More Hombrew Cuban AM

[N2CQR]

A very FB transmitter from CO6EC:


https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2023/03/homebrew-am-from-cuba.html

[WB6NVH]

Some comments on that article.

The handbook page shown is from an Editors & Engineers (later Bill Orr) "Radio Handbook."  They were available in Spanish, as was the ARRL Handbook.  The hams must have modified it for Russian tubes.  I wonder when Castro let ham radio get back in operation after the revolution. 

The author seems to imply that this stuff was built with Russian parts in the 1950's.  However, there was no Russian presence in Cuba in the 50's and Castro didn't show up until 1959.  The Soviets didn't trust Castro or have much of anything to do with him until 1961 and later, so these rigs probably date from the late 1960's using old handbook designs and so on.

After 1962 the Soviets poured military aid into Cuba and when you see a Cuban ham station today there is sometimes a surplus Russian military radio receiver in use, such as the monster R-250.

I would guess that before the revolution there must have been ham stores in Havana, details lost to history at this point I suppose.

Anybody else remember the Cuban CW signals down in the extra portion of 40 back in the 1970's late at night?  Chirpy almost raw AC notes, drifting around?  Somehow it seemed like exciting DX and you could sure pick them out.  I never heard any AM signals from there but it's a bit far from there to California.  The Russians in the Vladivostok area sure had some awful CW signals back then as well, I always wondered what their stations looked like. And who can forget "QSL to Box 88 Moscow pse." 

[WA2SQQ]

Back in those days it seemed that the DX chasers were all trying to work all the Russian “oblasts” - I guess similar to counties? All my old Russian cards had OBL listed.
Here’s an interesting mention of Box 88 -

https://clublog.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/3000027983-box-88-moscow-warning-to-all-amateurs-in-the-british-zone-of-germany-1948

[K4RT]

Geoff,

Yes, I remember working Cubans on CW in the late 70s and early 80s and the character of the notes.  Some of them were really good operators.

I sent quite a few QSL cards to Box 88 but got very few in return.

Brad