Satphones Locked up by Cuban Customs?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Capt. Ray

I can confirm that at least checking in at Hemingway marina all handheld Satphones are bonded; they put it in a bag with "BOND" clearly marked and owners are sternly told not to open the bag or use the device while in Cuba. This happened to me just over a year ago, but we also had a big dome fixed Satphone (not contracted but still obviously installed!) and the fixed station was not questioned.

This leads me to believe that the real motivation is to make sure that no local population Cubans get their hands on the portable means to telephone the outside world.

Captain Ray

Similar experience years ago clearing into Havana. Small hand held electronics "bonded" aboard boat. The concern apparently was them being used to coordinate escapes from Cuba.

Friends sailed the S coast of Cuba recently and their small portable electronics, including a satt phone, were not secured.

My understaning is that the securing of small electronics is mostly a N Cuba thing.

[weavis]

Thread opened again.

[CaptsWife]

We were there (Havana) in February and yes, the Sat phone that our friend brought with him was taped up. Upon departing, they wanted to see the Sat phone again, to ensure the tape had not been removed.

His cell phone worked with no problems when we were in both Varadero and Havana. He had AT&T.

Cubans are wonderful people. We became friends with one of the bartenders at Hemingway Marina. On his one day off, he and his wife secured us a guide and he acted as translator and took us up into the mountains. Besides the tour, we were able to talk for hours and hours and learned so much about their way of life under communist rule. Would they love to live in a "free" country that has a free-market economy? Sure. Our friend has a teaching degree, but he makes more money as a bartender. His cousin is the head Pediatrician in Havana and she makes almost the same as a street-sweeper. But they also realize that they are very well-educated and yes, the healthcare there is exceptional.

We talked about weather and he said that the country really knows how to prepare and hunker down for hurricanes. He said they have not lost life because of a hurricane, but yes, structures can take a beating. There are local radio stations that broadcast the weather. Also, they do have tv there.

I hope your client fares well. Please keep us updated.

[SailtheWind]

Originally Posted by zengirl

Along with this respect...know that you will not find a starving child in Cuba. How many in America? Thousands and thousands. And word has it they also have some of the best doctors in the world. The grass is never greener. The French say poor Americans! And the French have their own problems too. Nobody should judge another till they stand in their shoes.

Well said ZenGirl

[barnakiel]

More news. Clients evacuated from Hemingway Marina.

We manage to keep in touch now via the mobile network.

Wind sensor at the airport shows way less than forecast.

The forecast is 'good' (for La Habana). Touch wood. The system lost plenty of kick bashing Cuban coast, now expected to start moving NNW.

I do hope by the morning it will be all over and they can return to the boat.

My thoughts with citizens of Florida. At least there has been ample warning.

Thanks everyone for feedback. This all may be of use to people who want to cruise Cuba this season.

Cheers,
b.

[Island Time O25]

We were there this February for 3 nights. The question of satellite phones or any other phones never came up. The skipper had a non US passport though, may be that was the reason, I don't know. Compared to checking in and out to/of Panama or Mexico Cuba was easy-peasy. I was pleasantly surprised. Wish US authorities take and follow these lessons in common sense.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

We were there this February for 3 nights. The question of satellite phones or any other phones never came up. The skipper had a non US passport though, may be that was the reason, I don't know. Compared to checking in and out to/of Panama or Mexico Cuba was easy-peasy. I was pleasantly surprised. Wish US authorities take and follow these lessons in common sense.

Where in Cuba?

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Where in Cuba?

Marina Hemingway.

I wish more Americans visit there and decide for themselves if its a "sad country" or not. It is a poor country, yes. It is a backward country in many ways, yes. But "sad" would be the very last definition I would use, if ever.

When we reached Shelter Bay in Colon and took a marina shuttle to get to the port captain (the marina port captain was supposedly "on vacation" that week but that's another story) the skipper, who as a large container ship captain transited the Canal dozens of times and as a delivery skipper half a dozen times, pointed to the slums, which were many times worse looking then poor neighborhoods in Havana, and said that this how Havana will look once the regular Latin America dictators take over.

Safety wise we felt absolutely safe walking around Havana at all times of the day or night. In Colon or in Panama City we did not want to walk 1 block unescorted, even at 9AM. Hired a local cabbie for that and this was the best $100 spent in Panama. It assured that we will get about without any problems. And not a bad deal for a full day of chauffeured transport with translating included.

[belizesailor]

Interesting they didnt secure it even though on the N coast. Maybe they are lightening up these days.

Politics aside, the Cuban people are AWESOME. Reason enough alone to visit Cuba.

Ive also spent time around Colon...rough neighborhood. I always have the taxi pull up close to my destination and dont waste much time between taxi and door.

There are, like any large city, rough parts in Panama City too. I had a cabbie once drop me off inside the garage of a machine shop and instruct me not to step outside the shop until he returned to fetch me.

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

IMO, emergency weather info, paid for or not, is legitimate ham traffic.

Jim N9GFT/VK4GFT

+1

This particular use of the ham is not someone building their business. It is getting critical info to someone who needs it in a bad situation -- the very purpose for which the ham bandwidths in public air space were set aside.

Times like these remind us why we want to continue to recognize ham operators for providing a societal benefit.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

IMO, emergency weather info, paid for or not, is legitimate ham traffic.

Originally Posted by SecondBase

This particular use of the ham is not someone building their business. It is getting critical info to someone who needs it in a bad situation -- the very purpose for which the ham bandwidths in public air space were set aside.

Only sometimes. The sort of weather information provided by the Waterway Radio Net and the 14300 Nets is clearly correct.

In this case there is a business that provides weather information on a fee for service basis who has made a business decision unlike competing services not to invest in HF/SSB. They have a customer who went somewhere they and the service provider should have been well aware restricted access to satellite communications and did not make alternative arrangements ahead of time.

The customer is surrounded, in Marina Hemingway, but many more prepared people with HF/SSB, weatherfax, and local Internet and voice comms. The provider and customer not being able to communicate is an inconvenience and may affect the providers income but I don't see the emergency. If a red ambulance shows up at your house (all the resources in Marina Hemingway) do you say you want a yellow one (the previously arranged fee-for-service provider) and that only a yellow one will do? If so, why is that an emergency?

[wjhutchings]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Thanks!

My client says 'Iridium suppressed'. Not sure if this implies the Customs officer took it or there is a jammer device at Hemingway.

The Internet there does not work right now. Possibly this is due to censorship as none of our emails to book a berth had been reserved by their servers. We tried six different email addresses at two different servers. All we got was 'your email could not be delivered'.

My client has been able to sms me from a mobile network. However my response got likely 'suppressed' or otherwise scrambled by their govt (or by their mobile network quality).

This is really troubling, as now my client is left without weather services while the storm is approaching. It may turn, it may not turn.

Apparently Cuban govt does not give a hoot about human life. Or maybe it is only a foreign human life, I do not know.

Sitting, waiting, hoping the forecast to be correct (Irma to turn right before it reaches La Habana.

Thanks for your replies people. Most appreciated.

barnakiel

Can we please get this in perspective, every country in the world bans HF/MF transmissions whilst a vessel is within their ports including the dear old US of A, in the days of radio rooms on ships the more left leaning of them used to seal the radio room, this has changed since the advent of Satellite comms, though some do try and stop transmission they can't stop reception. The Cubans and every country which is a member of IMO have under international agreement to broadcast weather forecasts including gale and tropical revolving storm forecasts. This they do, also the USGC transmit weather bulletins for the area concenred it is just a matter for you as the supplier of the yacht to ensure that the correct equipment for the reception of the Cuban and USCG voice bulletins is on board the vessel along with a broadcast schedule, then you client can sit and listen the the weather to their hearts content.

[Vipe6]

Btw, there are other countries that do not allow satphones on their territory, e.g. India. Can be seen in the video when Delos visited there.

[barnakiel]

As far as ham is considered in this particular scenario:

- there was no power in La Habana overnight,
- ham aerials may be wiped out together with other infrastructure,

I think if Cuban govt censors use of sat phones, do they NOT censor the use of ham radios?

I think ham was/is a great device but still suffers from the same old terrestrial limitations.

A sat phone is far simpler and more reliable. Except this particular one is sealed in the Customs office in the Hemingway Marina.

My clients were evacuated from their boat. Nearly 24 hours later they are still not allowed to return to the boat. Wind is only 20kts now on the airport sensor.

b.

[angelfish2]

Originally Posted by zengirl

Along with this respect...know that you will not find a starving child in Cuba. How many in America? Thousands and thousands. And word has it they also have some of the best doctors in the world. The grass is never greener. The French say poor Americans! And the French have their own problems too. Nobody should judge another till they stand in their shoes.

zengirl, from what I've been able to dig up, ole Fidel himself, used doctors both from Spain and Venezuela. Oh, and upon his death he was worth 900 million. Can you imagine how much that would have helped folks down there? The guys at the top always seem to do OK. Socialism/communism feeds the big fish but not the little guys.

When the Soviets were in Cuba the medical and educational system was decent. Now, I'm afraid it isn't all that stellar. I grew up in Miami and knew many Cubans who ran for their lives from utopian Cuba.

And that, my dear, is the rest of the story...