Radio Reloj

Santa Clara, Cuba

570 kHz (AM)

30 kW
Non-directional antenna

Monitored on the Global Tuners receiver in Vero Beach, Florida

at 0623 (UTC) = 2:23 AM (Atlantic)

Friday, September 30, 2011 (Atlantic)

SINPO:  35423

I first heard this domestic Cuban news and time station under WMCA (Kearny, New Jersey), WSYR (Syracuse, New York), and CFCB (Corner Brook, Newfoundland) (qq.v.) on the frequency of 570 kHz, monitored from the Global Tuners receiver in Boutiliers Point, Nova Scotia.  The telltale ticking of Radio Reloj every second and Morse code "RR" every minute punched through, but the news transmission was drowned out.

Thus, I switched to the receiver in Vero Beach, Florida, and Radio Reloj came through relatively clearly on the same frequency.  There was no interference from other stations, but some noise and a great amount of fading.
                                    

The announcer can be heard giving the station ID as "Radio Reloj", followed by a beep, then the time "dos veintitrés", then "RR" in Morse code (.-. .-.), and likewise, one and two minutes later, "dos veinticuatro", and "dos veinticinco".  The news was read between each time announcement.

I am not certain of the call letters of this particular transmitter:  WRTH (2011) lists "CMBD", but the FCC and DX Info Centre sites list "CMEA", this site lists "CMDC", and this site lists "CMHI".

 A short clip of the transmission with station ID can be accessed here.
(May need to increase the volume control on your computer.)

The station’s web site in Spanish is linked here and in English here.

Here is a virtual screenshot of the receiver (actually an ICOM PCR-1000
with a Stepp IR vertical or discone antenna) from Global Tuners (click to enlarge):

Here is a map showing the distance from transmitter to receiver (click to enlarge):

I sent a request (in Spanish) for a QSL via U.S. mail on October 3, 2011.
I will post it here as soon as it arrives.

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