Numbers Stations

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Ref: Recent discussion here about "mysterious" numbers station on HF radio. Seems we may have a user.

MIAMI (AP) A psychology professor accused of being a Cuban agent admitted Friday that he was a ``collaborator'' with Cuba's intelligence service, communicating with officials using a short-wave radio, sophisticated encryption techniques and a code name, ``David.''

rest at link

http://www.wcbs880.com/topic/ap_news.php?story=AP/APTV/National/a/a/CubanEspionage_a_a_-----

[flintstone mop]

During my "broadcast days" on 6955 there was a guy that would get on the air and just say weird crude things for about 20 minutes and disappear. 

[wa2zdy]

Yep, take him down I-95 and drop him off.  The Justice Dept won't have to worry about what to do with him.

[k4kyv]

I remember sometime in the 80's there used to be a Spanish speaking one that would fire up in the middle of 75m, somewhere about 3860.  It would pin my s-meter and wipe out any ham communication in progress.

I recall hearing German speaking ones several times after re-unification, and wondering if they really were located in East Germany as long rumoured.

Numbers stations seemed pretty much unaffected at the time by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of communism in Europe.

[ve6pg]

....within the last year,i somehow was sent a link abt this...bbc radio interview (very long),was abt this...spoke to many swl's,who have a thing for these things...it had audio of these things,and some of them had sign-on music,them the numbers...the report is recent,and there has to be a link to this...myself,i've not herd them in yrs,but then again,i havent looked...so i assume,they are still around...sk..

[w1guh]

Seems like it'd be easy to track them down.  Or do they move around?

[John Holotko]

Ref: Recent discussion here about "mysterious" numbers station on HF radio. Seems we may have a user.

MIAMI (AP) A psychology professor accused of being a Cuban agent admitted Friday that he was a ``collaborator'' with Cuba's intelligence service, communicating with officials using a short-wave radio, sophisticated encryption techniques and a code name, ``David.''

The Cubans in Miami will cut that guy's balls off and feed them to the dogs! The FBI should be the least of his worries.

I always thought Miami was Cuba...

[John Holotko]

I heard Cuba (South Cuba) was quite the place to visit during the Battista days. A short and relatively cheap flight over from Miami and you not only are enjoying the island paradise with it's beaches, cities, and towns but you also could live the "good life" and get all the hookers, drugs and vices that you want all while smoking a genuine Havana cigar. At least those are the rumors that I heard.  But all that went down before my time.

[Tom WA3KLR]

2:35 p.m. EDST

Just now I was listening on 8097 kHz. AM to a very strong carrier with MCW sending 5 letter code groups.  The code actually sounded hand-sent.  Much 60 cycle hum on the audio; the program probably coming to the transmitter by landline.

2:45 p.m. EDST.  No modulation now, except for the hummage.

[ve6pg]

...CAN STILL GET CUBAN CIGARS HERE IN CANADA....REGARDLESS OF THE POLITICS,(OR IN SPITE OF),THE U.S. SHOULD LET THIS GO...TRADE W/CUBA..THE U.S. DOES WITH OTHER COMMUNIST COUNTRIES....CHINA,VIET NAM,etc...

[John Holotko]

...CAN STILL GET CUBAN CIGARS HERE IN CANADA....REGARDLESS OF THE POLITICS,(OR IN SPITE OF),THE U.S. SHOULD LET THIS GO...TRADE W/CUBA..THE U.S. DOES WITH OTHER COMMUNIST COUNTRIES....CHINA,VIET NAM,etc...

I largely agree. I think it would do more good  in the long run to open up trade relations than to maintain current priorities.  And many in the business/corporate secor would like to see trade relations opened.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Lots of talk about trading with Cuba. What exactly (besides cigars) of any significance to the US ecomony do they produce?

[John Holotko]

Yep Phil, I agree. It' sall about collecting the votes and keeping those nice political jobs. Lots of things government does doesn't make sense until you look at  who's being lined up for a political position and whom they are trying to impress for votes. Then again, what's perfect. besiders, at least we can make a choice here.

Steve, good question. I'm going to look up what are  Cuba's primary resources that would be worthy of trade. I know that besides Cigars and Tobacco, sugar cane is a commodity,  But plenty of other countries produce it as well.

[ve6pg]

...OK...WELL,IF THERE ISNT MUCH CUBA CAN OFFER THE U.S., THEN WHY BOYCOTT?...SEEMS THAT JFK AND HIS BUNCH LOST ALL THE ILLEGAL STUFF THAT COULD NOT BE HAD IN THE U.S. DRUGS,CASINOS,PROSTITUTES,MAKES ONE WONDER WHY THIS STILL GOES ON...UNLESS,THE U.S. WANTED A PRIVATE WHORE PLAY-GROUND,UNDER BATISTA,AND WANT IT BACK....?...SK..

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

But how much Phil? In actual dollars, what is this trade worth?

Oil, off shore. So what. We have oil of our own shore we won't drill.

Sugar production is subsidized in this country. Not likely imports will happen.

By your own admission, the tropical produce production is incapable or legitmate trade with the US.

Too much coffee in the country now.

Tourism might be the best option. But once again, it's not ready.


So what do we have for trade with Cuba. A whole lot of nothing.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Thanks for proving my point. For years people have been screaming to resume trade with Cuba. By your own admission, Cuba is not ready or worthy of trade with the US right now and won't be until the government changes to the right kind. So in the past and today trade is essentially a big zero. And there seem to be lots of IFS for anything worthwhile in the future. The same could be said for many other countries. So, what's so special about Cuba?

Depending on what kind of government takes shape in Cuba,....


The United States imported LOTS of Cuban sugar before the missile crisis in 1961. The downside of resuming sugar imports from Cuba is that it would depress prices for American sugar growers in Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Florida...


Any meaningful agricultural production in Cuba will have to wait for the establishment of a new government...

With the present Cuban government, nickel and bauxite are the only worthwhile products for our own economy. Everything else will have to wait for the post-Castro era.

[John Holotko]

Thanks for proving my point. For years people have been screaming to resume trade with Cuba. By your own admission, Cuba is not ready or worthy of trade with the US right now and won't be until the government changes to the right kind.

But what is the "right kind"of government ? part of the reason why there was a revolution in Cuba was that there was such a large underclass which was largely exploited by the Battista regime. The vastly large underclass felt that they would be better off joining up with Castro and revolting against Battista rather that remaining as they were.  And that is pretty much what ensued. They threw out Battista and threw out those who sympathized with him. Did they gain much in return ?? Probably not much other than a bit of dignity, a feeling of satisfaction in knowing that those who were their "repressors" were no longer in power reaping the fruits of their  underpaid labourr, and, perhaps a better  chance to become literate. In any event had the US taken a more sensiblke approach such as addressing the concerns of the poor underclass rather than  than blind support for Battista perhaps the revoolution coul;d have been thwarted.

Normalized relations with Cuba would make sense from a business prespective. If not so much in good we get from them in goods and services we can export  to Cuba. Particularly  in todays economy it could open a lot of doors to entrepreneurs eagerto provide goods and services. Cuba could be a great market. The days of the "redmenace" and the "cold war" are over. It'stime we broaden out business perspecives and expand opportunities to Cuba. There is a lot  to gain. I say we jump right in and take advantage of the Cuba market.  The McCarthy days of the red menace and the cold  war are over. Let's move  into modern times.

What's your opinion. We'd like to know.
 

[w3jn]

1. Nickel. Cuba has some of the largest deposits of nickel ore in the Western Hemisphere. Nickel is used alone and in many industrially important alloys, e.g., nichrome wire.

true.

2. Oil. Cuba has more than 30 producing oil wells. Deposits of oil have also been found off the north shore of the island.

They don't produce 5% of their domestic need, and it's heavy low quality crap like tar.  Useless.

3. Sugar. I remember my father telling my family about the panic buying of sugar in the local supermarkets during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The crisis precipitated the trade embargo against Cuba. Castro paid for his Soviet aid by shipping millions of tons of sugar to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Fidel finally figured it costs more to grow it than it's worth/.  They've recently closed over half of the sugar refineries.  You can get better sugar cheaper from North Dakota sugar beets.

4. Tropical produce. Communist micromanagement of the Cuban economy has made Cuban agriculture very inefficient. If Cuba's farms and plantations were brought up to full efficiency, the country could rake in many millions of dollars in agricultural exports to the United States alone.

Generally poor quality, compared to most any other tropical country I've been to.  The mangos are pretty good, though.

5. Related to #4, above, Cuba produces some excellent coffee in the mountains in the eastern part of the island. Cuban coffee is strong and smooth, as strong as Italian espresso, but without the sharp, almost caustic bitterness of the Italian coffee.

True.  some of the best coffee in the world.  They don't grow enough of it to be much more than a boutique brand though.

6. Bauxite. This mineral is an important ore of aluminum (aluminium for those of you outside of the U.S.).

I've not heard this one.  We're doing fine aluminum wise anyway.

7. The sun. Cuba's tropical climate and hundreds of miles of beaches have been a tourist draw for centuries. Pre-Castro Cuba was a favorite tourist destination for Americans from the Northeast. The ill-fated Morro Castle was a cruise ship that sailed weekly between New York City and Havana. It burned and sank off Asbury Park, NJ in 1934.

THe tourist industry would be fine had Castro not completely destroyed it.  You get a much better quality vacation for less by going to Mexico, Bahamas, etc. 

Remember that EVERY dollar of trade to Cuba presently goes right into Fidel Castro's pocket.  We've gone over this many times on this forum, and politics doesn't belong here anyway, so I'm done.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I'm still waiting for a legitimate business case to be presented John. You have not presented one. Feel good phrases like, it would be a great market are meaningless. Trying to inject red menace crap into the discussion does not become you.

Just to be clear, I'm not against trade with Cuba. I just think it gets more coverage (demand) than is proper given the level of economy involved.

[KB2WIG]

the sugar beets are harvested by machine... cheeper than the Cuban slave labor...   klc

[WA1GFZ]

at least they don't wear rags on their heads and stupid enough to wear bombs.
Gene poor may be deeper

[John Holotko]

2. Oil. Cuba has more than 30 producing oil wells. Deposits of oil have also been found off the north shore of the island.

They don't produce 5% of their domestic need, and it's heavy low quality crap like tar.  Useless.

Sounds like good ships fuel. Many oil burning ships, boats, usually (or at tleast used to) burn a very thick tarry oil. Matter of fact it's viscosity was so high that it had to be heated in order to be used, 

[John Holotko]

[John Holotko]

I'm still waiting for a legitimate business case to be presented John. You have not presented one. Feel good phrases like, it would be a great market are meaningless. Trying to inject red menace crap into the discussion does not become you.

Just to be clear, I'm not against trade with Cuba. I just think it gets more coverage (demand) than is proper given the level of economy involved.

I agree.

My only reason for mentioning the "red menace" is because I wanted to make a point that I don't  think that
the threat of communism is a viable reason not to trade with Cuba anymore.

As far as "trade" with Cuba goes I would have to do more research with regards to Cuba and it's exportable goods. However, from things I have read it appears businesses are not as interested in what they can get  from Cuba as in what they can provide to Cuba in terms of goods and services. It's the exportation TO Cuba that some business people feel the real moneylies as opposed to the importation FROM Cuba.For example, if embargo's and trade and travel restrictions were liftted would Cuba be a good place for an American IT contractor to look for work ? Similar to the idea of American contractors providing services to Iraq. Imagine having a contract to build, rebuild and modernize Cuba's IT infrastructure. If the provision of this and similar goods and services are viable Cuba might offer some excellent investment and business opportunities for American entrepreneurs.  That is the angle I am looking at and not so much trade in things like cocoanuts, sugar, etc. But yes you are right. I do need to conduct some more research before I can claim these idea are feasable . However, I have done some research on this. Some analysts say yes, lift the embargo, it will open up a goldmine for American businesses. Other analysts are not quite as enthusiastic. Both present good arguments. But who is right ?

[Tom WA3KLR]

Well we certainly don't have any qualms trading with that other red menace, China.

By the way, did anyone tune in that numbers station I mentioned yesterday?