The AM Forum

During my long Sunday night drives back to Pennsylvania, I often surf the AM broadcast band, looking for distant or unusual stations. One that frequently shows up is Radio Reloj, the standard time service of Cuba that airs over numerous AM broadcast frequencies. I often hear them on 570 kHz. Their outlets on 760 and 940 kHz often override WJR and CINW, respectively.

The normal format of Radio Reloj consists of two announcers (usually a man and a woman) reading "news" over a background of 1 second time ticks. At 57 or 58 seconds past the minute, the announcer says, "Radio Reloj", a beep indicates the beginning of the next minute, the announcer gives a time check, and the station plays a sounder consisting of the letters "RR" in Morse code. On some of these late night trips, I noticed that Radio Reloj substituted chimes for the "RR" sounder. These chimes sound like door chimes. Usually, there are four notes, but this past Sunday night/Monday morning, there were three.

Does anybody know what's going on? Could the Cubans be sending coded instructions to spies or diplomats in neighboring countries (Radio Reloj is powerful and widely heard)? Could these chimes serve a function within the Cuban government itself? The chimes, time tones, time ticks, and the Morse sounder are all easily heard, even when interference and fading make it impossible to understand the announcers.

One of our own networks, NBC, used to do something similar during World War II. If a major news story broke during the war, NBC would alert its news staff and get them to report to work by adding a fourth note to the famous NBC chimes that aired at the end of a program. They would repeat the third note (musical note C), giving four chimes.

Hi Phil,

I know I have heard that "RR" in Morse code on an American AM BCB news broadcast within the past year.  But it wasn't Cuber.  Must be an AM BCB fad. 

It may have been the New Orleans AM station I listened to during the Katrina disaster or perhaps the NYC news station 1010?  I can't think of who else I was listening to recently out of the ordinary.

I found the RR to be quite obnoxious since it repeated fairly often.  (Sounds like a Marketing guy's idea.)

73.

Probably just a simple format change. Maybe they figure the chimes would soind more distinct and/or attract more attention. I doubt it's for something nefarious like secret s[y propagands... but hey one never knows...

The word "reloj" is Spanish for clock. When I was in high school we had a kid in our class who's name was "Charles Reloj" but we Americanized his name and called him "Charlie Clock".

Phil, how you could listen to that crap for over 15 seconds is beyond me.... ;D

If you love Radio Reloj you'll love Radio Rebelde on 1180 (?).  It's a dogfight there against Radio Marti on the same frequency.  Of course in Havana Radio Marti handily straps Radio Rebelde if you rotate your AM set the proper direction to null out Rebelde.

ALthough I have no idea what's going on with the chimes (maybe the Cubans hired Irb?) these xmitters are poorly maintained and emit spurs all over the place.  I suspect that what you head Tom was the RR mixing with another station.  I can hear the RR all over the place at the lower end of the AM dial at my place, not just on one of the many Radio Reloj frequencies.

BTW RR is a latin american thing.  Believe there are (or used to be) similar stations throughout South/Central America.

73 John

"Their outlets on 760 and 940 kHz often override WJR and CINW, respectively."


How's WJR sounding these days?  In the dim dark days of the past I used to love Night Flight 760.

Paul

Interesting! When I lived in Delaware I used to hear it over WJR on 760, and wonder what that was. Thanks for explaining the clock ticks and RR.

I can't hear it out here in New Mexico. Everything is coming up from south of de border, but not cuba.

I'd imagine that any station coming out of cuba is little more than commie propaganda station for castro and his ilk. I wouldn't want to give them a listening ear.

John, they certainly are, but there are some decent music stations as Phil noted.  Radio Reloj is 100% commie crap, all the time  >:(

True, the Cuban people have a rich musical heritage, have produced some good music and some superb musicians as wel as a knack for some great music.  It makes sense that would be reflected on some of their radio stations.   Beyond that I guess al governments have propaganda of one form or another and to a greater or lesser degree.

Tito Puente and Irakere' are two of my favorite Cuban artists in the jazz genre.

What? You mean all that stuff isn't true?
This after I have been taking careful notes.  ;D

Thanks for the info guys, has really given me inspiration to take SWLing again.
When 75 meters is trashed, can always trust SWL spectrum.

Here is a neat link --> http://www.passband.com/

Have you ever actually heard this son of a bitch ?  You can ... on a hallicrafters Short wave receiver !

 ;D ;D

Sam - we had that ad pinned up on our bulletin board at the office when I was posted to Havana

Hi John,


I heard that Fidel had the same ad on his office wall with a picture of Kennedy on it   ;)

So unless you were there before '59, how does one get a post in Havana ?


Sam  /  KS2AM

Easy.

http://havana.usinterestsection.gov/

73 John

And just in case you care (and I'm sure you don't!) Tito's daughter Audrey is one of the staff meterologists for WCBS-TV, channel 2 in NY City.  She says she obviously could have gone into music but decided to follow her heart - into the weather.

Desi Arnez