Finally received the licence.
After about two months I finally received my amateur radio licence. It is a lengthy process here in paradise and it requires patience and attention to details required for an application.
This licence will permit me to transmit on the amateur radio frequencies authorised in this country. This hobby is strictly non-commercial exchange of messages and is for self-training, radio sport contesting and can be mobilised for emergency communications. Wikepedia has a lengthy description of this hobby, click this link.
I am not a complete stranger to the amateur radio activity, I held licences in two other countries. I was active with callsign MP4TDB from the Trucial Oman States, (today the UAE), in the sixties and also as ON8KP in Belgium in the eighties. I was also educated and trained on radio communications techniques and operations in my early youth hence my interests in this field. After some years away from this hobby I once again decided that it would keep me occupied in my retirement years.
However, I will not be able to get on the air just yet. Now awaiting the type-approval for the radio equipment from the authorities. After which I will be able to buy, import, install and operate the designated radio gear. So still some patience required. You guessed it, paradise is still using an old bureaucratic procedure with a lack of co-ordination but we get there in the end.
Years ago I had a friend who was a passionate radio operator. Had his own dish in the garden . Used to communicate with people all around the world well before the Internet made it easy. He was particularly fond of morse code. I was quite envious.
Such was my passion for the hobby many years ago, probably got addicted to chasing long-distance contacts. Also, a morse code adept which is my favourite mode. Coming back into the hobby I now find that there are new digital modes for me to explore. So looking forward to getting back into it but hopefully in moderation.
My friend’s wife was scathing about his addiction. She’d encouraged him to take up a hobby, not realising he would “lock himself in a room all day with his dit-daahs”.
Exactly, I can confirm that, it was also my experience, locking myself up in the basement, headphones on, head down, surfing the radio waves for that rare long distance contact. I sympathize with the spouses.
Well at least Mike, you are getting somewhere close to being “on air” and hopefully a nice Xmas pressy,
of the final part of this elongated-process – will come your way, so you can get-on with doing that which
you have longed to do – again.
All the best 73’s…
Mr. Terry.
Thanks Terry, one more stage and then we should be good to go.