[IRCA] Radio Martí - 1180 power and pattern

[Charles A & Leonor L Taylor <calltaylor@xxxxxxx>]

At 03:20 PM 3/19/2006, you wrote:
> > I think Radio Marti/VOA 1180
> run a pretty tight pattern these days.
> > Maybe they have tightened it up even more since raising power to
> 100KW.
> > THey used to be heard every once in a while up here, but I have
> not
> > logged them in years. I do have VOA Marathon QSL'd from the 70s
> and
> > later Radio Marti.

Willis,

Radio Martí - 1180 never has run 100 kW on a continuous basis. Has 2 x
50-kW transmitters that they alternate unless one's down for
repair.  

Radio Martí has the odd practice of closing down ALL transmitters, that
means all SW transmitters and the 1 MW, from 0000-0500 Monday Morning. A
throwback to the 60's and the time that Radio Martí - 1180 is taken down
for weekly maintenance.

In other words, the Whole Dern Radio Martí network goes down just for
Radio Martí - 1180.

Every twice-yearly SW change of frequencies and hours circus time,
somebody at Greenville always misinterprets the new HFBC sked and puts 1
or 2 transmitters on the air at what would be 0400 Monday and wonders,
and calls Washington as to why Radio Martí isn't sending programming.
Well, the sked just changed....and you guys got it wrong again! 

Lordy, how many times did I tune up 9865 or 9565 at 0500 Monday and got
silence. And then it dawned on me that it would be 0600 that Radio Martí
- 1180 would start because of the international sked change. Sigh, gotta
get up and go shut down the [bad word] transmitter! When will we learn?

Leonor and I rode the US-1 highway down the Keys twice. And it is the
simple truth that in broad daylight, e.g. 1300 local, that we
couldn't hear Radio Martí - 1180 on a good car radio until the four
tower were coming into sight!! All because of the directivity of the
pattern and the intense jamming out of La Havana on the
frequency.

Call-in programs on Radio Martí (call-ins from Cuba) say that 1180 still
makes it into Cuba clearly in a lot of places....if you use a set with a
ferrite loopstick to null the nearest jammer. 

73 de Charlie
Retired VOA Transmitter Troll

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