The Shortwave Scene in South American Uruguay

It was back in the year 1906 that the longwave communication station CWA was inaugurated with German Telefunken equipment near the coastal town of Cerrito on the southern coast of the South American country of Uruguay.  This station was installed for communication with nearby shipping, and it was subsequently taken into use for international communication across the Rio de la Plata Estuary with nearby Buenos Aires in Argentina. 

Some time after the end of World War 1, the electrical equipment at station CWA was discarded and replaced by electronic equipment that subsequently permitted international voice transmissions on shortwave.  The main international radio station with which CWA communicated was the huge wireless station on the other side of the Rio Plata Estuary, station LPZ at Monte Grande, a southern suburb of the Argentine capital city, Buenos Aires.  Station CWA also communicated with mobile and fixed wireless stations in several of the rural areas within Uruguay.

It was during the early 1930's that international radio broadcasting on shortwave really began to flourish in many countries around the world, and the first known program broadcasts on shortwave from Uruguay were transmitted from this coastal station, CWA at Cerrito.  For example in June 1933, station CWA was heard in the United States with news broadcasts under the callsign CWG on 26.39 metres (11367 kHz).  Shortwave channel CWG was in reality a subsidiary callsign that was in use for coastal communications, and also for the occasional part time broadcast of information and entertainment programming.

Back in those days, the shortwave stations in many countries were required to register a separate callsign for each different shortwave channel.  In the mid 1930s, the Cerrito station CWA was registered with subsidiary callsigns in the alphabetic series ranging from CWA to CWI.  The transmitter power was rated at 1½ kW (probably input), thus with an output power of a little under 1 kW.   

That was the very beginning of shortwave broadcasting in Uruguay, back in the early 1930s.  The second occasion for shortwave broadcasting in Uruguay began in the year 1936 when the government operated SODRE station, Radio Electrico, inaugurated a 3 kW transmitter on 6125 kHz under the callsign CXA4.  As in all South American radio stations, the station slogan was more significant than the registered callsign.

During the following year (1937), an additional 20 kW transmitter was taken into service for Radio Electrico, and either of the two transmitters, 3 kW or 20 kW, could be used on any of five different shortwave channels, each under its own separate callsign.  Programming on shortwave was always a relay of their mediumwave programming, and their best known shortwave channels were 9570 kHz, and also another around 6 MHz. 

The studio address for Radio Electrico SODRE was at 823 Calle Mercedes in Montevideo.  SODRE radio issued an attractive QSL booklet in response to listener reception reports.

The third shortwave station in Uruguay was the original, and rather controversial, Radio Continental CXA2 which was inaugurated with a special opening ceremony at 9 pm on Friday evening February 19, 1937.  Programming for this new station was produced and presented specifically for broadcast on shortwave; there was no counterpart station on mediumwave for Radio Continental in Uruguay as is frequently the case in South America. 

Initial plans for this new shortwave station indicated that widespread coverage in Spanish was intended; throughout Uruguay, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.  Their printed program schedule showed that they were presenting news, music and advertisements, much of which was on relay from Radio Prieto LS2 in nearby Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Even though they had no mediumwave counterpart in Montevideo, yet contemporary assessments back then did indicate that they were performing adequately on shortwave.

Their first temporary studio was installed at 631 Rio Negro Street in Montevideo, and their first temporary shortwave transmitter, rated at 300 watts, was installed at a temporary location in suburban Sayago.  Later in that same year (1937), the studios were transferred to 1431 Calle Juan Carlos Gomez, and the transmitter was transferred into a small building at the Deus Brick Factory at 5151 Camino Carrasco in suburban La Cruz de Carrasco.  A new 5 kW shortwave transmitter was also installed at this new location.   

The total lifespan of shortwave Radio Continental CXA2 in Montevideo Uruguay was rather brief.  The political polarization of the various countries in continental Europe during World War 2 was reflected to a certain extent in some of the countries of South America, and it was suspected that Radio Continental favored the Axis powers.     

During the early hours of Wednesday morning August 5, 1942, a powerful explosion completely destroyed Radio Continental CXA2.  The culprits were never apprehended, and the station was never rebuilt. 

In April 1938, as the American radio magazine Radio News informs us, a total of 18 new shortwave stations with a power of 2½ kW were licensed by the Uruguayan government, and each was owned by a mediumwave radio station located in neighboring Argentina.  The sudden influx of Argentine shortwave stations into Uruguay was because the Argentine government simply refused to license any new shortwave stations in their own country.

In June 1939, another new shortwave station was inaugurated at Colonia on the Uruguayan southwest coast.  This station, Radio Real de San Carlos CXA8, also took a program relay from neighboring Buenos Aires; Radio Belgrano.  Radio Real CXA8 operated with 5 kW on 9640 kHz, and its secondary callsign CXA14 operated on 11825 kHz.

Five months later (November 1939), Radio El Espectador CXA9 in Montevideo appeared on 9440 kHz with 5 kW, taking a program relay from their own mediumwave station CX14.  Then in mid 1940, another new one CXA7 was expected to make its appearance on 11480 kHz.  Then, we should also remember that the American Press Wireless also operated their own shortwave station in Uruguay in the pre-war era, and it was tucked in somewhere around an outer suburban area of the capital city Montevideo.
(AWR-Wavescan/NWS 570)

The Early Wireless Scene in South American Uruguay

SODRE Uruguay QSL

In our Wavescan program today, we honor the Montevideo DX Group in Uruguay, and we begin a two or three part topic on the story of radio broadcasting in their country.

The South American country of Uruguay is located on the Atlantic seaboard, and it is sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina. It is the third smallest territory in South America, with an area of 68,000 square miles and a population of three and a half million people.  This country has a coastline of about 400 miles and it stretches inland about the same distance.

Their capital city is Montevideo, meaning approximately “Mountain View”, and it is the third most southerly capital city in the world.  Only Canberra in Australia, and Wellington in New Zealand reach further south than Montevideo. There is at least one question that people living in other parts of the world would ask regarding this area in South America, and that is: Why the similarity in name between Paraguay and Uruguay? 

According to the authorities, both names, Paraguay and Uruguay, are variations of the original local language, Guarani.  The meanings of the two country names can be described as follows:-

Paraguay = River of the Guarani people
Uruguay = Colorful water bird of the Guarani people

In the pre-colonial days, South American native tribes lived in what is now called Uruguay, and the Spanish and the Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit the area, in the early 1500s. Uruguay has endured a turbulent past, and it established its own independence in 1825. Both Spanish and Guarani are the official languages of Uruguay, though Spanish is the preferred language of business and government.

Soon after the beginning of World War 2, Uruguay came into prominence during the high profile events associated with the German battleship Graf Spee. Just a dozen weeks into the war, the Graf Spee was wounded in battle against British warships in the South Atlantic, and so this pride of the German Kriegsmarine sought shelter in the harbor at Montevideo, in neutral Uruguay.

Radio broadcasts from the British navy indicated, falsely, that British navy vessels were stationed in international waters outside Montevideo, ready to sink the Graf Spee should she venture out into the Atlantic.  A radio message from Berlin gave Captain Hans Langsdorff two options; either flee across La Plata Estuary to nearby Buenos Aires, or scuttle in the estuary itself.  He chose the latter, and exactly one week before Christmas 1939, to avoid capture, the Graf Spee was deliberately sunk, with all crew ashore. 

As was the case with many other countries around the world, Uruguay began the installation of wireless stations in the early 1900s, now more than one hundred years ago.  On November 12, 1904, the government of Uruguay gave formal approval for the installation of a German coastal wireless station at Punta Yeguas, on the edge of La Plata Estuary, a little west of Montevideo. 

Construction work was completed two years later (1906), and a new 1 kW Telefunken wireless transmitter was taken into Morse Code service under the callsign MV, obviously identifying Montevideo.  Subsequently, this callsign was modified with an initial letter U standing for Uruguay, and callsign MV became UMV.

Not to be outdone by their German competitors, the English Marconi company installed their own wireless station at Punte del Este, a very small peninsula some 80 miles east of the capital city Montevideo.  This new wireless station, also with a power of 1 kW, was inaugurated three years later in 1909, under the callsign MO, also obviously identifying Montevideo. 

It was the custom of the Marconi company back at that stage to choose the first and the last letters of the location of a land based station as the station callsign.  However subsequently, the Marconi company required all of their stations worldwide to insert an M as the first letter of their callsigns, and thus station MO Montevideo became MMO.

During the middle of the year 1912, a new government wireless station on a large 10 acre property near Cerrito Montevideo was taken into regular service under the callsign CWA.  This new coastal wireless station CWA replaced both the German Telefunken station UMV at Punta Yeguas and the English Marconi station MMO at Punta del Este.   

This station was licensed also for additional subsidiary callsigns, one for each shortwave channel.  These callsigns descended in alphabetic order; CWA, CWB, CWC, CWD, etc.

The well known international radio monitor Horacio A. Nigro of Montevideo provides detailed information about the new government operated CWA. Several new buildings were erected for this new coastal wireless station; the 2½ kW longwave spark transmitter was also made by Telefunken in Germany; the two steel antenna towers stood 200 feet tall and they were spaced 325 ft apart; the four phosphor bronze antenna wires were m

ore than one inch thick; and there was a counterpoise earthing system just above ground level. 

The main power source was provided by the city electricity company, though there was also a backup generator system.  The receiver was a new complicated uptodate version of what was originally a simple crystal set receiver.

Back during this original wireless era, several additional wireless stations were installed at various locations throughout Uruguay, including at lighthouses, as well as at inland locations.  In addition, some of the lower powered wireless stations were mobile units that could be installed wherever a temporary location was needed.

The long time coastal wireless station CWA in Uruguay dates its earliest origins back to the year 1904, and 115 years later, after several modernizations and periodic updates, this station is still on the air to this day, and still under its original callsign CWA.

More about the radio scene in Uruguay next time.
(Jeff White/Adrian Peterson-AWR/Wavescan-NWS 547)

Uruguayan stations in the Global Radio Guide-Summer 2019
Radio Carve 850 kHz AM 24hrs http://www.carve850.com.uy/
Radio Clasica 650 kHz AM 24 hrs http://www.clasica.uy/
Radio Oriental 770 kHz AM 24 hrs http://www.oriental770.com/
Radio Rural 610 kHz AM 24 hrs http://www.radiorural.uy/
Radio Tacuarembo 1280 kHz AM 24 hrs http://emisorastacuarembo.com/
(Gayle Van Horn/Teak Publishing)

DXpeditions Hunt Elusive Radio Signals

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Uruguay’s Horacio Nigro is an amateur radio operator (call sign CX3BZ), an international shortwave radio listener/blogger , and an avid fan of “DXpeditions.”

Either alone or accompanied by other radio enthusiasts, DXpeditions are journeys to sparsely populated, low-interference zones — requiring supplies such as high-end radio equipment and long wire antennas. As for the expression “DXpedition,” DX is an old Morse Code term for the word “distance,” and a “DXer” is the radio hobbyist who seeks distant radio signals. “I started my own saga of personal DXpeditions going to Valizas, a seaside village in the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, with a Kenwood R600 communications receiver and my first Beverage antenna,” said Nigro. A Beverage antenna is a very large and sensitive horizontal wire antenna, requiring hundreds of feet of linear space for optimal depl

Additional story at: http://www.radioworld.com/article/worldwide-dxpeditions-hunt-elusive-radio-signals-/221172
(Ken Reitz/MT)

Uruguayan station back on shortwave

Uruguay

5980v, Emisora Chaná, Tacuarembó (Cf. DX-Window # 485) was heard back on Aug 09 by DXer Paulero, in Buenos Aires. I immediately called by telephone to the station owner, Mr. Omar Lima, CX6OL, who confirms that the station has been again on the air since 15 days ago, and is now running 24hours, with 30 W, (nominal 50W) in AM. Antenna is very low (4 meters above ground), but he plans to raise it to 15 m height. They currently operate 24 hours. No printed or e-QSL right now, but he has already answered via e-mail to emisorachanatacuarembo@hotmail.com . (Nigro in DXplorer). Please do not mix it with R Chaski, Peru on 5980.02 which is heard in Europe and North America! (Ed)

(DX Window 486)

Comments on the Uruguayan shortwave scene from last week's DX Window, including mention of 

Emisora Chaná in the Department of Tacuarembó.

URUGUAY

The current scene for Shortwave broadcasting in Uruguay is still 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 Emisora Chaná, from Tacuarembó disappeared 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 shortwave 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 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 been considered, but it has no funding to build it.

R Sport 890 / R Sarandi in 6045, keeps the transmitter under the same parameters. The problem is currently in the antenna and they expect the tower man "Any time to undergo into repair," said the technical manager, to our request.

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

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 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 keep being listed in the WRTH for they still keep these transmitters in their sites, though muted.

In conclusion, the only one that could be reactivated soon appears to be 6045 Sport 890/Sarandí. (Nigro in DXplorer)

(DX Window 485)

Uruguay's shortwave scene dismal

The current scene for shortwave broadcasting in Uruguay is still 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 disappeared 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 shortwave 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 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 been considered, but it has no funding to build it.

Radio Sport 890 / Radio Sarandi in 6045, keeps the transmitter under the same parameters. The problem is currently in the antenna and they expect the tower man "adismal' time to undergo into repair," said the technical manager, to our request.

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

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 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 keep being listed in the WRTH for they still keep these transmitters in their sites, though muted.

In conclusion, the only one that could be reactivated soon appears to be 6045 Sport 890/Sarandí. (Nigro in DXplorer)

(DSWCI/DX Window 485)

Update on shortwave in Uruguay

5831.14v, Emisora Chaná, Tacuarembó, 2330. Reported last days of Dec with local advertisements. Good reception. (Slaen via Dxplorer)

6678, New unofficial station on the air in AM mode operated by Jose Pedro Varela, Lavalleja Dept., using inverted "V" dipole 25 watt (effective 10 watt). Schedule: 1900-2400v (UTC). Station webpage is: http://infoideasweb10.blogspot.com/ . Relays a Web Radio streaming from: http://www.raddios.com/foro1.php?radio=infoideasweb . QSL e-mail is ideasfm@gmail.com . So far has been reported in Argentina (Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, Rosario, including down to the southern Patagonian Neuquen Province), Chile and Uruguay. (Bloise, Nigro in Dxplorer)
(DSWCI/DX Window # 419 Anker Petersen)

Uruguay's Radio Sarandí heard again on shortwave

nice to see this one being logged again, was absent a few days ago

Uruguay
Radio Sarandí 6045 & 6125 kHz, SODRE Radio. Uruguay, active again. The first one, stronger than previous days but suffering from the same saturated/distorted audio; the latter on the contrary barely audible. (Horacio Nigro, Dec 6)

6045 Radio Sarandi, Montevideo, 2030-2040 UTC, December 05, Spanish. Program "Amplitud Musical" // 690 kHz. Announcement and ID as: "Más comunicación, más interactiva, más radio....siempre Sarandi". Local advertisements "...........SER, siempre estamos donde vos estés..."; ".....portal digital de El Pais......." (El Pais newspaper), jingle "Vinos Faisán, un buen amigo en tu mesa". TC & ann. "Amplitud Musical en Sarandi" SINPO: 34443
Thanks Horacio Nigro for the tip!!!!!!!!!
(Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina)

Uruguay's Radio Sport hit with broadcast delays on shortwave

The inauguration of the shortwave operation by 6045U, CXA61 Radio Sport 890, Montevideo, reported some time ago is delayed since there is current work with the MW transmitters at the site and they want to avoid RFI problems among the equipments, as said by Gustavo Cirino, Techn. Manager. In fact the transmitter is ready to go to air and its operation has already been authorized.

Power will be 2.5 KW USB. His E-mail is cx7at(at)adinet.com.uy or cx7at@hotmail.com

So, we can expect two more weeks for resuming broadcast on a 24 hour schedule.
(Gustavo Cirino, R Sport 890, Montevideo, Uruguay via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Aug 7)

In fact, the Sarandi 690 and Sport 890 MW transmitters are off, today local afternoon, surely undergoing maintenance.
(Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay/HCDX)

Uruguay's SODRE inactive again on shortwave

6125 kHz, Uruguay's sole active SW BC station SODRE, has now gone inactive again. The carrier was low modulated resulting in unusable readability as monitored since ends of last year. The station announcement noted that it was retired for repair, was made SODRE's Radioactividades program on Saturday May 23. SODRE authorities will keep at least this SW active. (Nigro in DXplorer/DSWCI-DX Window 377)

Spanish correspondence to SODRE may be directed to:

Radiodifusión Nacional
Casilla 1412
1100 Montevideo
Uruguay

Web: http://www.sodre.gub.uy/
(World QSL Book)