1KB JavaScript Numbers Station
26 comments
·July 22, 2025genewitch
edent
I'd love it if you forked my code and managed to fit a full numbers station into 1024KB.
genewitch
my kid wanted it to say point between the groupings, which is the speech engine, so this may sound different depending on your browser:
<!DOCTYPE html><html><body><button onclick="f()">Start</button><script>
function f(){with(window){
a=new AudioContext;b=a.createBuffer(1,c=2*a.sampleRate,a.sampleRate);d=b.getChannelData(0);
for(i=0;i<c;i++)d[i]=(Math.random()*2-1)*.4;
e=a.createBufferSource();e.buffer=b;e.loop=1;g=a.createGain();g.gain.value=.05;
e.connect(g).connect(a.destination);e.start();
const l=n=>((n.match(/[A-Z]/g)||[]).length==1&&(n[0].match(/[A-Z]/g)||[]).length==1);
setInterval(()=>{s=Object.getOwnPropertyNames(globalThis).filter(l).sort(()=>.5-Math.random())[0];
if(Math.random()>.3){
n=String(Math.ceil(Math.random()*1e4).toString().padStart(4,'0'));
s=n[0]+'. '+n[1]+'. point. '+n[2]+'. '+n[3]+'.';
}
m=new SpeechSynthesisUtterance;m.text=s;
v=speechSynthesis.getVoices();m.lang=v[(Math.random()*v.length)|0].lang;
m.rate=Math.random();m.pitch=Math.random()*2;speechSynthesis.speak(m);},866);
//m.rate=1.7;m.pitch=2;speechSynthesis.speak(m);},866);
}}</script></body></html>
and i got something stuck in my craw about noise so here's one with more accurate noise:
<!DOCTYPE html><html><body><button onclick="f()">Start</button><script>
function f(){with(window){
a=new AudioContext;
g=a.createGain();g.gain.value=.05;
h=a.createScriptProcessor(256,1,1);p=0;
h.onaudioprocess=e=>{
b=e.outputBuffer.getChannelData(0);
for(i=0;i<b.length;i++)b[i]=p+=(Math.random()*2-1)/10;
};
h.connect(g).connect(a.destination);
const l=n=>((n.match(/[A-Z]/g)||[]).length==1&&(n[0].match(/[A-Z]/g)||[]).length==1);
setInterval(()=>{
s=Object.getOwnPropertyNames(globalThis).filter(l).sort(()=>.5-Math.random())[0];
if(Math.random()>.3){
n=String(Math.ceil(Math.random()*1e4).toString().padStart(4,'0'));
s=n[0]+'. '+n[1]+'. point. '+n[2]+'. '+n[3]+'.';
}
m=new SpeechSynthesisUtterance;m.text=s;
v=speechSynthesis.getVoices();m.lang=v[(Math.random()*v.length)|0].lang;
m.rate=Math.random();m.pitch=Math.random()*2;speechSynthesis.speak(m);
},866);
}}</script></body></html>
i don't know javascript so apologies if i messed anything up (because it will eventually pop and click which is extremely accurate to numbers station reception but also crashes the page - audio stops.)
netsharc
It kind of irks me that the idea was neat, but the attempt was seriously lacking.
edent
Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it :-)
genewitch
hey i should also apologize. I am really trying to not be so nit-picky. You had the idea and executed it in less than 1kb. I really meant to just kinda educate about numbers stations in general and i know it came off in a way that was unintentional.
and i used copilot because i am not a programmer, i just wanted to see if it was, in fact, possible to add noise and fix the way the numbers were read in 1kb. and i kept your code essentially the same, only adding stuff to split the numbers up closer to how they sound on RF.
so, sorry!
genewitch
i replied in this thread with 855 bytes that do it a little closer to what i expected
netsharc
FYI, having "." after numbers in German turn them to ordinal numerals (i.e. "4." becomes "4th"). I had to change them to commas to make it more familiar to the number stations recordings I've heard of.
null
simonw
This post inspired me to build (OK, vibe code) this little tool for playing with the speech synthesis browser API: https://tools.simonwillison.net/speech-synthesis
Commits / prompts: https://github.com/simonw/tools/commits/main/speech-synthesi...
tantalor
Something is wrong with the voice selector. It does not actually change the voice.
mg
No sound at all and the console shows lots of these messages:
24:4 Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'lang')
at 24:4:132
m.lang = e[(Math.random() * e.length) | 0]["lang"];
m = new SpeechSynthesisUtterance;
m.text = "Hello";
speechSynthesis.speak(m);
Run that JS and your computer will speak to you!
netsharc
Seems like you need to install additional components: https://askubuntu.com/questions/761975/chromium-is-not-gener...
Question/answers from 2016, so might be misleading...
genewitch
moved text to top-level
LazarSRB
funny and creepy
Ahmed785
[flagged]
MobiusHorizons
Cool concept, but doesn’t seem to work on iOS safari
edent
I've had feedback that it should work on Firefox for iOS.
leeoniya
> but doesn’t seem to work on iOS safari
if i had a nickel...
thenthenthen
Isn't every browser on iOS technically Safari under the hood? Although Mozillas discontinued XRViewer app/browser does def expose more functionality
works on Firefox, on windows 11.
however even when it is working, it's not really like a numbers station. For a start, it needs varying static and clicks. Secondly, numbers stations don't generally say "seven hundred and thirty four", they generally say "seven. three. four." the random words repeated sometimes are a nice touch, though. And i like the idea of grabbing words from an internal list in the way the author did it. I wouldn't have thought of that, probably.
some numbers stations that i personally archived:
here's one that sounds like a numbers station but can be argued is not, as the meaning is rather clear (if my memory serves): [0] i think this one is a joke; this one is the most representative of what numbers stations used to be like, though. Whoever made it really knew what they were doing, even though they used their knowledge to be a bit cheeky. I edited it because the music would blow out your speakers originally.additionally, i know the 19008500-mhz is mislabeled, it should be 19.008500-mhz or instead of "mhz" just "hz"