Cuban Government Jamming 40 meter US HAM BAND

One good thing - our intelligence agencies now have a very firm location fix on all of these transmitter sites. Probably already knew most if not all - but gotta believe there was some new intel picked up as well.

 

The only reason they will jam ham radio is if ham radio is being used for political purposes. Perhaps it was not used that way in the past?

Martin (G8FXC)

 

Yeah, I'm sure that have them precisely located....

But it's not like they're gonna use that data to program the Tomahawks.

 

Yes some of those guys can over power the 5000 watt Cuban jamming station and they are proud of it. Their amps have tubes with handles HI
It least someone can QRM the jammmers

 

Not true, they just don't want anyone to talk to anyone about anything. Total control of the HF airways

 

The last time I've heard any jamming on the Amateur/ Maritime bands coming out of that area was in early 1996. When the Cuban Air Force MiG-29UB shot down two Cessna Skymaster C337s aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue. The planes had been flying in international waters, which was later shown as fact by Madeleine Albright at the United Nations. Killed in the incident were Cessna pilots Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. ( all were working on their ham license too, They were going to take their test the next week).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_shootdown_of_Brothers_to_the_Rescue_aircraft

I had an aircraft participating in some of the rescue operations looking for the many refugees fleeing by makeshift Rafts / And we had HF/ Ham & MM equipment in all the planes, and reported to the Coast Guard. Fortunately I wasn't involved in that Unfortunate incident (shoot down).
Besides a few documentaries there has been two recent movies done about that, a lot was filmed on location (Some flying was done in the movie and HF was use for fun on ham radio while we were filming) No jamming then HI
Wasp Network (film) "La Red Avispa" was filmed in Cuba (by the way Penélope Cruz Sánchez looks good in person too)!!!
Shoot Down was done in FL

• Book: Seagull One by Lily Prellezo, 2010.
• Book: The Last Soldiers on the Cold War by Fernando Morais, 2011.

73 from,
The K0UO " Rhombic Antenna Farm" 2 miles of wire in the Air & On the daily

 

Wishing I was still airworthy as I know that area very well and spent much time at Rosie roads and Guantanamo.

 

The old Roosevelt Roads Naval station is closed (sad) only an Army Reserve Center and the José Aponte de la Torre Airport which now is a public use airport, and the Puerto Rico Aviation Maintenance Institute (PRAMI) mechanics school located at the airport
Guantanamo is the only Naval station south of FL now

 

yes it is funny how they want to distract the world to sound that everything is normal in there but the time of the regime is over and they are (qrt)

 

lol

 

Showing my age. Doubt I can fight seabees anymore... It was a stupid move to let Rosie go.

 

Jamming signals also here in OA at 9+. The jamming is not from Cuba only. I have Cuba at 358 while some signals are from 42 degrees. I guess some "friends" are helping to block comms fm/to Cuba. I also had a signal yesterday night at 0500 utc at 3775khz.

 

I haven't found mention of the jamming, but at least the problem is getting some air play. (Headline above link)

(15 July) Cuba's President Has Made A Rare Mea Culpa, Admitting To Failures That Fueled Unrest
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/15/1016...-culpa-admitting-to-failures-that-fueled-unre
(13 July) Why has Cuba exploded in protests? It goes beyond the U.S. embargo and the pandemic
Analysis: Cuba has been promising economic reforms for years that have not materialized. “People don’t have hope in getting out of the crisis,” said an economist.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/cuba-exploded-protests-goes-us-embargo-pandemic-rcna1399
(15 July) Cuban Government Lifts Restrictions On Imports Of Food, Medicine
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/07/15/cuba-protests-government
(15 July) Cuba's Internet Blackout Is The Country's Latest Attempt To Quiet Protests
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/15/1016572914/cubas-internet-blackout-is-the-countrys-latest-attempt-to-quiet-protests


As others have noted, jamming isn't new, as this 2010 piece from the record of the US Senate outlines. So far, searches do not find mention of jamming amateur radio. The report does document complaints filed with the FCC and ITU (From Cuba - but not from the US...). (I think we should be spamming both agencies with interference reports today.)
TL;DR Frequency agility is key, and probably best to focus on QSOs with operators outside Havana where jamming is likely to much less effective. Also important: One jams receivers, not transmitters.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-111SPRT56157/html/CPRT-111SPRT56157.htm
The Cuban Government employs an extensive jamming
system against Radio Marti transmissions on both
shortwave and medium wave. OCB officials concede that
the jamming is largely successful, with only areas
outside metropolitan Havana able to receive Radio
Marti's signal. TV Marti's ``over the air'' broadcasts
are similarly jammed.

(same source)
Cuban Government Jamming
IBB and OCB have studied the extent and impact of jamming,
but they still lack data on the number, type, and overall
effectiveness of the jammers. Nonetheless, IBB, OCB, and
Lockheed Martin feel confident with their conclusions on Cuba's
jamming practices.
The Cuban Government jams Radio Marti's shortwave signals
and interferes with Radio Marti's AM signals by counter-
broadcasting at a higher power level on the same frequency. OCB
tries to overcome jamming of its shortwave signals by
alternating among 10 different frequencies throughout the
day.\8\ To overcome Cuban Government counter-broadcasting of
its AM broadcasts, OCB increases signal power during daylight
hours. According to OCB, the Cuban Government's counter-
broadcasting is largely effective in and around Havana and
several other large cities, but probably has little impact
outside those areas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ We are unable to determine how the frequency changes affect
listeners' ability to tune in.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OCB reports that jamming affects all Radio Marti shortwave
transmissions at all hours. It is more intense around Havana,
but shortwave reception in eastern parts of Cuba is often
strong. There are significant areas of the island, outside
Havana, where medium wave jamming is not a significant obstacle
to listening.
Lockheed Martin believes, based on identification of high
points, that Cuba's fixed jammers are located on the four
tallest buildings in Havana. They are likely atop the FOCSA
Building (400 feet), the Bacardi Building (150 feet),
Revolution Tower (350 feet), and Capitolio (300 feet). OCB also
claims that mobile jammers are mounted on trucks and boats and
in airplanes so that they can be moved around the island as
necessary; we are unable to corroborate that assertion. All of
the fixed jammers were damaged by Hurricane Ike in September
2008, but were pressed back into duty a year later.
Cuban Government jamming of TV Marti transmissions from
AeroMarti is intense in metropolitan Havana, but OCB has no
evidence of jamming of either Radio or TV Marti transmissions
from the HISPASAT satellites. HISPASAT is a group of Spanish
communications satellites that carry Spanish and Latin American
television programming. It is available across northern Latin
America and throughout Cuba. There is no jamming of TV Marti
transmissions from DirecTV, which carries other Spanish-
language stations from Miami and covers the western portion of
Cuba.

 

In addition to the above, The NY Times, Washington Post, other major US papers, plus major TV news on cable/satellite and OTA have covered the Cuban situation multiple times.

 

NOT ENOUGH