Live, off-air, three-hour excerpt of a recording of the provincial Cuban station Radio Metropolitana, CMBL, Havana, Cuba, on 10 November 2022 beginning at about 20:00 UTC. The station operates on an frequency of 910 kHz from a transmitter in the Villa Maria area of the Distrito de Guanabacoa municipality of Havana with a power of 5 kW and an omnidirectional antenna. The station also transmits on 98.3 MHz in the FM band.
The transmission was received on a Tecsun PL-880 portable receiver with its built-in ferrite-bar-loop antenna in Marathon, Florida, in AM mode with 2.3 kHz RF filtering. Reception was fairly good with some background noise due to the slightly weak signal associated with the over 200 km long-range reception.
Radio Metropolitana is part of the group of stations that make up the Provincial Directorate of Radio in Havana with studios in the FOCSA building in Havana's Vedado district. It is on the air 24 hours a day and offers cultural programming with a strong presence of music aimed at families in the capital city. Its slogan is "La radio de casa" and its theme tune is a fragment of the familiar song "El Manisero" ("The Peanut Vendor") by Cuban composer Moisés Simons. Both can be heard frequently in this recording.
The recording begins with a song by Puerto Rican singer Kany García followed by the program "De Buena Tinta" (literally "of good ink" but an idiomatic expression meaning "on good authority") beginning at 20:00 UTC. This is a news program for residents of Havana including events taking place, weather, and sports. At 20:30 UTC, there is the program "La Novela" (The Novel) with an instalment of "La Flor de los Sueños" (The Flower of Dreams). Next is "Un Amigo Cincero" (A Sincere Friend), a brief program on the literature of José Martí. The program "Por La Habana" (Around Havana) begins at 21:00 UTC. This program is mostly music with Cuban jazz, blues, and funk. Between every few musical items is a discussion of indigenous languages in Latin America and elsewhere and their impact on music. At 22:30 UTC, the program "Para Luego es Tarde" (meaning colloquially "no time like the present") begins. This edition features a discussion about corn (maize), its history and how it is grown, harvested, marketed, prepared for food and other uses. Midway through the program there is a musical interlude with a short discussion about the Bee Gees with excerpts of several of their songs. During some of the programs in the recording, mention is made of the 503rd anniversary of the founding of Havana on 16 November 1519. Public service announcements about health and other matters are also present throughout the recording.
The Online Radio Club has a virtual radio club night at 7.30pm every Thursday via Zoom. It is suitable for all radio enthusiasts regardless of individual skill level. Go to the website for the meeting link. Ham Radio Network has a talk on the theme of An Evening with… on Monday. See the website for […]
The Online Radio Club has a virtual radio club night at 7.30pm every Thursday via Zoom. It is suitable for all radio enthusiasts regardless of individual skill level. Go to the website for the meeting link. Ham Radio Network has a talk on the theme of An Evening with… on Monday. See the website for […]
The Online Radio Club has a virtual radio club night at 7.30pm every Thursday via Zoom. It is suitable for all radio enthusiasts regardless of individual skill level. Go to the website for the meeting link. Ham Radio Network has a talk on the theme of An Evening with… on Monday. See the website for […]
Two volunteers have stepped back from roles with the Region 8 team: Sara McGarvey, 2I0SSW from the role of District Representative 84 (Belfast) Dave Parkinson, 2I0SJV from the role of District Representative 85 (Co. Fermanagh and Co. Armagh) The RSGB would like to thank them both for the time they have given as part of […]
Ofcom has recently authorised an expansion of the list of Special Contest Callsign qualification contests to include two UK and Ireland DX Contests. Full details of how to apply for a Special Contest Callsign, including the complete qualifying criteria, can be found on the RSGB website.
On 6 February 2023, RSGB District Representative Andy Jenner, G7KNA spoke to the BBC’s Simon Parkin about his passion for amateur radio. The RSGB arranged this interview—having been contacted by BBC Radio Somerset—following the Society’s recent piece in The Times. Andy discussed how he got into radio, getting licensed, and about the work he and […]
We have released two of our RSGB 2022 Convention videos just for RSGB members to view. In the first presentation Using the Right Tools to Work More 144MHz DX John Regnault, G4SWX gives a comprehensive guide to a range of software packages and websites that will help you to develop your VHF DXing skills The […]
Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty presumably test shortwave transmission on the frequency of 3975 kHz at 22.24 UTC on 8 February 2023. Received using SDR web receiver located in Germany.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes:
Broadcaster: United Arab Emirates Radio from Dubai
Date of recording: circa 1983
Frequency: 21.655 MHz
RX location: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-3100 and longwire antenna
Notes: By the 1980's, UAE Radio stations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were using high powered transmitters and could often be heard nice and clear here in Southern Ontario, Canada with English language programs. Here is an aircheck circa 1983 from United Arab Emirates Radio from Dubai broadcasting on 21655 kHz.
