"Enigma machine" Special Event, Reactivation Set

The ARRL reports that as a tribute to the work of England's voluntary interceptors (VIs) during World War II, the Scarborough Special Events Group (SSEG) will operate special event station GB2HQ from GCHQ --Government Communications Headquarters--in Scarborough. VIs intercepted encrypted Enigma messages transmitted in Morse code; these were passed to code breakers at Bletchley Park who were attempting to crack the German Enigma code. The GB2HQ special event will take place over the May 7-8 weekend, with activity on SSB, PSK and CW (around 3515 or 7015 kHz). A souvenir QSL card showing an Enigma cipher machine and an HRO receiver will commemorate the occasion. GCHQ has provided a working Enigma machine for use by the SSEG, and Ofcom--the UK telecommunication regulator--has authorized transmission of an enciphered Enigma message in Morse code on the amateur bands for this event only. The Enigma message will be transmitted Saturday, May 7, 1100 UTC (with repeats at 1300 and 1900 UTC) at a speed of 15 WPM. The message will consist of a few five-letter groups. Listeners are invited to submit a copy of the Enigma message, and certificates are available for those achieving 100-percent copy. Entries and QSLs go to G0OOO, Scarborough Special Events Group, 9 Green Island, Irton, Scarborough YO12 4RN UK. Further details are on the SSEQ Web site. Additional information about the Enigma machine is on The Enigma Ciper Machine and the German Enigma Cipher Machine--History of Solving Web sites.

Click Here To Return To Previous Page