8888 Messages

8888 messages — also called Quad 8s or octopus messages — are most likely not standard EAMs, and probably should not be broadcast on HFGCS. They are conspicuous: EAMs contain neither 0 nor 8, using a 32-character set (26 letters plus 9 digits, both 0 and 8 excluded — significant for encoding). A message opening 888800 is therefore immediately anomalous. Structure is consistent: the 888800 prefix, followed in most cases by a timestamp and a standard character sequence ending in 8888.

In 2023, NEET INTEL published a video cataloging only 11 documented instances of 8888 messages in nearly 20 years of records. The video discusses suspected huge gaps and deficiencies in monitoring, and some proposals to improve monitoring are advanced. Since then, the count has more than doubled. On VLF, 8888 messages appear fairly regularly; on HF, far less so, and most HF broadcasts of 8888s are disregarded. What they represent remains ambiguous. Since it seems reasonable to assume the operators who transmit them would recognize them if they were a mistake, unusual terminations like what was heard in the disregarded “oh I see” 8888 (2023.06.13) make it difficult to come to any particular conclusion.
8888メッセージ—クアッド8またはオクトパスメッセージとも呼ばれる—は、 おそらく標準的なEAMではなく、HFGCSで放送されるべきでもないと考えられる。 その異常さは一目瞭然だ:EAMは0も8も使用しない32文字セット(アルファベット26文字と9種の数字で構成されるが、 0と8の両方を除外している—エンコード上で重要な特性である)を採用している。 そのため、888800で始まるメッセージは即座に異常と判断される。 構造は一貫しており、888800のプレフィックスの後に、多くの場合タイムスタンプと 8888で終わる標準的な文字列が続く。

2023年、NEET INTELは約20年分の記録において8888メッセージがわずか11件しか確認されていないことをまとめた 動画を公開した。 この動画では、モニタリングに大きな空白と欠陥があるという疑念、および改善策についても論じられている。 それ以降、記録件数は倍以上に増加した。VLFでは8888メッセージが比較的定期的に確認されるが、 HFではずっと稀であり、HFでの放送のほとんどは送信後に取り消し宣言(disregarded)が出されている。 それらが何を表すのかは依然として不明確だ。もし誤りであれば送信したオペレーターは気づくはずだと考えるのが自然だが、 取り消し宣言を受けた“oh I see” 8888(2023.06.13)に聞こえたような異例の終話音声を前にすると、 特定の結論を導き出すことは難しい。

Observation Timeline

HF & VLF · 1999–present
HF
VLF
Publication
Date UTC Callsign Message Medium Notes Source
1999.04.19 ??:?? ? 888800 HF “Back during the week of 19 Apr 99 they ran similar 888800 strings with embedded minutestamps of 15, 20, 30 and 40” Jeff Haverlah (published to WORLDWIDE UTE NEWS Club)https://udxf.nl/WUN-v09.pdf
2003.12.01 01:26 SCULPTOR 888800010715GGKKLLMMNNXXZZ8888 HF Jeff Haverlah (published to WORLDWIDE UTE NEWS Club)https://udxf.nl/WUN-v09.pdf
2003.12.01 01:37 SCULPTOR 888800 HF “etc.”
didn’t transcribe full message
Jeff Haverlah (published to WORLDWIDE UTE NEWS Club)https://udxf.nl/WUN-v09.pdf
2003.12.01 03:47 GERANIUM 888800020315GGKKLLMMNNXXZZ8888 HF Jeff Haverlah (published to WORLDWIDE UTE NEWS Club)https://udxf.nl/WUN-v09.pdf
2003.12.01 04:15 GERANIUM 888800 HF “etc.”
didn’t transcribe full message
Jeff Haverlah (published to WORLDWIDE UTE NEWS Club)https://udxf.nl/WUN-v09.pdf
2004.02.23 23:46 ? 888800232346GGKK??MRNNXXZ?AABBCC8888 HF Jeff Haverlah (published to WORLDWIDE UTE NEWS Club)http://www.udxf.nl/WUN-v10.pdf
2007.06.26 01:25 ? 88880025I600AAE6GG00NNXXZZ8886 HF Utility Planethttps://mt-utility.blogspot.com/2007/07/what-happened-on-june-26.html
2018.03.13 05:37 WILD BUCK 888800 HF DISREGARDED Radio Scanner RUhttp://www.radioscanner.ru/forum/topic49425-28.html
2018.05.01 17:17 CALM LAKE 888800011657OOTT11KKNNXXZZ8888 HF Radio Scanner RUhttps://archive.is/tSrDZ#msg1373944
2019.07.12 18:09 MACKINAW 888800121757AAEEGGKK HF DISREGARDED eam.watchhttps://youtu.be/V3-1gwg0m-g?si=x0HXQes8g1rrvGAO&t=1158
2022.11.18 18:01 RETALIATE 888800181754AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 HF https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/404986392/#405017700
2022.11.18 18:36 RETALIATE 888800181831AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 HF https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/404986392/#405011276
2022.11.22 16:50 FINNEGAN 888800221650AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 HF NEET INTELhttps://youtube.com/live/leafcmjy35s?si=g9UgVqX7PlN6vIaS&t=974
2023.03.12 03:12 STOCKYARD 8888000 HF DISREGARDED https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/419340386/#419359874
2023.06.13 20:06 SYMBOLIC 888800 HF DISREGARDED
“oh I see” 8888
NEET INTEL (uploaded to eam.watch)https://eam.watch/view/0ccd2ff4-94ff-4d27-9810-f2aeac389707
2023.08.21 13:13 BAG FEED 888800 HF DISREGARDED https://eam.watch/view/b81da111-a0c8-4578-a93c-f4b82677de20
2023.12.21 ??:?? 888800211852AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E4 ADFEB3 Thenewarea51https://x.com/thenewarea51/status/1737933789999833407
2024.03.13 20:01 MUSCULAR 8888 HF DISREGARDED NEET INTELhttps://x.com/neetintel/status/1768005207500210279
2024.04.25 16:24 888800251618AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E4 ADFEB6 pdglshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUBKT_MQD9o&t=0
2024.05.17 19:39 888800171939AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E4 ADFEB4 NEET INTELhttps://x.com/neetintel/status/1791558374418485383
2024.05.17 19:56 888800171956AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E4 ADFEB4 NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/4gKVWtgSJzU?si=Q26-mO9XhLmTllK2&t=14320
2024.05.17 20:20 888800172020AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E4 ADFEB4 NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/4gKVWtgSJzU?si=IIdXzf9be2iCrLnN&t=14566
2024.09.10 18:35 * VLF Suspected VLF broadcast by E4 ADFEB4
(Strong conviction 8888s missed on this day)
NEET INTELhttps://x.com/neetintel/status/1833640931716960501
2024.09.13 19:00 888800131824AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E4 ADFEB4 NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/cq7MWihvmJ8?si=iRwof0Rc8hrAJwxg&t=10792
2024.09.22 16:05 PHOSPHATE 888800221601AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E6 AE0412
no ‘data cloud’ afterward
(Radio callsign PHOSPHATE; no HF EAMs heard)
NEET INTELhttps://x.com/neetintel/status/1837887652382589332
2024.09.23 21:03 (WEPS13) 888800DDHHMMAAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E6 AE0414 NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/IReel-USC-4?si=pEF-QtOQdsDgvwTV&t=21910
2024.10.07 15:37 KINGPIN 888800 HF DISREGARDED NEET INTELhttps://x.com/neetintel/status/1843316661840990357
2024.11.25 14:34 DIVINITY 888800DDHHMMAAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E6 AE0412
no ‘data cloud’ afterward
nullhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb8e-6AUTR0&t=0
2024.11.27 00:09 888800262343AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E6 AE040E
no ‘data cloud’ afterward
nullhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e___D2SPERw&t=0
2025.02.08 22:48 PAWNSHOP 888800 HF DISREGARDED NEET INTELhttps://x.com/neetintel/status/1888366560886022378
2025.04.15 12:20 IMPLICATE 888800 HF DISREGARDED NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/NdSJLdjpBzA?si=tr8IyrBYe3iTUChl&t=29993
2025.09.04 11:43 YOUNG BOY 888800041141AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 HF DISREGARDED
Shogenji Yoko 8888
NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/Z2hCgIX4fIw?si=Zwijh9ECjCzV5BPd&t=41951
2025.09.23 17:15 ORE MINE 888800231704AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 VLF VLF broadcast by E6 AF54BB
(AE0413?)
NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/cVkeVjG7HiY?si=Gs5qjFAEs04zGnSt&t=18934
2025.10.26 09:03 TEST KIT 888800260901AAEEGGKKNNXXZZ8888 HF DISREGARDED
Only some hours before 251026 SKYMASTER!
NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/PRZTZltlC0k?si=mDiGT9LXEAGTT9mO&t=32615
2025.11.06 19:54 NEIGHBOR 888800 HF DISREGARDED NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/nUMDrYGP-v0?si=j6PE45s9UQ5x3ykI&t=28474
2025.11.18 21:21 COLD DUCK 888800 HF DISREGARDED NEET INTELhttps://www.youtube.com/live/8QQ_kXUMqMY?si=NckPFNJUMVPBHgjz&t=33691
2026.02.06 16:37 ABSENTEE 888800061633AAEE HF DISREGARDED NEET INTELhttps://x.com/neetintel/status/2019845014172397677iematshttps://soundcloud.com/iemats/absentee_888800_2026-02
2026.02.27 18:42 AMBITION 888800 HF DISREGARDED NEET INTELhttps://x.com/neetintel/status/2027498895475986924
2026.03.15 02:44 HOTHOUSE 8888 HF DISREGARDED iematshttps://soundcloud.com/iemats/hothouse-ncs-888800
↑ RETURN