[IRCA] Cubans on 530 kHz

[Brian Rachford <azswdxing@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

New here, but have been recently checking out the archives for old and new
posts.

I'm using a mix of new and old technology; a $10 DVB-T USB dongle with a
Ham It Up upconverter to get BCB and SW frequencies, and fed with
increasingly large tuned air core wooden loops.  My current "loopzilla" is
6-foot on the diagonal and seems to perform better than my previous 3-foot
and 4-foot loops.

Anyway...after getting hints of Spanish audio on 530 in the car shortly
after midnight local time (MST) on the 15th, I set up loopzilla outside and
listened to variable quality Spanish broadcasting from two stations.  Using
the mwlist.org site, I was able to get webcast matches for both Radio
Rebelde and Radio Enciclopedia, and also get slogan matches from my radio
audio.  (There's a post on my blog below with audio snippets if anyone is
interested.)  Based on mwlist and http://www.bamlog.com/cubalist.htm, I'm
logging these as the following, recognizing that the call letters might not
be correct or meaningful:

530 CMBQ, Villa Maria CU, medium at 2:19am [0919UT], 10000W, webcast match
and "Radio Enciclopedia" (new, 1980 miles)
530 CTMO3, Guantanamo CU, medium at 2:28am [0928UT], 1000W, webcast match
and "Rebelde" (new; 2478 miles!)

I may have been assisted by the long path across the Gulf of Mexico,
although I don't quite understand what attenuation or lack thereof happens
on the multiple ground "bounces" these signals must have made.  Still, my
first AM BCB catches beyond 1900 miles since I seriously re-started my
teenage DXing hobby from the 1980s again this August.  (247 total stations
at this location so far)

I've checked out 530 a couple more times in the last few days and have only
found weak carriers with hints of audio.  Given the otherwise rather clear
frequency, are these stations fairly common out in the western US?

Brian Rachford - Prescott, AZ
http://azswdxing.wordpress.com/
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