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Havana Radio Station in Key West

John Waywoods said:
A friend of mine video-taped a day at a Cuban beach and you could hear some Cuban youths cranking Power 96. It blew my mind.
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Here's a better one for you...I remember a documentary from one of the American TV networks on Cuba, this must've been late 80s....Showed one of those Selena Russian radios on the beach (or at least it looked like one), and very clearly, it blasted out a "WINK-FM Fort Myers, Hitradio 97" ID.
 
Re: Havana Radio Station in Key West -but from Ft Myers?

First of all I am not trying to horn in on a very interesting discussion. I can only offer my humble opinion as a p/t visitor to Englewood FL for many, many years.
It's my opinion that WINK FM cannot be received on a day to day basis anywhere in Cuba with a whip antenna off a boombox. Maybe the tuner is exceptional with a built in amp. Perhaps someone recorded cassettes of the WINK Station and sent them to Cuba. But why the call letters? Or somene had a contraband Yagi FM antenna in Cuba used only at night to record American pop music. Or there were tropo conditions that day from Fort Myers-Havana. I know that there are days in summer where I have gotten Miami-the Palm Beeches (about 130 mi), Orlando (same dist) or even the Panhandle FM's 250 mi+. But not on a regular basis.
Florida FM's do get out quite aways. I have received/listened to the Tallahassee Ch 6 audio from Brunswick GA-at least 150 mi as well (on many occasions) as other Tallahassee FM's from that area. There's a staion pn 102.5 (The Bone with a transmitter N of Sarasota FL that comes in clear as a bell in Naples FL which is at least 125 mi S. And with just an average car radio.
I do believe some of the higher power Miami stations can be received in parts of Cuba. I have gotten stations from 100-150 mi and in one case (WHOM-Mt Wash NH)200+ mi away from Maine/NH while in Yarmouth Nova Scotia. But the stations weren't all that strong. And the truck radio was nothing special, probably equivalent to a good boombox.
And the FM radio in my car consistently gets FM stations clearly well outside the "fringe" contour lines hown on the radio Locator maps.
But there is no doubt that the FLA keys stations can make it over to Cuba and quite easily.
Hey, where there's a will....
Real interesting topic.
 
Re: Havana Radio Station in Key West -but from Ft Myers?

vibe said:
Or there were tropo conditions that day from Fort Myers-Havana.
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I think this may be the only plausible reason... inversion layer, tropo, or similar.

And the film crew probably had to walk by hundreds of other beachgoers to find one person or group with the right radio at the right time.
 
Sam Lit said:
How well does PJB come in in Cuba? South Fla.?
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I've been told, but not verified, that TWR 800 is directional now with its reduced 100 kw power, aimed mostly at the coastal Venezuela and Colombian areas.

There are many, many 50 kw and 100 kw stations in Colombia and Venezuela that would come in better, were TWR to be directional. In the 500 kw days, they did their Portuguese for Brazil with a highly directional antenna system.
 
Sam Lit said:
I used to Pick up PJB over CKLW on some nights here in Philly as a kid. What necessitates these cherished High power station to power down? Unreliable power supply? Lack of spare parts? Are there any ½ MW or greater AM even left?
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What I heard (consider this a rumor, not a fact) is that they were generating their own electricity, and their power plant burned down. They decided it wasn't worth rebuilding large enough to run 500kw, and instead installed a two-tower DA and reduced power to 100kw - achieving pretty much the same signal strength in their northern South America target area but sacrificing the huge signal in the States.

There are plenty of 500kw and larger (as large as 2000kw) AM stations but to my knowledge nothing bigger than 100kw in the Americas. (David probably knows better)
 
w9wi said:
What I heard (consider this a rumor, not a fact) is that they were generating their own electricity, and their power plant burned down. They decided it wasn't worth rebuilding large enough to run 500kw, and instead installed a two-tower DA and reduced power to 100kw - achieving pretty much the same signal strength in their northern South America target area but sacrificing the huge signal in the States.
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I can confirm that they powered their own facility, but the fact that the big geny set had an engine failure was not the main reason for powering down.

The overnight broadcasts to Brazil no longer were practical, as Brazil had 50's and 100's on 800, 790 and 810 in multiple markets each, and they also realized that long distance AM or SW no longer reached their audinece. Like HCJB, the TWR folks have gone to the web, to local FMs, etc.

I visited the transmitter many years ago, and while at the site, the transmitter glitched and shut off. The engineers rushed to the transmitter, kneeled in prayer (briefly, of course) and hit the plate on button and it lit right up! New bumper sticker: God is my Chief Engineer. I saw this in the 60's at HCJB, too... and HCJB had some of the finest engineers in the world at that time.

TWR is really covering the Maracaibo / Punto Fijo area. The band is to congested for it to do much else.

There are plenty of 500kw and larger (as large as 2000kw) AM stations but to my knowledge nothing bigger than 100kw in the Americas. (David probably knows better)
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Stations over 100 kw in the Americas are:
1050 Monterrey 150 kw.
XEW 900 AM 250 kw
Caracol Bogota 810 250 kw
Radio Nacional Brasilia on 980 if I recall... 500 kw nominally, but I don't think they have ever run it.
 
TamiamiSammy,

Just back from spendin several days in the Florida Keys. Enjoyed listening to not one but three Cuba FM stations, audible from the middle Keys to Key West: 96.7 Radio Rebelde; 96.7 Radio Reloj (often trading off with each other) and 99.9 Radio Cadena Habana, with a separate FM service, as in not simulcasting with 820 kHz. These were audible on a stock Hyundai Sonata radio, a rather shoddy performer at that. Imagine what a decent car radio or home tuner and antenna would bring in.
 
Did they say much about conditions on the island after hurricanes Gustav and Ike?
 
I did an extensive bandscan last Thursday from Long Key State Park. Many of the stations (in particular, "COCO" CMCK El Periodico del Aire and Radio Ciudad de la Habana) were running special coverage. The national networks, Rebelde especially, appeared to have quite a few reports on power restoration status throughout the island.
 
Oh, and while I did have Radio Cadena Habana on 99.9 FM, it likely is not a separate FM service. I was paralleling to 820 which is Radio CIUDAD de la Habana, a separate station.

There is a new, huge bubble jammer on 1520 now as well. Noted in Key West, and a few days later near Sanibel. And since then, a third bubble jammer has appeared on 1140 (I say third, as the first one appeared and still is on 1550, jamminbh WRHC). It's obvious who the 1140 target is, but I'm not sure who they think they are targeting on 1520.
 
Im sorry to reveive this thread, but confirmed by a now US millitary soldier and former Cuba resident that the key west stations, at least WEOW 92.7 and WaIL 99.5 are both very clear on even a boombox, but only about a mile or two from the beaches it goes away,, Also,, you can sometimes, but not always get Wild 98.7 Tampa, Usually early in the day, but it disappears after about 3 to 5 PM,, I dont know how Wild makes it there, cause their signal is even weak and spotty in Sarasota, You cant get FLZ cause they have local Radio Cuba on 93.3 which plays american rap and dance music every night oddly enough... Sometimes parked right on the beach you can hear XL 106.7 Orlando, but it fades in and out, and Mr Eduardo is right about a few things as usual,,, once you go just a few miles inland the US signals are gone.

If your about 50 to 100 miles east of LA Habana, you can get the more powerful FMs in Miami,, Power 96, and Y-100 and a few more of them like Rock 93.1,, Formerly Dance as Party 93.1 and Classical before that,,, which is by far the easiest and most consistent Miami station to hear of them,, but those too fade in and come and go and are easier recieved in the early morning to mid afternoon,,, I would have thought night time would be better, I guess not,, Also the new Radio Exxito in Marathon comes in good around Havanna witch is a Billingual Tropical Carribean Dance format,, Mix of Dance, Rap, and 70s and 80s disco and even some AC classics and lots of Salsa and Reggaeton and Merengua... BTW,, None of the Miami stations are able to be heard clear enough to ID in Havanna,,, Maybe with some Tropo but not normally, its just too far,, althought in an Airplane at 40 ,000 feet you can pick up Miami in most of Cuba,,, but I dont condone trying this.
 
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