Ham Radio Equipment for Emergency Communication Delivered in Honduras

On August 22, the Honduras National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) delivered Amateur Radio equipment to COPECO -- a government disaster-organization coordination agency -- for use in an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) pilot project that aims to take wider advantage of the Winlink HF email system for emergency communication. The ITU pilot project includes Central America and the Caribbean with the goal of achieving implementation throughout South America. Winlink already enjoys wide usage in North America by Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams. ITU donated the equipment.

"The most important thing is that CONATEL, COPECO, and radio amateurs start working with the Winlink tool," said ITU Area D Representative Miguel Alcaine. "I am very happy to know that we are doing something before disaster strikes."

The donation consists of an HF radio, a VHF radio, a multiband dipole, a VHF antenna, an automatic antenna tuner, a modem, and coaxial cable.

National Commissioned Minister of COPECO Lisandro Rosales said that one of his agency's objectives has been to strengthen information and communication technologies (ICTs) -- a primary ITU initiative. "We have realized that telecommunications is a key element in order to give early warning and to warn about imminent danger, or to coordinate assistance or reconstruction activities," Rosales said.

"This program and radio equipment will allow first responders that work during emergencies to send information [via HF], when telephone and digital communications collapse or if there are power outages," commented Omar Paredes, HR1OP, secretary of Club de Radio Aficionados Central de Honduras (CRACH). -- Thanks to IARU Region 2 and the ARRL

Update: 9/7/2018
XE1BRX, Senor Remba from FMRE in Mexico will arrive Monday 9/10/18 to start the final configuration and gateway power up.
Gateway call sign is HR0COP. Tentative next installs are Costa Rica and Dominican Republic for 2nd week in October 2018, two teams same day.

Update: 9/10/18
First photos of HR0COP gateway and it is on the air: https://mikeburton.smugmug.com/organize/Honduran-Gateway-HR0COP-activated

Update: 10/5/18
Winlink Gateways HI8COE Dominican Republic and TI0BCR Costa Rica to be installed.
XE2O and XE1BRX will arrive to coordinate the installations starting Monday 10/8
With XE2SI and myself to help by phone and video calls.

Update: 10/9/18
Costa Rica TI0BCR done and on line.
Photos: https://mikeburton.smugmug.com/TI0BCR-Costa-Rica-gateway-installed/

Spanish News releases:
https://www.metrord.do/do/noticias/2018/10/10/uit-iaru-entrenan-21-tecni...

https://micit.go.cr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10396:d...

Update: 11/6/18

Continuation of the FMRE, WDT, and ITU Region 2 program to install gateways in the Central America Region, HI8COE is available now.
Thanks to XE1BRX and HI8S for helping to put it into service today.

Photos of HI8COE on site:
https://mikeburton.smugmug.com/HI8COE-Republic-of-Dominica-Winlink-gatew...

Side note: XE2O will be flying to Guatemala on 11/7/2018 to get its HF gateway on line, barring any complications.
Installation of Panama gateway delayed until further notice, but will happen.

Update: 11/8/18

Now Guatemala is on line TG0CND 24/7 in the town of Aurora EK44ro
Govt. facility and on E-power.
On site crew led by XE2O President of FMRE who flew down to supervise.

Photos: https://mikeburton.smugmug.com/Guatelmala-Winlink-Gateway-TG0CND/

Update: 11/28/18

XE2O, Mexico's FMRE President flew to Nicaragua.
He and the local support group have installed HF Winlink Gateway YN1SN.
I installed all software via TeamViewer, configuration and testing, (xe2-n6kzb).

Photos: https://mikeburton.smugmug.com/Nicaragua-gateway--YN1SN/

Panama and El Salvador are anticipated to occur in 2019.

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Parte dos, una plática sobre el funcionamiento y utilidad de este sistema, Técnicos de #Copeco y de Conatel Honduras participan en capacitación de telecomunicaciones en emergencia y subsistemas de radio VHF y HF, impartida por miembros de la Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones #OIT y presentada por Jonathan Remba XE1BRX miembro de la Federacion Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores. En unos días mas se harán las otras seis instalaciones: Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica y Republica Dominicana.