Untitled - Quarter Century Wireless Association

Later that afternoon we headed back to Havana. We
arrived at the group house around 8:30 PM.
I was immediately met by Amie, who told me that he and I
needed to proceed at once to the headquarters of the Federacion
Radioafectionados, de Cuba, (FRC) the national ham radio
organization, because the presentations I was to make were going to
be filrne.d for later airing on national television!
We arranged for one of the drivers to take us to the
headquarters so I oould made my presentations. I was accompanied
by Lynn Mims, one of the Methodist ministers who agreed to do the
photography work so that I could have pictures ofthe occasion.
In my capacity of an ARRL Offrcial, I met with Ing. pedro
Rodriguez, CO2RP, the president of FRC, and presented him with a
certificate commemorating the FRC's participation in the past June
VIilr QSO Party through the DXpedition of COOFRC at
Bellomonte. I also presented Arnie with an Author's Certificate for
his article in December 1993 QST. These presentations were
videotaped by a film crew from the national TV network.
Later, I participated in lively and fruitful discussions with
Pedro, Francisco Hemandez, CO2IIA, FRC Vice-President, Giraldo
Uffo, CO2UF, FRC Secretary General, Oscar Morales, Jr., CO2OJ,
FRC Chairman of the VHFAJI{F/S}IF Committee, and Eddy Frank,
CO2EG, one of the members of the board of directors of the FRC
conceming ham radio in Cuba today
At one point our discussion was intemrpted by a Cuba
Channel 2 news team who wanted to interview me for their evaning
news. The r€porter asked me why I was in Cuba and my first words
were that I was there as part of a Methodist Chruch sponsored team
to work on rebuilding a church in Cifuentes. In effect, I was telling
the whole country that I was an American who was there
representing religious freedom and that I was putting actions into
my words by working alongside Cubans in achieving that goal.
(Ihe importance of this episode on the trip did not fully
surface until I retumed home. A few days after my retum, I talked
with Arnie over the air. I asked him about the airing of my interview
and he told me that the reporter aired my remarks about the
Methodist church uncut and even added some positive words of her
own in the introduction of her tape. He also told me that the
interview aired three times on national TV. To this day I wonder if
the people in Cifirentes saw it and got to hear the name of their town
being spoken of in connection with religious freedom. I am almost
certain that they did.)
Following the interview, I read the "And Finally..." article
that appeared in the last Journal to the members of the media who
were covering the activities. After this reading, the FRC leaders held
a publio reception honoring my presence at their headquarters.
Following that reception, complete witl homemade goodies, we
resumed our discussions.
During the course of the oonversation I told them all about
the teamwork in Cifuentes and that was the principle reason for my
trip.
Among the ham radio items discussed were future Cuban
proposed ohanges that would create a no oode type class of license
authorizing these licensees very low power acc€ss to 160 meters,
authorizing the present Novice type class licensee access to l0
meters (with 50 watts of power), and increased frequency
authorizations on VHF and UIIF bands.
With regard to the last item, because their VHFAJHF
frequency allocations are modeled after the IARU region I band
QCWA Jorunal
plans, allocations of amateur radio frequencies are similarly
modeled.
For example, they only have the bottom 2 Nfrlz of the 2
meter ham band (same as Europe). Their primary FM repeater pair
is on 145.600, the same as the R0 channel in Europe. They pointed
out to me that they have had access to the 2 meter ham band only
since 1987.
It was interesting to note that, while not ha"ing access to
the latest repeater directory or direct contact with south Florida
repea.ter coordinators, they develo@ a defacto plan of cooperation
with south Florida by monitoring the frequencies of &equently heard
repeaters and avoiding them.
With regard to the 135 cm ham band, over time they have
gained piecemeal access to it. However, their frequency allocation
presently starts at around 223 l\filzl They assured me, however, that
they are working to acquire a portion of the band that would be
cornmon to USA weak signal operations. In that light, I provided
thern with the weak signal calling frequency for that band, as well as
all the VHF USA ham bands.
Regarding the 70 cm ham band, they have gained a
window around 435 MIIZ for access to amateur satellite uplink and
a window around 432.100 MlIz for access to weak signal operation,
but only with anterura elevation in excess of l5o. However, they
have requested and have been assr.ued that they will receive acrcess
to that window with no elevation restrictions in the near fuhre.
They explained that the time required for the transition is
necessitated to accommodate other services' moving off the
requested ham frequencies. This, they said, will take some time
because some of the radios of the other seryices are crystal
controlled and such crystals are not readily available.
They also told me of the plans to develop radio clubs and
that would encourage the growth of the Novice class of license by
authorizing the supervised use of these club stations by nonlicensees
who are apprenticing to become hams.
A major item discussed was the proposal of a joint Cuba-
USA team to operate a contest station during the ARRL June VHF
QSO Party from Bellomonte, possibly with a special rare prefix call
sign. Suggestions were made that possible special permits would be
issued for Cuban operation on various microwave bands not
currently available to them. Two of the bands discussed in particular
were 135 and 33 cm.
I was invited to head a team of U.S. hams. I accepted
conditionally upon clearance of all the govemment hurdles. I have
been tluough that route before!
I also hand delivered a letter from a leader of a team of
U.S. operators suggesting an exchange of ham radio operators
similar to the USIA joint Soviet, USA exohange and suggesting a
joint USA-Cuba FIF contest operation in Cuba during the 1995 CQ
WPX Phone contest. They said that they would seriously consider
such an operation.
We carried on discussing other items (including the touohy
subject of deliberate interference to intemal traffrc nets from stations
in south Florida) for a total of nearly two hor-us util we just had to
leave in order for the building to be secured.
All of us concluded that we had oovered a great deal of
ground in furthering the hobby of ham radio and the relationships
between the hams of our two countries.
After the events of the wening wound down and we were
on our way to Amie's home for a little visit I wondered how I could
have gotten ttrough the evening as ill as I was the night before.
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