Problems In Havana Tonight!

[SomeRadioGuy]

How wrong can Radio Havana Cuba get it today? I dont think they have their A, B or C team on staff tonight, I think its the F team.

15140 khz has been on for the last several hours (as of 0515UTC Apr 17th) but it shouldnt be on now, it should be on middle of the day US time.

6060, 6160 and 6165 should be on but arent
11670 is off

11760 is on but should be off and was just heard broadcasting Suzy Cubano aka Hm01 counting down the hits when this has never been an HM01 frequency. She dropped carrier after a tone.

 

[gar hi]

I've noticed nothing but a carrier signal on a couple of the Cuban shortwave stations the other day.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I've noticed nothing but a carrier signal on a couple of the Cuban shortwave stations the other day.

jokes on you.. there was modulation there, you just couldnt hear it... lol

 

[Mediafrog+]

Radio Havana Cuba’s shortwave transmission facilities have become increasingly decrepit in recent years due to incompetence of the engineering staff as well as the indifference of the broadcasting authorities in the country. The current problems are nothing new.

The Cuban shortwave transmission sites had a major update around 20 years ago with new Chinese made equipment, but it appears that infrastructure is failing. I wonder about the durability of Chinese transmitters; some other broadcast facilities with similar equipment have had the same problems.

It is odd that Cuba chooses to maintain an international shortwave service in 2023. I suspect it is because the Cuban leadership is stuck in a 1950s mindset and still believes shortwave is an effective means of reaching a large audience.

Hopefully any future democratic government in Cuba, as part of an overhaul and selloff of the country’s state-owned broadcasting stations, will send RHC shortwave to the scrap heap where it belongs.

 

[gr8oldies]

How wrong can Radio Havana Cuba get it today? I dont think they have their A, B or C team on staff tonight, I think its the F team.

15140 khz has been on for the last several hours (as of 0515UTC Apr 17th) but it shouldnt be on now, it should be on middle of the day US time.

6060, 6160 and 6165 should be on but arent
11670 is off

11760 is on but should be off and was just heard broadcasting Suzy Cubano aka Hm01 counting down the hits when this has never been an HM01 frequency. She dropped carrier after a tone.

What is HM01?

 

[Mediafrog+]

What is HM01?

One of those “numbers” stations. It is believed they use the same transmitter facilities as RHC.

 

[gr8oldies]

Radio Havana Cuba’s shortwave transmission facilities have become increasingly decrepit in recent years due to incompetence of the engineering staff as well as the indifference of the broadcasting authorities in the country. The current problems are nothing new.

The Cuban shortwave transmission sites had a major update around 20 years ago with new Chinese made equipment, but it appears that infrastructure is failing. I wonder about the durability of Chinese transmitters; some other broadcast facilities with similar equipment have had the same problems.

It is odd that Cuba chooses to maintain an international shortwave service in 2023. I suspect it is because the Cuban leadership is stuck in a 1950s mindset and still believes shortwave is an effective means of reaching a large audience.

Hopefully any future democratic government in Cuba, as part of an overhaul and selloff of the country’s state-owned broadcasting stations, will send RHC shortwave to the scrap heap where it belongs.

I haven't listened to RHC on any kind of regular basis since the 70s, with their poorly modulated English and Spanish services, and news that usually started with "The U.S. imperialists are criminally oppressing the people of (insert third world country)". I assume they've automated their transmitter feeds and that went haywire.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Hopefully any future democratic government in Cuba, as part of an overhaul and selloff of the country’s state-owned broadcasting stations, will send RHC shortwave to the scrap heap where it belongs.

The possibilities of emerging democracies in Latin America are minimal. There is a probability that four to six South American nations will abandon the dollar standard as their banking system’s international currency in favor of an alliance with China. You have socialist government leaders in Brazil, Chile, Perú, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. Even neighbor México has become more allied with China and highly critical of current American international policy.

 

[gr8oldies]

The possibilities of emerging democracies in Latin America are minimal. There is a probability that four to six South American nations will abandon the dollar standard as their banking system’s international currency in favor of an alliance with China. You have socialist government leaders in Brazil, Chile, Perú, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. Even neighbor México has become more allied with China and highly critical of current American international policy.

What if those countries, including Cuba, adopted China's authoritarian capitalist system, that apparently allows for private broadcasting? Who knows it could be Brother Stair on the Big 640.

 

[boombox4]

What if those countries, including Cuba, adopted China's authoritarian capitalist system, that apparently allows for private broadcasting? Who knows it could be Brother Stair on the Big 640.

Where are the Chinese private broadcasters, though? Unless there are un-moderated, private FM stations in China that I haven't heard of, private broadcasting appears nonexistent there. It's all CNR-___ or PBS _____, i.e. government broadcasting.

So if China would be the model, it would still be government broadcasting.

As for RHC, yes, they have had issues with distorted modulation and other problems. I don't wish to see them go away, however. But, obviously, the budget doesn't exist to fix the issues for the SW broadcasts. Whatever money probably goes to the domestic MW network, and domestic FM network (if there is one -- I haven't checked.).

 

[boombox4]

The possibilities of emerging democracies in Latin America are minimal. There is a probability that four to six South American nations will abandon the dollar standard as their banking system’s international currency in favor of an alliance with China. You have socialist government leaders in Brazil, Chile, Perú, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. Even neighbor México has become more allied with China and highly critical of current American international policy.

It seems that the free-market, capitalist idea has failed in Latin America. Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, and a few countries like them still have it. But the tendency is the other direction.

 

[DavidEduardo]

It seems that the free-market, capitalist idea has failed in Latin America. Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, and a few countries like them still have it. But the tendency is the other direction.

The free market is in total failure in Argentina, with over 100% annual inflation. Chile is now run by the socialists and they are fighting over a new constitution.

Many blame much of the problem on the USA failing to help when needed, but prone to preaching democracy and American concepts when not need and not appropriate. Yesterday's Wall Street Journal has an editorial about the failure of US foreign policy in Latin America due to trying to impose "our" system in totally different societies.

Panamá is very corrupt, and Costa Rica is just small... it is the Delaware of Latin America.

 

[DavidEduardo]

What if those countries, including Cuba, adopted China's authoritarian capitalist system, that apparently allows for private broadcasting? Who knows it could be Brother Stair on the Big 640.

China does not have private broadcasting. Even the big companies have "the government" and "party leaders" on their boards of directors and, in most cases, sharing in ownership.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Whatever money probably goes to the domestic MW network, and domestic FM network (if there is one -- I haven't checked.).

FM is being set up to replace AM eventually. But many AMs stay on the air to block signals from outside Cuba (Colombia, Venezuela, the USA).

 

[boombox4]

The free market is in total failure in Argentina, with over 100% annual inflation. Chile is now run by the socialists and they are fighting over a new constitution.

Many blame much of the problem on the USA failing to help when needed, but prone to preaching democracy and American concepts when not need and not appropriate. Yesterday's Wall Street Journal has an editorial about the failure of US foreign policy in Latin America due to trying to impose "our" system in totally different societies.

Panamá is very corrupt, and Costa Rica is just small... it is the Delaware of Latin America.

Why would the free market be such a failure in a country like Argentina? They have natural resources, and I think they have strong trade ties to the EU. 100% inflation? Makes ours seem tame.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Where are the Chinese private broadcasters, though? Unless there are un-moderated, private FM stations in China that I haven't heard of, private broadcasting appears nonexistent there. It's all CNR-___ or PBS _____, i.e. government broadcasting.

So if China would be the model, it would still be government broadcasting.

As for RHC, yes, they have had issues with distorted modulation and other problems. I don't wish to see them go away, however. But, obviously, the budget doesn't exist to fix the issues for the SW broadcasts. Whatever money probably goes to the domestic MW network, and domestic FM network (if there is one -- I haven't checked.).

The SW broadcasts, esp. english are largely unlistenable, therefore a waste.. if they cant afford to fix it in the last 2 decades, they need to shut it off.

The AM signals are slightly better.. but you always know its cuba vs something in the US... audio is kinda muddy slightly fuzzy, not as crisp or clear

 

[DavidEduardo]

Why would the free market be such a failure in a country like Argentina?

Simple answer: Perón and the Peronistas. More complicated: change in world market for agriculture and beef.

They have natural resources, and I think they have strong trade ties to the EU. 100% inflation? Makes ours seem tame.

I had to give up on my consulting there. I was contracted when the dollar and the new peso were equal, and 6 years later, the peso was at about $0.17. They could no longer pay the contract amount in dollars, and I could not do the work for less than 20% of what I signed on to do.

Quite a few of my friends in Buenos Aires had dual Italian citizenship rights due to relatives (more Italian heritage there than Spanish or any other) and have moved to Italy and don't plan to go back.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The possibilities of emerging democracies in Latin America are minimal.

That’s why I said “hopefully”. However, with regard to Cuba, some recent analysis seems to think that it may very well mutate into a Russian-style kleptocracy. Sort of like if the old Soviet Union went straight from Brezhnev, skipped over Gorbachev and Yeltsin, and went straight to Putin.

Many blame much of the problem on the USA failing to help when needed, but prone to preaching democracy and American concepts when not need and not appropriate. Yesterday's Wall Street Journal has an editorial about the failure of US foreign policy in Latin America due to trying to impose "our" system in totally different societies.

Much of this is due to the U.S. government, at least superficially, having to answer to the U.S. public, many of whom do not like like their tax dollars supporting what they consider hostile governments and toxic social and economic policies. China and Russia don’t have to worry about this since neither of those governments gives a bleep about what their citizens think and can tell foreign leaders exactly what they want to hear, whether or not it is good policy for the country in question.

The SW broadcasts, esp. english are largely unlistenable, therefore a waste.. if they cant afford to fix it in the last 2 decades, they need to shut it off.

It wasn’t always that way. In the early years of the Castro regime (1960s-70s) the shortwave broadcast quality was quite good. Combination of Russian and Czech equipment, IIRC. Same constant condemnation of “U.S. Imperialism” though.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

That’s why I said “hopefully”. However, with regard to Cuba, some recent analysis seems to think that it may very well mutate into a Russian-style kleptocracy. Sort of like if the old Soviet Union went straight from Brezhnev, skipped over Gorbachev and Yeltsin, and went straight to Putin.

Much of this is due to the U.S. government, at least superficially, having to answer to the U.S. public, many of whom do not like like their tax dollars supporting what they consider hostile governments and toxic social and economic policies. China and Russia don’t have to worry about this since neither of those governments gives a bleep about what their citizens think and can tell foreign leaders exactly what they want to hear, whether or not it is good policy for the country in question.

It wasn’t always that way. In the early years of the Castro regime (1960s-70s) the shortwave broadcast quality was quite good. Combination of Russian and Czech equipment, IIRC. Same constant condemnation of “U.S. Imperialism” though.

I wanna know more about the obvious american theyve had on RHC for years.. ed newman? is it.....

 

[boombox4]

I wanna know more about the obvious american theyve had on RHC for years.. ed newman? is it.....

I think the US accent guy on at night is Tom something-or-other and I think he is Canadian.