Current status of SW in Uruguay

The current scene for Shortwave broadcasting in Uruguay is indeed painful, as it has been for most of its history.

Monitoring indicate that there are no active stations at the present time.

The unofficial 5900v Em. Chaná, from Tacuarembó dissapeared several months ago, after the closure of the FM Community station that was its main enterprise. As a matter of fact it was one of thirteen communitarian low power stations that were closed in that department in late 2012, by telcom authorities.
The SW outlets for Radiodifusión Nacional del Uruguay (the National Broadcaster which is next to abandon its historic denomination of SODRE) have been inactive for a long time. The last was CXA4 on 6125, but after they exhausted their stock of tubes, even the ones donated by its own officials, they have dropped broadcasts. The current transmitters, built by the technicians, use a set of 4 "813" tubes each. Technically any valve can be adjusted similar to the 813, 4/400, 4/1000, 3/500Z, etc... There are even fairly cheap Russian or Chinese in the market. The problem is that for a regime of continuous service that set of 4 tubes lasts only for about six months. A project for a solid state transmitter has ben considered, but it has no funding to build it.

Radio Sport 890 / Radio Sarandi in 6045, keeps the transmitter under the same parameters as used to (LSB, sometimes USB). The problem right now is in the antenna and they expect the tower man to come "Any time to undergo into repair," said the technical manager, per our request.

Both Universo 6055 (CWA148, Castillos) and LV de Artigas, CXA3 on 6075 (heard last summer), remain irregular and have not been monitored lately in the region.

6155 Banda Oriental, dormant for years, certainly does not operate this channel due to high power consumption bill that means to their owners along with its MW. It is certainly not easy the economic situation for these stations. Similarly occurs for for 6010/9650 Em. Ciudad de Montevideo.

Oriental on 11735 and 9595 Monte Carlo, directly said, should not hold any interest at the time, and since the end of their broadcasts many years ago, despite they are being listed in the WRTH for they still keep these transmitters within their sites, though muted.

In conclusion, the only one that could be reactivated soon appears to be 6045 Sport 890/Sarandí.

73

Horacio Nigro hanigrodx@gmail.com (via ODXA mailing group)
Montevideo
Uruguay
Aug. 2, 2013