Cuba

[Bouncer]

Hello, as I've been hearing a lot more Cuban stations this winter for some reason, I started doing more research. I found the following link and was wondering if anyone knew how current it was. It is a great list of Cuban AM stations...if it is reasonably current. But the copyright in the picture says 2005, so I am not sure...scroll down below the map to get the list of stations, even has transmitter geo data.

Cuba AM radio

 

[davideduardo]

Here is the latest listing from Cuba by the government board that controls all stations there:

Emisoras cubanas y frecuencias de transmisión agrupadas por provincias (AM) | PORTAL DE LA RADIO CUBANA

Provincia Pinar del Río Radio Guamá 990 KHz Radio Reloj 790 KHz Radio Rebelde 670 KHz Radio Rebelde 1180 KHz Radio Guamá

www.radiocubana.cu

And for FM it is...

Emisoras cubanas y frecuencias de transmisión agrupadas por provincias (FM) | PORTAL DE LA RADIO CUBANA

Provincia Pinar del Río Emisora Frecuencia Radio Musical 98.7 MHz Radio Reloj 90.5 MHz Radio Progreso 101.9 MHz Habana R

www.radiocubana.cu

 

[Bouncer]

Here is the latest listing from Cuba by the government board that controls all stations there:

Emisoras cubanas y frecuencias de transmisión agrupadas por provincias (AM) | PORTAL DE LA RADIO CUBANA

Provincia Pinar del Río Radio Guamá 990 KHz Radio Reloj 790 KHz Radio Rebelde 670 KHz Radio Rebelde 1180 KHz Radio Guamá

www.radiocubana.cu

And for FM it is...

Emisoras cubanas y frecuencias de transmisión agrupadas por provincias (FM) | PORTAL DE LA RADIO CUBANA

Provincia Pinar del Río Emisora Frecuencia Radio Musical 98.7 MHz Radio Reloj 90.5 MHz Radio Progreso 101.9 MHz Habana R

www.radiocubana.cu

Wonderful. Thank you much!

 

[bigdonho]

You will notice all of the stations on 1180 kHz. This is to block/jam Radio Marti. For years Cuba try to accomplish this by one powerful transmitter in Havana. When China rebuilt Cuba's radio system they explained that many smaller station spread throughout the island would do a much better job.

 

[davideduardo]

You will notice all of the stations on 1180 kHz. This is to block/jam Radio Marti. For years Cuba try to accomplish this by one powerful transmitter in Havana.

As a consultant who did several of the annual reviews of Radio Martí, I was made aware of the full extent of the jamming on 1180. At all times right from the start, they had multiple transmitters across the country... which is over 800 miles wide... trying to cover the single lobe of Martí from the keys.

When China rebuilt Cuba's radio system they explained that many smaller station spread throughout the island would do a much better job.

China basically rebuilt the existing system in Cuba, and they did very little reallocation of facilities or frequencies. I have every World Radio Handbook going back to the 40's, and all I see from year to year is consolidation in the 60's and then reallocation of frequencies to the national networks in the 70's plus expansion of regional networks and a few local stations.

Even back in the days of Goar Mestre's CMQ in the 50's, they had over a dozen higher power stations across the nation to achieve full national coverage.

Conductivity in the Greater Antilles is very poor except along coastal areas. For example, even when running a full 25 kw on 810, WKVM in San Juan, PR, never could never cover more than the Northeastern sector of an island that is just 100 miles wide.

 

[kevtronics]

I can get Cuba on 570 and 710 at night if I null out local WMCA and WOR. In fact, years ago someone made a recording from WMCA's own transmitter site, and as soon as they shut down the transmitter for maintenance, Cuba came in loud and clear.

But I noticed that lately Radio Reloj isn't transmitting "RR" in Morse Code anymore. They just have a top-of-minute beep and that's it.

 

[DXingRadio]

But I noticed that lately Radio Reloj isn't transmitting "RR" in Morse Code anymore. They just have a top-of-minute beep and that's it.

That RR was nice for DX'ers, but for the average listener it might be grating.

 

[JJSPC]

Are the stations actually on the air, or is the island still plagued with power outages regularly?

 

[Bouncer]

I can get Cuba on 570 and 710 at night if I null out local WMCA and WOR. In fact, years ago someone made a recording from WMCA's own transmitter site, and as soon as they shut down the transmitter for maintenance, Cuba came in loud and clear.

But I noticed that lately Radio Reloj isn't transmitting "RR" in Morse Code anymore. They just have a top-of-minute beep and that's it.

I have heard it just this week on 2 frequencies. Maybe they just stopped for a short time?

 

[Gregg.]

It's an interesting list. I counted nine networks on AM and there were a dozen stations on FM in La Habana. Every AM network is also heard on FM but a few stations are on FM only. Some networks were repeated at several spots on the dial, especially Radio Rebelde. In Havana, it broadcasts on 670, 1180, 1550 and 1620.

Notice that Cuba now uses one of the X-band frequencies, 1620. That's the only one used across the island. I wonder if many radios can pick it up?

We know some of the formats. Radio Enciclopedia is soft music. Radio Reloj (Clock) is all-news with time checks every minute and clicks every second. I think Radio Rebelde (Rebel) is sort of a full service adult contemporary station.

But I don't know any of the other networks. Is there a Classical network but its name isn't apparent?

 

[kevtronics]

Translated into English, the formats listed on radiosdecuba.com are:

Latin music
Music of the world
News
Top 40
Salsa
Jazz
Rock in Spanish
Community
Interviews
Religious

 

[gr8oldies]

It's an interesting list. I counted nine networks on AM and there were a dozen stations on FM in La Habana. Every AM network is also heard on FM but a few stations are on FM only. Some networks were repeated at several spots on the dial, especially Radio Rebelde. In Havana, it broadcasts on 670, 1180, 1550 and 1620.

Notice that Cuba now uses one of the X-band frequencies, 1620. That's the only one used across the island. I wonder if many radios can pick it up?

We know some of the formats. Radio Enciclopedia is soft music. Radio Reloj (Clock) is all-news with time checks every minute and clicks every second. I think Radio Rebelde (Rebel) is sort of a full service adult contemporary station.

But I don't know any of the other networks. Is there a Classical network but its name isn't apparent?

Radio Musical Nacional, best heard in the US on 590.

 

[gr8oldies]

I have heard it just this week on 2 frequencies. Maybe they just stopped for a short time?

I just pulled the online stream and did hear the "RR". During the big power outage, through a Miami SDR I caught 570 (and presumably all) off the air. They popped back on with "Radio Reloj", into their news/info but no ticks, no tone, no RR in code.

Radio Reloj does a different top-of-the-hour tone on Sunday nights. No idea why.

 

[Gregg.]

I put together the list of stations available on the dial in Havana. I used David's two lists from the Cuban government, AM and FM. You can listen to most of them from this webpage: Emisoras de radio en Cuba en vivo, estaciones de radio (Thanks to Kevtronics for the website: radiosdecuba dot com)

530 Radio Enciclopedia
640 Radio Progreso
670 Radio Rebelde
710 Radio Reserva
820 Radio Ciudad de La Habana
910 Radio Metropolitana
950 Radio Reloj
980 Radio Coco
1080 Radio Cadena
1180 Radio Rebelde
1550 Radio Rebelde
1620 Radio Rebelde

90.3 Radio Progreso
91.7 Radio Coco
93.3 Raido Taino
94.1 Radio Enciclopedia
94.7 Radio Ciudad de La Habana
96.7 Radio Rebelde
98.3 Radio Metropoliana
99.1 Radio Musical
99.9 Radio Cadena
101.5 Radio Reloj
102.5 Radio Ciudad de la Habana
104.7 Radio Mayabeque
106.3 Radio Progreso
106.9 Radio Ciudad de la Habana

At one time, 590 CMW in Havana was 150,000 watts. 640 CMQ and 690 CMBC were 50,000 watts. All other Havana stations were 10,000 watts or less, according to Broadcasting Yearbook, which once listed Cuban AM stations.

Today, there is no 590 or 690 in Havana. I suppose they moved to other parts of the island. We assume that several Cuban stations had their power boosted, since they are easy to hear in Florida and other places in the U.S. at night. When I was in South Florida a few years ago, 530 Radio Enciclopedia came in during the day as well as Radio Reloj on 570, 790 and 950. Others Cuban stations were probably audible but if they were just playing music, it would take me a while to figure out if they were Cuban, American or from another country.

 

[Bouncer]

Translated into English, the formats listed on radiosdecuba.com are:

Latin music
Music of the world
News
Top 40
Salsa
Jazz
Rock in Spanish
Community
Interviews
Religious

This is a fantastic site, thank you! Live streams easily available for all channels. Also, there are flags for many other countries in the top right where you can also get the live streams.

I noticed that radio reloj is translated radio clock, perhaps why they have beeps every second and the morse RR at every minute?

 

[RF101]

The ability to DX Cuban AM stations (or access their webstreams) is a function of the "apagones", those large-scale power outages that frequent the island. The US Radio Marti, despite it's 100 kw signal, does get clobbered by the co-channel Cuban domestics. The US still dedicates a few Greenville shortwave transmitters to relaying Radio Marti ; noticeable has been the reduction in shortwave jamming - again because of the "apagones."

 

[tvnut]

This is a fantastic site, thank you! Live streams easily available for all channels. Also, there are flags for many other countries in the top right where you can also get the live streams.

I noticed that radio reloj is translated radio clock, perhaps why they have beeps every second and the morse RR at every minute?

That's why. Interesting that five of the stations still use their call sign, at least in the logo. And Radio Enciclopedia is still unavailable online.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

The ability to DX Cuban AM stations (or access their webstreams) is a function of the "apagones", those large-scale power outages that frequent the island. The US Radio Marti, despite it's 100 kw signal, does get clobbered by the co-channel Cuban domestics. The US still dedicates a few Greenville shortwave transmitters to relaying Radio Marti ; noticeable has been the reduction in shortwave jamming - again because of the "apagones."

The ONLY thing left on SW from Cuba is the late night US east coast feed of CGTN in English and Mandarin on 9790.. everything is so broken its unusable

 

[davideduardo]

I noticed that radio reloj is translated radio clock, perhaps why they have beeps every second and the morse RR at every minute?

Radio Reloj, which Goar Mestre debuted in 1948, was the world's first all news station and a sister station to the huge CMQ operation.

Reloj did news with two announcers alternating and a time check each minute. In those days, a wristwatch cost more than a month's salary for the working class, so time checks were very important. And all news was important because a high percentage of the population was not literate and able to read newspapers.

The Radio Reloj format was copied partially in much of Central America where one or more stations would have a 3 to 4 hour morning news block. And the concept of giving the time regularly was adopted in Colombia and Ecuador by stations playing songs with a time check after every song. And in Mexico, we got XEQK which gave a time check and eleven 5-second ads in each minute.

 

[sasha23]

“eleven 5-second ads in each minute” (?)
is that like the speeded up disclaimer at the end of lawyers, insurance and pharma commercials? ツ