New Cuban! 11/02/14

[crainbebo]

Got a wanted Cuban last night!

530 - CMBQ La Habana (Radio Enciclopedia), Cuba; heard in null of semi local WPVW565 (Selah) TIS with instrumental piano jazz mx, very weak at 2215 PT 11/02. Another unid popped up with SS and I need to go through that recording again - I might have Rebelde as well. But anyways, NEW #641, 10KW, 2,668 miles! A very nice log on a rare frequency.
The other unid, if confirmed Rebelde, would be over 3,100 miles. It's at Guantanamo.

-crainbebo

 

[cyberdad]

Nice catch. I think there's some debate as to whether this one is actually 10kw, but even if it's 30kw (as some have suggested), it's still a great catch. I was surprised to hear it Labor Day weekend at my brother-in-law's place in the high desert east of Los Angeles. On my SRF37 Walkman, no less. Didn't someone here also report hearing it in Hawaii? And/or on the N. Ireland Global Tuners? Shows what can be done with a nearly vacant frequency. Rebelde wouldn't be out of the question, either. I've heard it a couple of times in Florida under R. Enciclopedia.

 

[crainbebo]

YES!! Just confirmed on tape...

530 - Radio Rebelde, Guantanamo, Cuba; heard with SS ballad vocal at 2218 PT 11/02, matched 5025 and confirmed this afternoon by checking the tape with headphones. NEW #642, 25kw, 3134 miles!! A great log and I believe this is my farthest Cuban now. Cuba #8 - and 0 from FL...

-crainbebo

 

[davideduardo]

Nice catch. I think there's some debate as to whether this one is actually 10kw, but even if it's 30kw (as some have suggested), it's still a great catch.

That's a good point. The available lists that include power for Cuban stations are generally inaccurate and sometimes totally bogus.

Many of the transmitter locations for the repeater stations of networks are wrong, and the powers are only correct by coincidence. Unless a station location can be pinned down by virtue of it being the only one on a frequency, locations are suspect. A few have been isolated to possible cities by DXers in FL and the Caribbean, and a few have been verified by QSL's or emails from the stations, but overall it is really dangerous to assume power levels and even locations are accurate.

 

[davideduardo]

But anyways, NEW #641, 10KW, 2,668 miles!

Many of us, including the folks I've worked with at the Radio Martí Program, are of the view that the La Habana outlet increased power to something around 30 to 50 kw when Martí began using 530 AM for Commando Solo originated weekend broadcasts while flying just outside the Cuban airspace.

That is also why they moved Radio Rebelde down the dial to 530 in Guantánamo.

 

[cyberdad]

Based on my own admittedly VERY unscientific observation and experience, I'm inclined to doubt that R. Enciclopedia is at 50kw. At both of my longtime getaway spots in Florida....St. Pete Beach and near Pensacola....530 is considerably weaker day/night than R. Progreso and R. Rebelde on 640 and 670. I think these two are supposedly 50kw, but who knows. Also, the big Cuban night signals on 570, 790, 890, and 950....to name a few...are much stronger along the gulf than 530.

The fact that 530 is often heard in more distant locations than the other major Cuban signals is, IMHO, attributable to the near-vacant nature of the 530 channel. Indeed, here in the Chicago area, 530 is audible nearly every night (usually mixing with CIAO).