Massive South American Power Outage 16 June 2019

[R4002]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-48662279

Too much of a coincidence that it occurred on Argentina's election day and right after the New York Times reported on US Cyber Command's installation of sit-and-wait malware in the Russian power grid (in response to the Russians doing the same thing to us for years now - cf. https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA18-074A)? 

While the various governments (Argentina mostly, but also parts of Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, etc.) seem to be willing to rule out cyberattack as the reason for the massive blackout that affected more than 40 million people (!!) it seems like somebody is doing another test, proof of concept, whatever you want to call it.  Combine with the recent airnav GPS issues. 

Time to buy more solar panels, batteries, and, of course, can openers.  Also ammunition.  Battery-powered HF and VHF/UHF capability.

Would have been nice to have a before/after waterfall image for MF/HF/VHF/UHF in Buenos Aires when the lights went out.  See how much the noise floor drops (and see which broadcast stations, etc. went off the air). 

[i_hear_you]

I thought blacking out Venezuela was their test run.  The CIA's push for war is isolated to Venezuela as far as I know, so what gives?

[R4002]

The Venezuelan power outage could very well have been a test run as well.  Kommissar Putin likes Maduro, though.

I was more implying that the Russians or the Chinese were behind the most recent massive blackout.

[ChrisSmolinski]

Maduro is perfectly able to blackout Venezuela on his own, without any assistance from the CIA 

[R4002]

Maduro is perfectly able to blackout Venezuela on his own, without any assistance from the CIA 

Indeed.  He's also blamed (list of every other problem in Venezuela) on the CIA.

[Josh]

Used to be it took a racoon or squirrel in Canaduh to domino the entire eastern seaboard into darkness, today all it takes is a president, intel agency, or some nefarious hacker in a nefarious hoody with his or her nefarious laptop in mom's basement or some cyber cafe. I'd say that like the gps outage, someone is sending a message.

[R4002]

I'm glad that somebody else sees the connection between the South American blackout and the GPS outage.  Maybe sending a message, "hey, this can be done!" - I know that Russia did what you could easily call a "proof of concept" cyber-attack against portions of the Ukrainian power grid back in 2015.  It can be done on various scales. 

Nefarious intelligence agencies employing nefarious hackers in nefarious hoodies and nefarious black hats under the command of a nefarious president (Putin, Kim, etc.)   

Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but I see this as the shape of things to come....and that scares me.   

[i_hear_you]

I was more implying that the Russians or the Chinese were behind the most recent massive blackout.

As always, cui bono? Who benefits?  Why would Putin do this, what does he gain? 

Maduro is perfectly able to blackout Venezuela on his own, without any assistance from the CIA 

I appreciate the levity, but I don't personally find the situation in Venezuela a laughing matter.  A CIA-trained and backed goofus stands up and says "I'm the Prez now," our entire media makes it a thing and gets behind him, and after a handful of incitements fail to provoke Maduro's hand at a massacre or get the Venezuelan military to turn, Senator Marco Rubio tweets a taunt at Maduro about the nationwide blackout minutes after it happens.  If this were the extent of it we could all smirk about how out of shape the CIA has become since the 60s, but China and Russia immediately moved in to help fix and protect Venezuela's infrastructure.  In other words, after the US lost the proxy war in Syria to Russia, they've pivoted to Venezuela and are losing there, as well.

And that brings us to last Thursday's absolute shitshow of a frame up on that Japanese tanker in the Middle East.  Sure, our "intelligence agencies" are certain Iran did that, but how dense do you have to be to believe that Iran ordered a hit on a Japanese oil tanker at literally the exact time the Japanese premier was sitting down with Iranian premier?

I know my tone is aggressive and I apologize if it offends.  However, I'm not excited watching my government provoke the planet's two other super powers in several theatres across the planet.  I'm horrified at how few people can see what's going on.  When the moves are this sloppy and stupid, everyone should be able to see through them.

You know the saying about the paranoid:  "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't to get you."

Just because you are a Latin American strongman doesn't mean the CIA isn't trying to regime change you.

[R4002]

I was more implying that the Russians or the Chinese were behind the most recent massive blackout.

As always, cui bono? Who benefits?  Why would Putin do this, what does he gain? 

Maduro is perfectly able to blackout Venezuela on his own, without any assistance from the CIA 

I appreciate the levity, but I don't personally find the situation in Venezuela a laughing matter.  A CIA-trained and backed goofus stands up and says "I'm the Prez now," our entire media makes it a thing and gets behind him, and after a handful of incitements fail to provoke Maduro's hand at a massacre or get the Venezuelan military to turn, Senator Marco Rubio tweets a taunt at Maduro about the nationwide blackout minutes after it happens.  If this were the extent of it we could all smirk about how out of shape the CIA has become since the 60s, but China and Russia immediately moved in to help fix and protect Venezuela's infrastructure.  In other words, after the US lost the proxy war in Syria to Russia, they've pivoted to Venezuela and are losing there, as well.

And that brings us to last Thursday's absolute shitshow of a frame up on that Japanese tanker in the Middle East.  Sure, our "intelligence agencies" are certain Iran did that, but how dense do you have to be to believe that Iran ordered a hit on a Japanese oil tanker at literally the exact time the Japanese premier was sitting down with Iranian premier?

I know my tone is aggressive and I apologize if it offends.  However, I'm not excited watching my government provoke the planet's two other super powers in several theatres across the planet.  I'm horrified at how few people can see what's going on.  When the moves are this sloppy and stupid, everyone should be able to see through them.

You know the saying about the paranoid:  "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't to get you."

Just because you are a Latin American strongman doesn't mean the CIA isn't trying to regime change you.

Sounds like we're both a little paranoid, perhaps for different reasons.  I see Maduro as a puppet of Putin and even his now-dead predecessor.  Maybe the CIA killed Chavez too (maybe).  Maduro also drove what was one of the most prosperous Latin American countries into a hell with record-breaking inflation and skyrocketing crime.

As far as the proxy war / baiting multiple super powers at once thing goes - you have a point.  Jumping into several wars would be a nice distraction from the sooner-or-later economic slowdown/crash...but I'll stop there.  Wag The Dog, etc.  Gulf of Tonkin II?  Maybe.  I'm not sure.  That's another direction though.   

As far as how does Putin benefit?  In several ways (presuming a Russian cyber-attack is behind both the GPS outage and the South American blackout here).  First, he shows the folks who are paying attention (in both the United States and elsewhere) that his capabilities have increased past turning off the power for an hour or so in Kiev.  Electronic saber-rattling, maybe...to paraphrase Josh, "to send a message".  The benefit does not have to be immediate, or readily apparent.  Putin is an ex-KGB man and is playing multiple angles.  Yes, the CIA have been involved in regime change in Latin America in the past...but I still rank the KGB and its successor agencies as worse.  If only because the FSB and SVR serve the Russians and the CIA and the NSA serve the United States (read into that how you like).   The Russians are still the bad guys in my eyes.  At no point in history when both the United States and Russia were/are superpowers were we on completely friendly terms (save for World War II, maybe, but even then there was mistrust).  There are reasons for that...

A day long blackout is more of an inconvenience and malfunctioning GPS is annoying but combine those things with cyber-attacks that cause longer-lasting damage and you have a formidable weapon of war.  If you draw the comparison between cyber-weapons and conventional weapons the "who benefits?" question gets closer to answering itself.

[JimIO]

Does Target sell ammo? Nevermind...   

[ChrisSmolinski]

Edesur, an Argentinian energy company, said the power failure started between two power stations, in Yacyretá and Salto Grande. That set off safeguards at the power plants, which ultimately forced the shutdown that affected the entire grid.

But it’s still unclear what caused that transmission disruption. Argentina’s energy secretary, Gustavo Lopetegui, told the media that the investigation could take up to 15 days.

Lopetegui also said authorities did not believe a cyberattack sparked the outage, though they’re not ruling out any possibilities just yet. “It’s very extraordinary that this happened,” he told reporters. “It has never happened in the history of Argentina.”

https://www.vox.com/2019/6/17/18681989/argentina-blackout-uruguay-electricity-macri

Vox is pretty much as far away from an organ of the CIA as you can get 

Maduro also drove what was one of the most prosperous Latin American countries into a hell with record-breaking inflation and skyrocketing crime.

Chavez started that with nationalizations of virtually every sector of the economy, as well as chronic mismanagement of their cash cow, PDVSA, the state run oil company. Maduro was just the last guy driving the bus. Pun intended. (No doubt Maduro has accelerated the process, he's a Chavez with less charisma and even less grasp of economics, which I agree is surprising)

A CIA-trained and backed goofus stands up and says "I'm the Prez now," our entire media makes it a thing and gets behind him, and after a handful of incitements fail to provoke Maduro's hand at a massacre or get the Venezuelan military to turn

Unfortunately the Venezuelan opposition extremely fractured with no real unity.  BTW Juan Guaido has been recognized as the legitimate president of Venezuela by, in addition to the US, most members of the EU, Canada Australia.... the list goes on.

China's loaned Venezuela tens of  billions of dollars, many of these loans were not approved by the national assembly (before Maduro dismantled it), they're obviously concerned an opposition led government would refuse to repay them. So you can see their vested interest in keeping Maduro in charge.

Keeping this radio related... It's unfortunate the assorted Venezuela shortwave outlets are long gone, they would be interesting to listen to.  Ecos del Torbes was one of my favorites. Well, assuming they had electricity to say on the air, and Maduro let them. Both of which are unlikely.  No shortwave clandestine stations have popped up on the air, nor medium wave (there was one rumored some time ago but it never materialized), which probably tells us what we didn't want to hear - radio is indeed dying.

[i_hear_you]

Maduro also drove what was one of the most prosperous Latin American countries into a hell with record-breaking inflation and skyrocketing crime.

I don't argue this point, but I want my country to get out of the business of toppling regimes.  Who the people of another nation vote into power, and what that person then does to his own people aren't our problem.

First, he shows the folks who are paying attention (in both the United States and elsewhere) that his capabilities have increased past turning off the power for an hour or so in Kiev.

It's not a sound strategy to unveil secret weapons and capabilities to send messages unless your back is against the wall and you hope to tell the other guys you can and will with the next provocation, so if it's really Putin and it's really a message, I find it concerning.

The Russians are still the bad guys in my eyes. 

I was raised in a similar bath of anti-Russian media, but when I count all the ways my own government is oppressing me vs. how many ways the Russian government is oppressing me, Uncle Sam looks like the bad guy.

A day long blackout is more of an inconvenience and malfunctioning GPS is annoying but combine those things with cyber-attacks that cause longer-lasting damage and you have a formidable weapon of war.

I've read an analysis that concluded if the US and Russia were to both hack the other's grid, the US would be on the losing side.  The author said that while the US was flush with cash and modernized and computerized everything they could, Russia is behind the curve due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, i.e. they have less to hack, less of their infrastructure would stop functioning.

If you draw the comparison between cyber-weapons and conventional weapons the "who benefits?" question gets closer to answering itself.

So this would be like Russia igniting another Tsar Bomba, or shooting some brand new particle weapon off the coast of California, or some other shot across the bow.  It's a very bold move which, I think, points to the conflict about to go hot.

[i_hear_you]

Chavez started that with nationalizations of virtually every sector of the economy, as well as chronic mismanagement of their cash cow, PDVSA, the state run oil company. Maduro was just the last guy driving the bus.

I'm not arguing that he's a bad leader, I'm saying that there is plenty of evidence as I listed that the grid was brought down by hostile forces in order to get the CIA stooge into power.

BTW Juan Guaido has been recognized as the legitimate president of Venezuela by, in addition to the US, most members of the EU, Canada Australia.... the list goes on.

Guaido wasn't voted into power or recognized by any political machinery of the sovereign state of Venezuela.  It doesn't matter what the US (and its NATO puppets), the country that is actively and illegally trying to unseat him have to say.

It concerns me to see my countrymen support what are effectively wartime actions against a country that is not a threat to us, and with which we are not at war.  Bringing down a nation's power grid for purposes of unseating a legitimate leader is dirty business, and once you factor in the antagonism of these actions against two nuclear superpowers, it becomes pure unhinged recklessness.

[ChrisSmolinski]

[Bringing down a nation's power grid for purposes of unseating a legitimate leader is dirty business, and once you factor in the antagonism of these actions against two nuclear superpowers, it becomes pure unhinged recklessness.

I agree with you, that would be reckless behavior. But in the case of Venezuela, it was chronic mismanagement and lack of maintenance that caused that major outage (brush fire around a major transmission line). Their grid has become extremely fragile, the smallest problem quickly cascades.  It looks as though the South American outage was somewhat similar, several generation plants going offline resulted in a cascade effect, shutting down the entire grid. Power grids can be very finicky beasts, the larger and more interconnected they are, the greater ability to share excess generation capacity and overall reduce costs, but the greater the chance for something major to go wrong. We've had problems here in the US as well, although not on that scale. Perhaps Texas is smart to stay disconnected from the rest of the national grids 

We've got another example closer to home - Puerto Rico. Even before the hurricane, they had frequent major outages, even on a sunny day. Again, the cause was lack of maintenance. PR's state run utility practically gives away electricity to many users, resulting in insufficient funds to properly maintain the system. 

Sometimes, Hanlon's Razor applies.

[i_hear_you]

I hope it's just that. The stakes are too high otherwise.

Back to radio: I've noticed when I tune to 6000 to check propagation RHC sounds distorted, like it's overdriven. A couple months back it wasnt like this. It happens across all my receivers and antenna systems. Any ideas what could cause this? It's a really strong signal, it just sounds like it is put through a clipping tube fuzz pedal.