The transmitters are all Chinese transmitters (replacing the old Czech transmitters) and apparently they have a common problem which causes the warbling and frequency drift.
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The Return of "The Wobbler???"
- Thread starter cyberdad
- Start date
I was on the Bonaire SDR last night around 11pm CDT and there was a "wobbler" sound dominating 950. There were lots of Cubans across the dial last night, so assume it was from there.
Based on what you're saying, I'm wondering if perhaps it's the same transmitter that perhaps got fixed, and is now acting up again.
Wow! I wonder if that's R. Reloj again. They have a powerful 950 serving Havana.
You'd think, assuming the 870 wobbler is R Reloj, that they'd have some level of self-awareness if one of their transmissions is going haywire. Surely they'd be informed if their audience suddenly couldn't hear their broadcast, in which case there would be no point in keeping it transmitting for weeks on end. Maybe there's something I'm missing here...
I think the point Michael is that there is no point, which is why it's a mystery. Who is it and why are they doing it? It's like numbers stations. Are they spy numbers? Why do they broadcast random numbers every day and on a schedule? Nobody really knows. Or why has the Russian Buzzer been broadcasting the same monotonous tone for almost 50 years? Who knows? That's the cool thing about radio, alot of it is a mystery that we want to figure out so we keep listening.
It would be pretty cool if the wobbler transmissions were intentional and contained embedded secret messages. Cuba is after all still a center of espionage, such as the microwave transmissions being used to injure diplomats and so on. But it's probably nothing so exciting
You can hear that one "like a local" on the Key West SDR
It would be cool. But, probably a wonky transmitter. We still listen and hypothesize anyway.It would be pretty cool if the wobbler transmissions were intentional and contained embedded secret messages. Cuba is after all still a center of espionage, such as the microwave transmissions being used to injure diplomats and so on. But it's probably nothing so exciting
Since many of the transmitters are probably the same or similar models, there could be one particular common failure - a difficult to replace part, or one in short supply, and they could be shuffling boards, assemblies, or complete cabinets around after getting enough complaints... Yet another guess, only....
No sign of it here tonight, instead WHCU is fairly strong with little fading.
Indeed, that's the first place I check, given that, for some reason, the wobblerr has been missing at my location for a few weeks.
It is there right now at 10:10PM CDT on the Key West SDR
The wobbler heard a few minutes ago on 870 in Orange Park, FL, pretty much the same strength as WWL.
Tonight it can be heard under WWL on the Orlando SDR. It's loud on Key West.
It's funny how WBOB is talking about the warbler on their DX test tonight
This evening, 7:40PM to 7:50PM, Orange Park, FL, The wobbler was fair strength, about equal to R. Reloj on 870. Then R. Reloj somewhat faded, but the wobbler did not seem to fade. Toward the end of my ten minute monitoring period, an English language station, possibly WWL, started to come through, about the same level as the wobbler.
I have not heard the wobbler, but is it possible that one of the 870 Cuban stations is unstable and could be 20 to 60 Hz or so off frequency and not fixed in the off-frequency deviation? A highly unstable off frequency station would cause a beat against the main 870 signal being received and sound like a warbled or shifting frequency wobble.
It's definitely there right now 7:55PM CDT all by itself on the Key West SDR. No sign of WWL at the moment.
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