WAQI makes the book.... in Sebring?

[livingfruitvirus]

Whenever a station books in a market far far away from its stick it always gets my attention. Somehow Miami's AM Spanish news/talker WAQI managed to score just under a point in a market 150 miles away.

Another far away catch was WQAM making the books in Ft. Pierce-Stuart. It's at the bottom, but it's there.

 

[led]

well, if WAQI can reach that place... some people do not believe that WAQI can be still listen in Havana when Radio Rebelde of Castro if off the air...
In 1994 I was in Buffalo Ney York... and guess what, I could get there at night Radio Reloj with weak signal...

 

[davideduardo]

well, if WAQI can reach that place...

WAQI has always had a residual share in Sebring. Right at MRS cut-off levels. For nearly two decades.

some people do not believe that WAQI can be still listen in Havana when Radio Rebelde of Castro if off the air...

And how often are the 4 to 5 Rebelde synchronous repeaters, all on 710, all off the air? By our count, the answer is "Never." WOR in New York has commented many times in the past about this same interference, which is essentially neverending.

WAQI can be heard in parts of Cuba if there is no interference. And that happens practically never.

In 1994 I was in Buffalo Ney York... and guess what, I could get there at night Radio Reloj with weak signal...

You are confusing night DX reception with what the average person might hear and actually listen to. I have heard a 250 watt San Juan, PR, station in the US Southwest (Arizona) but that does not mean I can tune it in and listen any time. Similarly, many Cuban stations can be heard throughout the South and Midwest of the US, but not consistently enough to listen to them.

 

[led]

The 710 AM of Radio Rebelde is not so often off in Cuba. But in the 90s when they had power problems (USSR was gone...) the trasmitter was often off the air... after some months they realized of this problem and they solved... so whole Havana had no power but Radio Rebelde yes... they are so afraid of free information!
I think the 710AM is located not so far from the town I lived in Havana (Regla) if that is not the transmitter site, then that one is from the 670 AM. Radio Reloj FM is not far from there on a hill and it covers all Havana, Matanzas and Pinar (they build it up during 1995 I think, placing a higher antenna)

WAQI can be heard OK outside Havana city with a good radio, as well as WWFE. WQBA was in the 80s and 90s audible in the country side between Havana-Matanzas... I know that well because some of my familly lived there and they followed that station all day. There I could get also the FM stations from Key West on the car radio of my father when we were visiting them.

 

[davideduardo]

The 710 AM of Radio Rebelde is not so often off in Cuba. But in the 90s when they had power problems (USSR was gone...) the trasmitter was often off the air... after some months they realized of this problem and they solved... so whole Havana had no power but Radio Rebelde yes... they are so afraid of free information!

At various times over the last nearly 20 years, we have used RDF techniques to determine where the WAQI interference is coming from, and there have been between 4 and 7 different transmitters across Cuba on 710, mostly Rebelde relays, that covered the WAQI signal. It's not just one transmitter, and has not been since 710 changed to Spanish.

I think the 710AM is located not so far from the town I lived in Havana (Regla) if that is not the transmitter site, then that one is from the 670 AM.

Again, that is the Haban area transmitter, not the total number of different ones. For a while, they had several running off frequency so the heterodyne could even be heard in Dade County.

WAQI can be heard OK outside Havana city with a good radio, as well as WWFE.

I am sure there are holes in the coverage of the domestic transmitters in Cuba on 710, but WAQI can be listened to in the clear in very few places.

WQBA was in the 80s and 90s audible in the country side between Havana-Matanzas... I know that well because some of my familly lived there and they followed that station all day.

The site of WQBA was moved out to the Everglades about the time I assume you could no longer get them. The radiation towards La Habana was reduced considerable in the process of creating a sympathetic null towards Richmond, where WQBA has to protect dominant WRVA.

 

[radiosanchez]

I *do* know that as WGBS, 710 was audible in Cuba and was somewhat popular during its' AC/MOR format.

One of the 710 Rebelde transmitters (at least the Havana one) was once listed on World Radio TV Handbook as being located in the Arroyo Arenas area, which would mean it could've been the original CMQ site, licensed in the pre-Castro days to operate on 630 with I believe a null towards Savannah.

Another interesting but somewhat not related side note: I once saw a WKBW/1520 Buffalo (nee WWKB) coverage map from about 1982, where apparently they have to protect, or at least, "CMBD/Havana", on 1520, was listed on it...I don't think that station (once "Radio Kramer" when there was commercial radio in Cuba) has existed in any way shape or form since the 60s.

 

[davideduardo]

I *do* know that as WGBS, 710 was audible in Cuba and was somewhat popular during its' AC/MOR format.

One of the 710 Rebelde transmitters (at least the Havana one) was once listed on World Radio TV Handbook as being located in the Arroyo Arenas area, which would mean it could've been the original CMQ site, licensed in the pre-Castro days to operate on 630 with I believe a null towards Savannah.

This is 7 years old, but likely better than the WRTVH stuff...

http://www.amfmdx.net/amdx/cubanradio.html

A lot of stations are missing, especially the multiple 710's.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Whenever a station books in a market far far away from its stick it always gets my attention. Somehow Miami's AM Spanish news/talker WAQI managed to score just under a point in a market 150 miles away.

Another far away catch was WQAM making the books in Ft. Pierce-Stuart. It's at the bottom, but it's there.

Back when it was WGBS I remember hearing the station in Orlando with a nice clear signal. The strongest of the Miami stations. Only during the day however. When I worked there in the late '70's they were running a 3 tower directional during the day and 6 towers at night. I visited the transmitter site once, it's incredible with it's own bomb shelter. I'm sure the RCA transmitters have been replaced since I visited.

The right signal with the right format.

 

[radiosanchez]

I'm sure the RCA transmitters have been replaced since I visited.

Those were no ordinary RCA xmtrs.....I believe I read somewhere they were RCA Ampliphase trannies.

 

[davideduardo]

I'm sure the RCA transmitters have been replaced since I visited.

Those were no ordinary RCA xmtrs.....I believe I read somewhere they were RCA Ampliphase trannies.

The dreadful Amplifuzzes are long gone.

 

[led]

710 AM Radio Rebelde is probably that from Arroyo Arenas and the other 670AM that from where I lived near 'Guanabacoa'. When that transmitter is off you can get WAQI as local station in Havana (day time).
The Arroyo Arena site was indeed the transmitting site for CMQ-TV, but CMQ had also a transmitting site on top of its building at Havana centre... near by was the transmitting site of CMBF-TV (Tele Rebelde nowadays).
The antennas over CMQ studios have been removed since few years ago. TV transmitters are some on top of Havana (Hilton) Libre hotel in front of the old CMQ building... nowadays Castro’s ICRT studios.
I read somewhere that 710AM is a frequency allocated to Florida, Miami area. CMQ was never on 710AM in Havana before Castro.

 

[davideduardo]

I read somewhere that 710AM is a frequency allocated to Florida, Miami area. CMQ was never on 710AM in Havana before Castro.

Cuba abrogated the NARBA treaty in the early 60's and has not done anything in conjunction with international agreements since.

710 did not become active with so many transmitters until WGBS became WAQI. 710 is a 1B clear channel, shared by dominant stations in Seattle and New York with secondaries in Maimi, Amarillo, LA, Denver, Kansas City, Duluth, and a couple in Canada.

A very reliable 1968 listing http://www.davidgleason.com/Jones1968AMbyLocation.pdf shows no station on 710.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I'm sure the RCA transmitters have been replaced since I visited.

Those were no ordinary RCA xmtrs.....I believe I read somewhere they were RCA Ampliphase trannies.

Yep one of them was, the other was an older 10KW RCA (used as aux) with a bad modulation transformer. The transformer had been rewound and never worked right. When we were on the aux it sounded like everyone was talking through about 20 socks. It really was bad but it kept the station on the air.

WINZ had an Ampliphase too but that was even longer ago. When the MW-50 went on at WINZ it was a big improvement. No telling what other upgrades they did. I think they redid the entire site.

 

[Ai4i]

I am not technically proficient enough to discuss Ampliphase, but I remember someone explaining to me about taking two carriers and varying the phase relationship between them at an audio rate. I think the issue was that they were difficult to keep aligned.

I listened to WGBS in the day when I attended the University of FL in Gainesville; longwire antenna.
They said it was 70° outside, so I stepped out of my fourth floor rather hot dorm room, wearing a T-shirt.
By the time I left the building, it turned out to be about 30° cooler.
Also heard them in Jamaica, daytime groundwave and nighttime skywave; some selective fading at night, though usually the skywave was many times stronger than the groundwave.

BTW...Speaking of WOR, how directional is Mambi's six tower night pattern?
Go to Pembroke Rd and 172nd Ave on the Pembroke Pines / Miramar border just northwest of that hospital.
You can see their towers and hear them with a suppressed carrier. When they are silent, you can hear a cacophony of WOR and Cuban stations. This happens because AM antennas are most directional on their carrier frequencies and less so, or at least differently so, above and below them.

Oh, before I forget...is this abrogation of treaties the reason that the FCC allowed 640 on the air, whatever their current call letters are, in the Palm Beaches?
I seem to recall that Cuba was co-dominant on 640 along with either Canada or KFI in Los Angeles.

 

[davideduardo]

Also heard them in Jamaica, daytime groundwave and nighttime skywave; some selective fading at night, though usually the skywave was many times stronger than the groundwave.

I can remember listening to WGBS at fully listenable levels while driving from home to one of my AM sites in Quito in the later 60's. Probably was the best US signal there, and quite consistent.