Remember the KWARC HW-12? by Don VE3ESE/CO8

About mid September 1998, Paul VE3SY suggested to me that the Club might like to donate its Heathkit HW-12 80m Sideband Rig that the club felt was surplus to its needs. I took it down to Santiago de Cuba when we went for our winter Feb 1999 holiday as an ICAP (International Cuban Aid Program) donation.

Leandro CM8LRB's Bedroom Shack

The President of the University Club, Victor CO8HF, Edil CO8KL, and myself agreed that the most worthy recipient of the donation would be a young 13 year old boy Leandro CM8LRB who had just passed his test for his ham licence and was just starting high school.

Edil had requested from Havana the papers to import the rig as an ICAP donation weeks before our arrival, but the RED TAPE is VERY thick in tropical countries and we could not clear it through customs before our departure back to Canada. But the young fellow did receive the rig and with help from some older Hams installed an 80 Meter Dipole at his home. 

This year Lynne my XYL, Edil CO8KL and myself were again invited to his home for dinner and refreshments. Leandro CM8LRB proudly showed us his little HAM SHACK he had set up in his bedroom. As he had been to a Scout Camp the previous week-end and had taken the Transceiver and the dipole to demonstrate Ham Radio to his fellow Scouts, he could not go on the air with the rig that evening from his casa.

Edil and I suggested that even though there was school the next day his parents might allow him to stay up late and return to the University Ham Station CO9NLA. There he might be able to work one of the KWARC members on the Sanderson Hour (3782.5 kHz). We found we had reasonable propagation to Canada and made contact with Paul VE3SY. 

Leandro had a nice QSO with Paul with Edil acting as interpreter for Leandro.  The adjacent picture shows Greg VE3NXB, myself Don VE3ESE and Leandro taken shortly after the contact

73 Don VE3ESE