No Hams on the air in Cuba?

Courtesy of the CQ Newsroom:

Today's Palm Beach Post newspaper reports that there appears to be a "communication crackdown" in Cuba in light of President Fidel Castro's illness, and that Cuban hams may have been ordered off the air for now.

"As more and more exiles try to get in touch with the island, some are finding an apparent communications crackdown has kicked in," reports the newspaper. "Perhaps the worst-hit are HAM radio operators who are reporting that their Cuban counterparts have been noticeably absent from the airwaves since Monday." The paper quotes Jorge Luaces, KC4HTV, a ham whose wife (also a ham) is a reporter for the Post's Spanish-language weekly, as saying he believes that the state agency that regulates ham radio in Cuba is preventing amateurs there from getting on the air.

Other Cuban-Americans told the newspaper that they have no trouble getting through to relatives by phone or e-mail, but that no one is providing much information - if they know anything - because the government closely monitors phone calls and e-mail. It is much more difficult, however, to monitor every possible amateur radio transmission.

The full newspaper article is available online at <http://tinyurl.com/l9hht>

A big "Thank You!" to Rich Moseson W2VU and all the Hams at CQ Magazine for keeping the Amateur Radio community informed.

73 de Larry W2LJ

Blogger's Note: The next time you're ready to complain and fuss about your Free Speech rights being violated - keep this story in mind. THIS is an example of the loss of Free Speech AND censorship.

An update from Rich Moseson W2VU from CQ Magazine:

Updating our earlier story on the possible shutdown of
ham radio in Cuba dueto President Fidel Castro's health
problems, hams in Florida have reportedlistening today for
CO stations on "the usual 40-meter frequencies" and hearing
no Cuban stations. In addition, the regular noon-time Cuban
Net was not heard on the air. So there is still no official
confirmation (and it's quite possible there never will be),
but it appears that Cuban hams have been ordered off the
air for the foreseeable future.

Blogger's note: Ahhhhh, the benefits and rewards of living
in an "enlightened and progressive society".  Enjoy your
freedoms, folks - it's becoming increasingly apparent that
so many people do not share our good fortune.

Larry W2LJ