A number of us who DX a little remember the first signs of change in the old USSR, when home based ham operators with up to date Japanese gear began to appear alongside the radio "klubs" "near Moscow" where it was "wx cold" using "15 tube radios" (and no doubt a "kommizar" sitting behind the guest op of the moment) They used SSB and spoke such good english we suspected they might be KGB.
There was a time when the only address for ANY Russian ham station was "Box 88, Moscow". Things seem to be changing in the "worker's paradise" that is the Spanish minority dominated Cuba of today, no doubt in part because so many more people are needed in the "technical arts". I have heard the government "functionaries" now have access to lots of new Korean cars.
I witnessed the change in the USSR firsthand on the ham bands. I vividly recall working the first stations using Japanese gear but I have yet to work a station in Cuba using a state-of-the-art rig.
I worked a Cuban yesterday on CW and his gear was mostly old Soviet military gear.
Has anybody recently worked a Cuban station using a modern commercial transceiver?
73,
Chris/NU1O
