Untitled - Quarter Century Wireless Association

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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. 24
Lynn and I had a wonderful visit with Amie and his family that lasted until after 2 AlvI uring the course of our conversations Amie related to me something that demonstrated his sensitivity toward spiritul matters. It is almost impossible to oonvey to someone who has not orperienced it frsthand what it is like to live under the acute shortages that exist in that country. Amie told me that everyone has ration books and that everyone is allocated so much food each month. Eran though they are authorized the food, if the fmd is not available, they do not receive it. And these rations do not carry over to the next month. Once the month is over, whatever food was received is all that they are going to get. Amie related that he and Olguita have gone to bed hungry qr several occasions. He said of one particular night, however, that they had gone to bed only to be awakened early in the moming very hrngry. Olguita found their remaining rice and prepared it. Knowing that they were about to eat the rest of their rations for the month with several days left in the month, they gave thanks for it. The next moming there was a knock at the door. Upon opening the door, they were greeted by a cousin of Amie's who had some meat to share with thern. This food was enough to get them through to the next allocation offood from the governrnent. By: Jim Walsh, W7L\[I Christnas rnsnirg of 1993 we lost a good friend of QCWA Td Ileilhoker, W5EI, was the G€n€ral Manager frryn 1975 to l99l ard in that period of tirrc helped implement nuny rrcw innovations fu QQWA and its menrbers. Ted was borrt April 7, l9l4 in McPherson, Kansas and spen:t his ddldhmd qr a farm in that area. During his growth he sper,t sonr time working i" a pr,"tirrg shop and also doing sorne eleokical work fiun time to tirne as an app,rentice.Ifl 1929 tre obtained his amateur lioense, W9BEB. This led to his getting involved in orystal runufrotning. &ound the same time he became involrrcd in broadcast radio wolq initially installing a rrw radio stratior for one of his friends. In 1934 h€ rnet ard marrid A. C. Rictrards and they had trvo brys. He then obtained his oonnnercial radio licens€ and sonre schoolins in high€r math so that he oqrld work in designing and instafling dirwtiorul anterru systems. I{e startd that wort in 1939 in t}re Tulsa, OK area, W.W.tr canrc along ard Td lhen went to Colorado and qrce again b@me imolwd in a crystal plant, profucing frequenry curhol units frthe war effort. IG also, at that time, taught non-technical citizern to beorne ernplgm in the urious elechuric canpanies. Now, I think about that story almost every time I go to the gfocery store or a restaurant. When we so exhausted that we could not talk any more, they called Lynn and me a cab and we reluctantly returned to the guest house to finish what was left of the night. Necdless to say, I did not get much sleep for being so excited about the meetings and my visit with Amie and Olguita. The next day I, and the members of my team, headed back home. We were a bit sad to say good bye to our new friends in Cuba but also a bit tired and homesick. For me, it was a bit odd for a few days re adjusting to the many freedoms that we have in the gmd old USA. Nevertheless, I did so, but with a bit more thankfulness for having them. I left Cuba profoundly changed. The spiritual changes are too deep to be able to explain. I was awed by the faith being displayed in the various places we visited and worshipped and marveled that even that was miraculous. I had to ask myself if I could not do a better job with my religious convictions and I knew the answer. My friands Cuba taught me muoh about how they trust in God. I hope that I can put it into praotioe here in my day to &y experiences in the U.S. Ted Heithecker, W5EJ, Silent Key h 1952 he became manager of Q:arE Crystal Plant in lGnsas and then in 1955 he joiraed A. Earl Cullunr, Jr., and Associates. Fa the rl€lxt 3l years tre enjoyed amateur radio ard his oocupation of dewloping antenna syst€rns for broadcast statiqrs. Th€n in 1976, he took orm the managemerrt of QCWA and cryrtinued his broadcast ant€nna urork until tlrc engineering firm was dissolved upon the deattr ofMr. Cullum. Ted made many friends arxl close persunl relatiuships through bottr his work with @WA and the €ogineering activities. IIe was always acti'ye in developing relatiqral charts of activities and munbership statistics. He especially loved to talk with younger people and e,ncoumge their edr.rcation in amateurradio fc it exposed tlun to the beauty and order of the scientific ard ensirrcring world. For that intqest he was always actirrc in tlre QCWA Scholarship program ud as Exocutiw Secretary of OOTC started to establish a similar program in ttut organizatiur after he stepped down from QCWA. Ted was an exceptional perscr and fri€nd and I will miss him rcrymuch. 73, good frien{ de Jim Walsh WTLVIL Ted Heithecker, W5EJ, Memorial Scholarship Suggested A QQWA Scholarship in nrmay of Ted Heithecker, W5EI, has been rEcanrn€nd€d by QQWA Dir€cttr Art MlliagarL W8KW. Art aoooreanied his reoonrmendation with a zubstantial oqrtibutiqr to the Randles, Ralph Cabanillas, Jr., W6IL, Jan Hayter, John Troster, W6ISQ, Lew, WIICP, and lvlartha McCoy. Tod's many friends within ard oxside @WA will be glad to sclolarship fird in nrcrrcry of Ted hear that a sctrolarstrip in his name will be offered urtren su$cient fimds A choc,k of the list of oanbibutors on page 20 will slrow that harrc been mntibtrted inhis name. sctrEral oth€r@WAers, including; Robert, NF6P and Betty Riokey, Ifyou are also ocrsidering rerrvnbering Ted with a gift to the Jerry Mulberg, W2MIP, Wes, W4COW and Blanche, W4GXZ, Scholarship Furx[ while you are thinking abqt it, sit dovm and unite on that checktoday. 25 Spring 1994
Page 2 and 3: EDITORIAL In With The New, Continue
Page 4 and 5: QCWA Officers And Board Of Director
Page 6 and 7: Please address your lelters to Edil
Page 8 and 9: Dear Editor: Yonr New QCWA Joumal i
Page 10 and 11: A Couple Of Letters From The ARRL h
Page 12 and 13: By: Jack Kelleher, W4ZC NTIA Action
Page 14 and 15: tTlh. following candidates have bee
Page 16 and 17: a charter memhr of the Nutmeg Chapt
Page 18 and 19: Troster is the editor of *The Jug,"
Page 20 and 21: Meetings continued twice a year, mu
Page 22 and 23: NESCON. NESCON was organized in Oct
Page 26 and 27: By: Betty Strattan, W2PVS, as told
Page 28 and 29: Note: I indioates life member and ^
Page 30 and 31: 1994 aCWA National Convention El Pa
Page 32 and 33: QCWA Lapel pins are gold plated, wi
Page 34 and 35: As you curn see, thinp have never b
Page 36 and 37: to dilate the coronary arteries. Th
Page 38 and 39: from a philanthropic organization f
Page 40 and 41: In 1944 Sgt. Given was selected to
Page 42 and 43: Olympics in order to train for the
Page 44 and 45: Pleasenote: ChdpterRepo* atz listed
Page 46 and 47: Sqne rocent mernbers seen at our mo
Page 48 and 49: successfully and her chrysanthernum
Page 50 and 51: KLTAF; Vice-President, Chuck Sappah
Page 52 and 53: At the Pelican Picnic, at utrich tl
Page 54 and 55: Some members gather every Wednesday
Page 56 and 57: 26,435 Krizo, Philip w6zoF Klamath
Page 58 and 59: NR, NAME DAY TIME NCS TREQ I CLEVEL
Page 60: plug). Tom Sonich W8ZS, 6446 East M

Untitled - Quarter Century Wireless Association

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