Reader, John Kletsky of Boston Spa has recently asked for an explanation on what is meant by the term Decode Key (or Decryption Key/DK) which is often used in descriptions of Numbers Stations. First of all, not all such transmissions have decode keys, but most probably do. I say probably because they can be present in disguised form and then they are impossible to recognise. There are various types and they are applied in different ways, but all provide the intended recipent/s with crucial information on decoding the message. The majority of messages sent by numbers stations make use of One-Time-Pad (OTP) encryption, whereby one or more pages of a tiny book (containing thousands of random five-figure groups) are used to decode a particular message, after which the pages involved (usually made of inflammable acetate) are burnt.
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