What's on 530khz?

[cyberdad]

Do the ticks come at a specific time such as on the hour?

They're constantly in the audio, not unlike the old newscasts with the teletype sound in the background. That's why you'll know right away when you've got it. They also seem to bring up the level somewhat between news stories. As has already been said, very often the voice doesn't make it through, but the ticks and pips do.

 

[radioman148]

Do the ticks come at a specific time such as on the hour?

They're constantly in the audio, not unlike the old newscasts with the teletype sound in the background. That's why you'll know right away when you've got it. They also seem to bring up the level somewhat between news stories. As has already been said, very often the voice doesn't make it through, but the ticks and pips do.

Thanks cyberdad. Now I know exactly what to listen for.

 

[schmave]

The code and the ticking can really punch through the rest of the junk on a crowded channel, so you'll know right away when you've got Radio Reloj. I'm located near where you are, and I've heard it here lots of times.

Absolutely. Even when I hear the ticks under 790 here in Houston or KLIF, I never can make out anything they're saying. Just the ticks, which I think are sort of cool but at the same time it's ridiculous that I can hear anything under a 15-20K station blasting right in my direction only 25 miles away.

Schmave, I am around 20 miles away from KBME myself and for the life of me can't hear anything underneath KBME's audio. This from a site SE of the array off SH 249. Which direction are you from the array and which direction are you pointing to get the ticks on 790? I'll certainly check 790 from Bellville when I'm up there this weekend. Also checked 530 and 570 and there is zilch at 530 and KLIF and what I assume is XEBJB from Nuevo Leon, Mexico at 570 depending on which way I'm aiming. BTW, the Mexican station has to be running higher than 250 at night. 5kw KLIF is nowhere to be found most evenings and early mornings before dawn because of the Spanish music, and that's with KLIF sending a big lobe in our general direction.

I live down on the League City/Friendswood border. I usually can't hear the ticks below KBME on my house radios, but there are times I have to pick up my girlfriend's brother from work at a strip mall at 45 and 518 and if I'm listening to Pallilo or whatever else on 790 in the car while waiting, invariably I can hear the ticks. They are very low and indeed might go unnoticed by some people, but they're there along with a little bit of garble. I think it has less to do with KBME's signal than that the radio regulations in countries to our south are a joke and therefore their signals often run rampant.
Where you are, I'm not surprised you can't hear Reloj. You sound like you're too close to the towers to get anything else under 790. From Bellville I'd think you'll have a chance.
As for 570, my experience there is it's either KLIF or Reloj. I don't use the most sophisticated radios, though.

 

[cyberdad]

Just back from a 10-day business trip to the southeast. Two updates....

1.) Much to my surprise, on 870, R. Reloj completely owned the nighttime channel in Central Florida. WWL was mostly absent. R Reloj was stronger on 870 than such old R. Reloj standbys as 570, 790, and 950. Of course, on my 300 mile daytime drive along I-10 from Lake City to Pensacola Friday, WWL was pretty much like a local the whole way (due east of their stick).

2.) The elevator music Cuban on 530 had a nighttime signal that was quite robust. Not only in Orlando and in Florida, but in the nearby states as well. I concede the point that this could well be more than 1kw.

 

[radioman148]

Just back from a 10-day business trip to the southeast. Two updates....

1.) Much to my surprise, on 870, R. Reloj completely owned the nighttime channel in Central Florida. WWL was mostly absent. R Reloj was stronger on 870 than such old R. Reloj standbys as 570, 790, and 950. Of course, on my 300 mile daytime drive along I-10 from Lake City to Pensacola Friday, WWL was pretty much like a local the whole way (due east of their stick).

2.) The elevator music Cuban on 530 had a nighttime signal that was quite robust. Not only in Orlando and in Florida, but in the nearby states as well. I concede the point that this could well be more than 1kw.

I can hear Radio Reloj here in the midwest sometimes underneath WWL.

 

[stormy01]

1.) Much to my surprise, on 870, R. Reloj completely owned the nighttime channel in Central Florida. WWL was mostly absent. R Reloj was stronger on 870 than such old R. Reloj standbys as 570, 790, and 950. Of course, on my 300 mile daytime drive along I-10 from Lake City to Pensacola Friday, WWL was pretty much like a local the whole way (due east of their stick).

2.) The elevator music Cuban on 530 had a nighttime signal that was quite robust. Not only in Orlando and in Florida, but in the nearby states as well. I concede the point that this could well be more than 1kw.

I can hear Radio Reloj here in the midwest sometimes underneath WWL.

1) I hear Radio Reloj on 570, 870 and 1020 here in NE Illinois.
2) The elevator music station on 530 was coming very nicely around 3 a.m. a few nights ago. Some of the music sounds
up to date... wonder where they're stealing the music from? 2009 World Radio TV Handbook claims they are running
10kW and they are called "Radio Enciclopedia". Where is Arnie Coro when we need him?
3) Has anyone heard "The Caribbean Beacon" on 1610 lately? I read somewhere that they reactivated the frequency and
supposedly got a new TX. Some lists claim they had up to 200kW at one time, and the current TX may be about 25kW.

 

[davideduardo]

2) The elevator music station on 530 was coming very nicely around 3 a.m. a few nights ago. Some of the music sounds
up to date... wonder where they're stealing the music from? 2009 World Radio TV Handbook claims they are running
10kW and they are called "Radio Enciclopedia".

Why would they be stealing the music? They buy the CDs and broadcast them according to Cuban law.

 

[trusty]

2) The elevator music station on 530 was coming very nicely around 3 a.m. a few nights ago. Some of the music sounds
up to date... wonder where they're stealing the music from? 2009 World Radio TV Handbook claims they are running
10kW and they are called "Radio Enciclopedia".

Why would they be stealing the music? They buy the CDs and broadcast them according to Cuban law.

Cuba? I thought 530 was Turks and Caicos. What did I miss? ???

 

[stormy01]

Cuba? I thought 530 was Turks and Caicos. What did I miss? ???

Somewhere in cyberspace I have read that a recent hurricane that either made a direct hit to the Turks & Caicos Islands or the winds were strong enough to bring the towers down was why it may be off the air. Radio Vision Cristiana's website does list the 530 frequency for Turks & Caicos: http://www.radiovision.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2

So now we have the Toronto area, Cuba, local TIS stations, and possibly RVC in T&C in the 530 mix (at least in the NE and Midwest)

Perhaps David Eduardo may know of the situation as he is very knowledgeable on Latin American/Caribbean radio happenings!

 

[gar hi]

Whatever it is that's on 530, I can pick up my little Walkman in the middle of day here in Tampa and hear a fairly decent signal. It's a spanish station that's always playing elevator music or the stuff you might hear in a very fancy restaurant.

 

[stormy01]

Listen Live to Radio Enciclopedia at: http://radiotime.com/station/s_45079/Radio_Enciclopedia_1260.aspx
This music is better than most of the trash we have around here nowadays....

Or check out this site for other Cuban stations: http://media-radio.cubasi.cu/
(I couldn't get the links to play the stations, perhaps someone has better luck with them)

 

[davideduardo]

Whatever it is that's on 530, I can pick up my little Walkman in the middle of day here in Tampa and hear a fairly decent signal. It's a spanish station that's always playing elevator music or the stuff you might hear in a very fancy restaurant.

The soft music station is Cuba; T&C, if on the air, is religion in Spanish. It targets the Dominican Republic.

 

[davideduardo]

Cuba? I thought 530 was Turks and Caicos. What did I miss? ???

Cuba put a station on 530 when Radio Martí began to broadcast on that frequency from an airborne transmitter once a week. That was, IIRC, over a decade ago.

 

[trusty]

Cuba? I thought 530 was Turks and Caicos. What did I miss? ???

Cuba put a station on 530 when Radio Martí began to broadcast on that frequency from an airborne transmitter once a week. That was, IIRC, over a decade ago.

Hmmmmm... 530 is great for groundwave, so our wunderful govt. - Radio Marti - transmits from a plane.

Par for the course...

 

[stormy01]

Cuba put a station on 530 when Radio Martí began to broadcast on that frequency from an airborne transmitter once a week. That was, IIRC, over a decade ago.

Hmmmmm... 530 is great for groundwave, so our wunderful govt. - Radio Marti - transmits from a plane.

Par for the course...

LOL!!! Commando Solo in Iraq was doing better: they were on 756 kHz over there* With a short antenna on a plane Radio Marti should use 1620... the Part15 yardcasters know more about antenna efficiency than the Feds do!!! And now I read that Radio Marti is planning to be on the 60 meter band with Radio Rebelde and the gospel huxters! (they finally figured out SW gets out better than MW) *http://www.dxing.info/profiles/clandestine_information_iraq.dx

 

[cyberdad]

Dialed into the 128k web stream. Decent audio.... but a very noticable medium to high-pitched hum.

 

[radioman148]

Cuba put a station on 530 when Radio Martí began to broadcast on that frequency from an airborne transmitter once a week. That was, IIRC, over a decade ago.

Hmmmmm... 530 is great for groundwave, so our wunderful govt. - Radio Marti - transmits from a plane.

Par for the course...

LOL!!! Commando Solo in Iraq was doing better: they were on 756 kHz over there* With a short antenna on a plane Radio Marti should use 1620... the Part15 yardcasters know more about antenna efficiency than the Feds do!!! And now I read that Radio Marti is planning to be on the 60 meter band with Radio Rebelde and the gospel huxters! (they finally figured out SW gets out better than MW) *http://www.dxing.info/profiles/clandestine_information_iraq.dx

Better late then never.

 

[davideduardo]

Hmmmmm... 530 is great for groundwave, so our wunderful govt. - Radio Marti - transmits from a plane.

Par for the course...

The theory is that the equivalent of a Franklen antenna, dragged from a plane, creates groundwave just like a rooftop antenna with a counterpoise system does.

 

[davideduardo]

[And now I read that Radio Marti is planning to be on the 60 meter band with Radio Rebelde and the gospel huxters! (they finally figured out SW gets out better than MW)

The Radio Martí program has been on SW, out of Greenville, for decades. When I did the congressionally mandated annual review of Martí about 24 years ago, they were on SW as evidenced by the reports in regards to Martí coverage of the Río Canaima ferry massacre which got to Cuba on that band.

The disadvantage of Short Wave for reaching Cuba is that the govenment has controlled the import of radios for 49 years, and pretty much prevented the use of radios that could open up the world to Cubans.

 

[BRNout]

The disadvantage of Short Wave for reaching Cuba is that the govenment has controlled the import of radios for 49 years, and pretty much prevented the use of radios that could open up the world to Cubans.

That's an interesting detail that I hope our government has considered. If almost no one has a shortwave radio, then what good does it do to broadcast to Cuba via shortwave? Definitely a problem.

I've heard that radios in North Korea are limited to transistor models which can only tune into a single frequency - the government station.

If you travel to either place, I wonder if they'd confiscate your shortwave portable at the airport. I definitely think so in the case of North Korea, but would it happen in Cuba too?