07/22/2021

Reports suggest that jamming stations have been deployed on the lower portion
of 40 meters. The jamming appears to be coming from Cuba. The signals, spaced
at regular intervals, exhibit a squishy, popping noise. The apparent jamming
showed up after anti-government protesters took to the streets in Cuba,
followed by a government crackdown. So far, there's no proven connection
between the jamming and the protests, as evidence has been circumstantial. DX
spots suggest that Cuban hams are on the air on SSB but do appear rare on 40
meters. A lot of Cuban spots point to FT8 activity. The jamming issue has drawn
the attention of the FCC, which is looking into the matter, according to one
tech publication.

"Too many people around the world are fighting uphill battles to be able to use
technology to expand economic opportunity, express themselves, and organize
without fear of reprisal," an FCC spokesperson told[1] Motherboard[2]. "The FCC
is committed to supporting the free flow of information and ensuring that the
internet remains open for everyone. We are assessing these reports in
conjunction with our field agents and communicating with the Department of
State as this issue develops."

Outside of ham radio, the ability to connect with some social media sites and
even with the internet inside Cuba has been reportedly tricky. Connecting to
the Federación de Radioaficionados de Cuba (FRC[3]) website (Cuba's IARU
member-society) from outside of Cuba has been unreliable. This week, users
attempting to do so - at least those in the US - got a shrugging cartoon
character and the legend, "Acceso Denagado" - access denied. The FRC Facebook
page is accessible, but links to the FRC website are blocked. FRC had warned of
"possible outages" a week ago, attributing the problem to maintenance being
done in the data center where FRC is housed.

Well-known amateur radio contester and DXer Fred Laun, K3ZO, pointed out in a
July 17 post to the Potomac Valley Radio Club reflector that typical ham radio
contacts with Cuba "are not normally about politics, though I suppose in the
wake of recent events they may have become so." Josh Nass, KI6NAZ, of the
YouTube channel, Ham Radio Crash Course (HRCC), is calling the interference
"The Cuban Rum Runner," an oblique reference to the "Russian Woodpecker" of
yesteryear. And Matthew Kaskavitch, K0LWC, recorded an "emergency broadcast
message[4]"on his YouTube channel, to advise viewers of the purported jamming.

International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 (the Americas) President
Ramón Santoyo, XE1KK, said no complaints had been received by July 20. 

[1] https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3dxzg/fcc-investigating-whether-cuban-government-is-jamming-ham-radio
[2] https://www.vice.com/en/section/tech
[3] http://www.frcuba.cu/
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s9TpQSkN9w

---
■ Synchronet ■ Whiskey Lover's Amateur Radio BBS