[SCCC] Assorted Honduras Tales from HQ2A

[Richard J. Norton]

1) Honduras Background

N6TJ had E-mailed HR2DX, president of the Radio Club Honduras, about
the possibility of operating from the club station, HR2RCH. Jim was
concerned about his 9Y4AA license status, as the Amateur Radio
licenses in Trinidad were transferred from one government department
to another. Trinidad got straightened out, and Jim asked me if I would
be interested in HR. Without any other good options, I said, "Yes."
The RCH voted to allow me to come, and with a two 3-500Z tube
donation, I was accepted.

2) Host, HR2J

Two days before I left the USA, got an E-mail saying that Javier
Pinel, HR2J, offered to let me stay at his QTH, and even use his
station if desired. I thought this might be a good idea and took him
up.

Check him out on QRZ.COM. Javier was born in Honduras, operated a
travel agency in Seattle for a good number of years where he was also
the honorary Honduras Counsel, and returned to HR after closing the
business.  He was a great host and appeared to be happy to have
someone to talk with.

QTH was on a very small lot in the good part of San Pedro Sula, the
second largest city in Honduras. His station was a TS-480 or
something, with a detachable front panel that he liked, driving an
Ameritron 811H. Has a small tri-bander up 40 feet that is 10 or so
feet above his tin roof, with inverted-Vs with included angles so
small they really were 2-meter V-beams.  Has power-line noise. A W7PHO
DX-net certificate adorned his wall.


3) Club Station, HR2RCH

The RCH has its own clubhouse, situated on about 1/4 acre, about two
miles south of HR2J's. It sports a big meeting room, where the members
meet every Monday night. There is an office, a classroom, two
bathrooms, and a shack. A family that lives in a small house in the
rear, guards and cleans the place. It is heavily locked, and a PITA to
get in and out of.

The location is along what is the circumferential divided highway
around San Pedro. Traffic is heavy and large trucks and buses are
frequent. There is line noise.

The tower is a self-supporting, tapered, 60-footer, with a TH-7 on
top. An 80-meter inverted-V was at 50 feet, and a 40-meter inverted-V
was at 30 feet

4) Choice of Station

On Wednesday night, I could hear 3 QSOs on 40 CW at HR2J's. There were
20 or so audible at HR2RCH. RCH was selected.

Note that there was no room for a beverage at either location.

5) Putting Up the 160-Meter Dipole

Brought 160-meter dipole and 100 feet of feedline to at least make a
few QSOs on the band. Wasn't feeling like climbing the tower on Friday
morning. Javier recruited the teenager from the family in back to
climb. The horizontal tower members were pretty far apart, and he went
up inside the tower. He was told to hang the balun off the west side
of the tower, just like the 80-meter one on the east side. He pulled
the antenna up, and I assumed he was tying it off. I looked up, and he
was sending the balun with wires and coax, all tangled up, back down
the tower, keeping some combination of coax and wire on top.

Yelled at Javier to tell him what to do. The kid kept coming down the
tower. Said he had to go to the bathroom, and was never seen again.

Javier then went over to the fire department across the street and
recruited two firemen for the job. One went up and attached the
antenna while I was inside. Gave them $5 each and they left. The
installation looked a little funny, so I looked through my binoculars
to see that they had wrapped the balun, coax, and wire combination
around a tower leg, and everything was electrically shorted together.
I returned to the shack, somewhat dejected.

Daniel, HR2DMR, Honduras's most enthusiastic contester came by, and
was recruited. Daniel borrowed Javier's strap-on sandals, and up he
went. The balun was tied off, at least electrically correctly.

One end of the 160M dipole went to a tree in the median strip of the
circumferential highway. It would take several minutes to get an
opening in traffic big enough to cross. The other end went across the
side street, and was tied to a fence at the fire station. That end got
cut off at some unknown time, probably by firemen, and attached to an
electric pole. They did something with the end insulator and some
number of feet of the wire, which are still in Honduras.

6) 160 Meter Operation

On the second night, things were going pretty slowly on 40 and 80.
Decided to spend some time on 160, where I would at least give out the
HR multiplier. Was going to try to get zone 3, and return. The line noise was
horrible, and every contact was like pulling teeth. After over an
hour, I had worked 51 stations, none in zone 3 or outside the local
area. Thought I had at least made a few guys happy.

At the radio club meeting on Monday, HR2DMR reported that he made a
few hundred QSOs on 160 with 100 watts and a sloper 40-feet high at
its peak. Had many Europeans and was proud to have worked EY8MM.
Aaargh.

7) Contest Overview

The bad. Only set up the station starting on Thursday.

The good. Only set up the station starting on Thursday. With the line
noise, wouldn't have done better enough to have been worth more
effort.

Of course the noise peaked toward Europe. Of high bands pointed the
antenna southeast to a place where I could at least hear.

Saw an Icom IC-765 in HR2J's junk room. Commandeered it. It appeared
to have a 500 Hz CW filter, but not a 250 Hz one. There was no noise
blanker. At least it seemed better in the high density contest
environment than the TS-440 or TS-570 available in the club.

The 3-500Zs were installed in the Swan Mark-I amp. The blower sounded
like a vacuum cleaner, and the relays didn't look like they wanted to
be switched 10s of thousands of times. HR2J lent me his Al-811H, which
was quiet and operated well, albeit putting out a few less watts.

8) Some operating Details.

Started on 20, which was a mistake. Couldn't get anything going. Went to 40.

After 4 hours, had 600 QSOs as opposed to 800 last year from P40T. Had
a better antenna, better location, and better radio then.

Slept total of 4 hours, 1.5 plus 2.5, both on Saturday night. Didn't
look like the result would warrant 47.5 hours of effort, and I'm glad
I slept.

Had one 30-minute opening on 10 to the USA the first day.

9) Honduras

With the decline in the value of the US dollar, one feels that things are
expensive in most of the world. You can still feel rich in Honduras.

Example. At Momo's Restaurant in Ruinas Copan, saw fillet mignon on
the menu for $6.50. Ordered it expecting some small tough piece of
beef. It was large and tender, and so good that I ordered it again the
following night.

Main tourist attractions are the Mayan ruins at Copan Ruinas, which
are OK, and beach islands. Roatan Island has established diving spots,
and also hosts HQ9R/WQ7R.

After the contest Javier drove me to Tela, a beach resort town 1.5
hours from San Pedro. Have a potential beach vertical hotel location available
that maybe our group will use next year for CQWW phone. Will have to
schlep all the antennas and equipment. Javier has driven it from the
USA a few times. 10 days from Seattle. Hmmm.

10) Certain Statistics

6-bands with: N2NL, W3BGN, K4AB, K4FK, W3LPL, KC1XX, N3AD, J3A, HC8N, HI3A, N3RS

Never heard once: 8P5A

Never worked on 160 or 10: Europe or zone 3.

Heard N6AA at start on 20. Thought N6VI was using my callsign. Later
when I worked N6VI, assumed I was hallucinating earlier. N6TR
explanation that he was there for the first hour restored self image
of sanity.

Worked over 10 people worked who will be at the next ARRL Board meeting:
K1ZZ, N3KN, K5UR, K0QB, N2FF, K0BJ, K9JF/7, K1KI, K9KM, N6VI, NN1N, K1TWF at K1TTT.

Missed Honduras on two bands. Tried to get HR2/LT0E to QSY, but he
never responded.

11) 21st Century CW

Worked HR2DX on 10 meters. At club meeting Monday, thanked him for the
QSO, and reported that he sounded proficient.

He said he didn't know CW at all, and was using "Mix-W," which I assume
is a computer program, to copy and send.

12) Radio Club Honduras

Enthusiastic group. They actually meet every Monday night. Thanked me
for coming and putting their station on the air.

They want to do an expedition to Swan Island next March. They want
guys to come. It's not a DXCC country any longer. Suggested they go
during the IOTA Contest in July, but their trip appears to be planned
for a Honduran holiday week when they are all available to
participate. If interested, let me know.


13) Summary

Just uploaded the HR2/N6AA and HQ2A logs to LOTW. QSL cards will get
ordered one of these days.

Had a good time. Worked more guys than I would have if I had stayed
home, and had a higher score than N6RO's MM.

The RCH location in San Pedro was a little too noisy.

I'd return to HR at the coast, and may well do that. HR2J would be a
good in-country interface.

73,

Dick, N6AA