[IRCA] Miami Herald Story--Possibly Related to Mystery Tone on 1020khz and 1610khz

["Les Rayburn" <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Someone on the list mentioned the possibiliy that the military was testing 
mobile, rapid deployable transmitters equipped with innovative antenna 
systems to be used in the event of Castro's death. Given the demonstrated 
ability of the Cuban government to jam MW broadcasts, I think this makes a 
lot of sense.
Our military would certainly require a system that could be "frequency 
agile" to make it more difficult for the jammers, and mobile. In the light 
of recent events in Cuba, the testing on 1020khz and 1610khz make sense in 
that regard.

Was the test tone heard this weekend on 620khz part of that same test? As I 
recall, the 590khz test was scraped on short notice.

Fun to speculate regardless.

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF
NRC/IRCA Broadcast Test Coordinator
Please call anytime 24/7 if your transmitter
will be off the air for maintenance.
(205) 253-4867

EMERGENCY PLANNING
When Castro dies, they know the drill
The Broward Convention Center became a command center for local, state and 
federal response to the death of Fidel Castro and how authorities here will 
react.
BY OSCAR CORRAL

Picture this: Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies, Cuba's military battles 
protesters on the streets, and frantic Cubans take to the seas. In South 
Florida, exiles board boats and head for Cuba to pick up desperate 
relatives -- or to help start an armed insurrection against the 47-year-old 
dictatorship.
The Florida Straits get jammed with boat traffic on choppy seas. People 
drown. Chaos erupts.
The U.S. government believes this could happen. On Tuesday federal, state 
and local authorities accelerated preparations for Castro's death --  
starting a two-day drill on how authorities plan to respond to a mass exodus 
to Florida.
As 400 emergency officials and others held the tabletop exercise at the 
Broward County Convention Center, Miami police sent an e-mail to reporters 
Tuesday afternoon warning of unsubstantiated rumors about Castro's 
''possible death,'' and even Gov. Jeb Bush was alerted about the buzz in 
South Florida.
MORE SPECULATION
Castro's absence at a military parade Dec. 2 in Havana to mark his 80th 
birthday has stoked the rumors -- just as U.S. officials mulled over 
scenarios to prepare for a change on the communist island.
Journalists in Havana said Tuesday that the rumors of Castro's death were 
rampant there as well, but that no unusual activity or military presence was 
noted in the streets. The U.S. Interests Section said there were no new 
reports on Castro's health.
At the command post exercise, Amos Rojas Jr., South Florida regional 
director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said authorities want 
the public to respond with calm when Castro dies and stay off the streets --  
and seas.
'The message we want to send is, `Do not throw yourself to the waters and 
try to head to Cuba,' '' Rojas told reporters in Spanish. ``Be patient, the 
trip is very dangerous.''
In one scenario, Raúl Castro would authorize ''use of force to quell 
opposition'' to his government once his brother Fidel dies. ''Demonstrations 
in Cuba are met with open force causing injuries and deaths to civilians,'' 
a one-page scenario stated. 'U.S.-based Cuban resistance groups have begun 
issuing inflated and false press releases describing the dire actions in 
Cuba. These groups are advocating the violent overthrow of the Raúl Castro 
regime to `liberate Cuba forever.' ''
``Some local Cuban-Americans began arming themselves and heading to Cuba to 
either fight for the [country's] liberation, or to bring back family members 
to the United States.''
Among the real options on the table Tuesday: closing all marinas in South 
Florida; shutting down airports; even limiting fuel sales.
U.S. Border Patrol could monitor traffic on roads leading to marinas, 
stopping drivers hauling boats with extra gasoline and provisions for a 
days-long trip, said spokesman Steve McDonald.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Chris O'Neil said authorities will monitor for 
key indicators coming from the island, including an uptick in raft-building, 
Cubans en masse heading for the beaches and a spike in migrants in the 
Florida Straits and off the eastern tip of Cuba.
Key to the intelligence gathering are the Miami police Strategic Information 
Unit and the local FBI's Cuba squad, which are participating in the drill.
WORST-CASE SCENARIOS
About 400 officials and emergency workers -- including the Department of 
Homeland Security, Coast Guard, and police departments in Coral Springs and 
Broward, Monroe and Miami-Dade counties -- dealt with worst-case scenarios, 
seeking to expose any gaps in the plan.
There were staffing concerns -- like a dearth of Spanish-speaking agents --  
and communication glitches.
In one scenario, a child injured at sea and brought aboard a Coast Guard 
cutter needed to be airlifted to the mainland. Precious minutes passed as 
officers in the command center tried to determine whether to call the Key 
West or Miami Coast Guard office.
In another example, two boats with about 25 people landed in Pompano Beach 
and a dozen showed signs of the measles, so healthcare workers scrambled to 
determine the best way to transport and quarantine the migrants -- without 
exposing others.
''This is a run-through to see what holds water and what doesn't work. The 
goal is to be as realistic as possible,'' O'Neil said.
This week's drill will be evaluated, with corrections made, and then another 
run-through -- using boats, planes and emergency personnel -- is scheduled 
for March 7 and 8, unless conditions change on the island.
''In the military, you always plan for the worst-case scenario,'' said James 
Brooks, spokesman for the Naval Air Station in Key West. Zachary Mann, 
Special Agent for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the goal is to 
prevent chaos and save lives. ``What we're trying to do is discourage the 
illegal migration -- it's extremely dangerous.''
Miami Herald staff writers Erika Beras, Gary Fineout and Frances Robles 
contributed to this report. 

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