[GVARC] Maritime Mobile Opportunites

Mon, 01 Jul 2002 10:38:09 -0700

Folks,

Seems to be a Maritime season for Ham Radio on the central coast. This is a 
bulletin to any hams, or other interested parties, interested in visiting, 
or QSO ing a couple of ships now cruising the Pacific Ocean.  Some of the 
ships are porting at a number of ports on the US west coast.  It is also an 
opportunity to show your international good will to one of our South 
American neighbors.  One ship, the Buque (3 masted BARK) Guayas,

http://www.buqueescuelaguayas.com
ship email: [email protected]

is the training ship for the Ecuadorian naval academy midshipmen. It has a 
ship's ham station call of HC2BEG.  The ship's ham station is not currently 
active, because it appears that there is not licensed ham operators aboard 
this cruise.  They have commercial HF voice on board, that they use to stay 
in touch with their home port of Guayaquil, Ecuador.  The frequencies they 
use for this are: 13.988 and 6.988 mHz.  They have continuously tunable HF 
from 3 to 30 and use long wires, verticals, and tuners for their antenna 
systems.  Their chief Op, Pedro Munoz, was quite a nice guy, who gave me the 
tour of his radio shack (not open for the usual  public tours) and who I 
gave a short tour of the Monterey Peninsula.  They are heading for their 
next stop in Seattle, (There July 18-23)and it would be nice for Seattle 
based hams to visit Pedro and the ship's company.  I am thinking that there 
may be some hams who have extra HF gear that they could donate to the ship 
to equip a ham station. That would go great in the tradition of ham radio, 
promoting international good will. The Guayas also stops in San Francisco 29 
July-03 August, Los Angeles  05 - 12 Aug, and San Diego, 13 -17 August.  
Hams near these ports should definitely consider a tour and be sure to look 
up Pedro, for the 'special'radio tour.  (The ship is a spectacular visit, 
even without the radio angle)
Also, there was a special need/request by the Ship's carpenter, Ramon, who 
is looking for a used Pentium computer with Windows 98 aboard.  He has a 
need aboard ship.   Anyone help him out?

The other maritime ham radio opportunity is going gangbusters with great 
communications conditions between the Golden Bear, the Cal Maritime Academy 
Training ship, and U.S. hams.

See: http://atsea.csumb.edu for details

A regular QSO schedule has existed on 14.325 mhz +- at 0400Z.  The ship's 
call is WB6IWB. They are porting, (and therefore off the air) in Suva Fiji 
today (7/1) and will be underway and on the air again on Thursday. They have 
email (ham radio based pactor II, and winlink software) on board.

email address: [email protected].

Tnx
73, DX, de Pat AA6EG/N6IJ  [email protected]

Local: RF or I-link to WA6HHQ, Aptos Ca
441.925 (+) PL 100
On the web: http://www.polkinghorn.org/n6ij, or   
http://communities.msn.com/n6ij
599 DX Drive Marina CA 93933

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