E03a, nicknamed Cherry Ripe was a sister numbers station to E03. E03a was practically the same as E03, except at the beginning of the hour E03a would appear with its opening interval music. Instead of the Lincolnshire Poacher, it played the first verse of an English folk tune known as “Cherry Ripe”. The voice was the same, the set up was the same, and E03a also read 200 message groups lasting for about 45 minutes.
Locations suggested Cherry Ripe was transmitted from a site in Guam, then later in its life it was traced to Northern Australia. In 2009, Cherry Ripe had ceased operations. This was about a year after the loss of The Lincolnshire Poacher.
E03a originally had the ID E04 but was later changed to its variant ID because it follows the same format as E03. Both number stations were determined to be operated by the British MI5, just in different locations. It also used to be called “The Lincolnshire Poacher Two”, and “The Cherry Picker.”
Message Recording
Station Structure
| Preamble | Message | Outro | |||
| “Cherry Ripe” Folk tune plays |
38277 | 6x chimes | 27229 27229 41123 41123 … |
6 chimes | “Cherry Ripe” Folk tune plays |
| Repeats 12x | 5 Digit ID, message header 10x |
200x 5-digit paired groups |
Repeats 6x | ||
| Repeats up to 10 minutes | |||||
Station Summary
Nickname: Cherry Ripe
Activity: Inactive Since 2009
Emission Mode: USB
Voice Summary: Same voice as E03. Automated woman’s voice, very cheery sounding. Inflection in voice would go up for last numbers in a group.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom (transmitted in Guam and/or Australia)
Counterpart Station: E03
Operator: MI6
Sources
The Conet Project – E03a Recording
“ENIGMA Designations” ENIGMA Newsletter 17 (July 1999), Page 3
“Lincolnshire Poacher Two (The Cherry Picker)” ENIGMA Newsletter
6 (August 1994), Page 2
Simon Mason’s Website – E3
