Project: Recordings of Shortwave Number Stations’ is a ten-CD set of recordings of number stations. True or False?
Alternatively there are 64 combinations of true/false if you would prefer a high degree of challenge, or guesswork.
IMPORTANT! Please ensure all switches are returned to ‘0’ when you have obtained the necessary information. Turn right when you have finished to pick up the next trail marker.
STAGE TWO [FINAL] INFORMATION:
The Number Station itself is large – and make sure you respect the memory of Commando Yuri by ensuring that it is well hidden after your mission. If you are visiting after a hiatus in activity, I would suggest taking a little lubricant to aid opening the device itself. WD40 is just the job. It is large enough for a multitude of swaps, but is not itself watertight – so consider what you leave behind carefully.
Good luck Commando’s