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Mark,
I agree with you, but only in cases where the cut number is to interpreted literally, as in group counts, addresses, or cipher discriminants, etc, as you mentioned. In the enciphered text itself, which is usually where the cut numbers appear, it matters not a tinker's fart whether you represent a digit 1 by "A", "+" sign, or "your Uncle Bob". The cut number has meaning only with reference to the key to be applied to it.
I would be very careful basing any TA on the interpretation of cut numbers unless I had independent verification of the number itself, like in a group count. If the numbers station didn't use cut numbers for their group counts, I wouldn't touch it. (Just wait till I get a job running a spy numbers station - I would use a cut number system that would confound everyone. After all, only the addressees have to know what you are doing HI)
As for our RST signal reports being sent as 5NN or ENN, they are mostly meaningless anyway. I have worked guys who gave me a 599 report but had to ask me twice to repeat their serial number. So much for "strong signal" and "perfect copy".
... Martin VE3OAT
mslaten wrote:
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Hi List:
Martin, it matters greatly which table of Cuban cut numbers are the correct ones. The letter "T" = 0. If you used the incorrect table, "T" = 9. If the recipient of the coded message should use the incorrect table, he/she would never be able to decode the message, as all the numbers would be wrong. In reality, cut numbers are actual numbers. CW stations use them as a sort of shorthand to speed up the transmissions. It is quicker to send "T" or "-" for "0" than it is to send "- - - - -" for the morse character "0". The correct table is thus:
A = 1 N = 2 D = 3 U = 4 W = 5 R = 6 I = 7 G = 8 M = 9 T = 0
The old (pre-1996) M8 stations used to send the group count of the message with the callup to the addressee. The standard 150 group count was always sent as AWT. By the above table you can see that AWT = 150. If any other combinations of letters were sent, that would not equal 150. The same for the addressee sent. If WIUNN (equal to 57422) was sent, then that agent (57422) would know he was the intended recipient. If the transmitting station instead, just randomly picked any other combination of cut numbers, nobody would know who the message is intended for. When I submit my logs, I always send in the addressees in the actual number that it is. This is how it is intended to be copied. It is just a matter of learning the meaning of 10 number equivalents. Also, for analytical purposes, this helps to determine information about a network and it's characteristics and make up. I hope this cleared things up. If there are any other questions, I would be happy to comment if I can.
73's Mark
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