CO8TH

My first impressions about the ham radio came to me when I was a teenager. My all family was taking a summer vacation in the beautiful beach named “El Socucho” at the north coast of my home town. Over there I saw, big and strange antennas, not like a TV antenna. They took all my attention. I asked somebody about them and received, as an answer, just a few words: “They are the ham radio operator´s antennas” that´s all I knew!!!.

From that house, where antennas were located, came out, by nights, a tall and skinny man carries on fisherman´s stuffs. He usually went into the sea for long hours. Those antennas were my first “knowledge” about ham radio but, it was enough to set into my young mind a deep clue.

During my studies at Lithuania’s republic, I saw a student, a classmate surrounded by a lot of dih-dah noises. As an answer to my question he said:   “I´m Radiolubitel” (ham radio operator in Russian language), so, I got a few ideas about CW and his ham use.

At the time, I met again with “the tall and skinny man”.  A big chronicle about him and his hobbies, were written in the local news paper named “26 de Julio”. Besides being a ham radio operator, he practices fishing as a hobby. At this very moment I knew he was: The 90´s years old CO8BO, Benjamin Dias Dias. I carefully read the article and finally took an idea about the hobby.

These were a lot of my “touches” with the ham radio world but, finally, a day, that I can´t remember:The light came on! I met the person who showed me “The first steps of the ham radio way” The sadly silence key, Ezequiel Lafitta, CO8LW. Wherever he is, I send him words of gratefulness. Beside him, I was fully introduced to this amazing hobby.

I am very grateful to a lot of fellows that, by one way or another, showed me the meaning of the hobby. I want deeply to thanks to CO8BO, Benjamin, one of the founders of the Cuban Radio Ham Federation and a friend that inspired me to get into the world of this hobby. CO8LW, Ezequiel, my everlasting radio-godfather. CO8ZZ, Raul, the inexhaustible comrade that is always ready to help and always has words of radio-wisdom to everybody. KA4DPT, Raul, my first international QSO.  CO8NT, Juanito –silence key- The wonderful CW operator, a friend, with a great patience, that introduced me to the CW skills. CO8EB, Emilio. The ancient president of the Las Tunas Radio Club. A person through whom, I knew some histories about our radio club, their activities and members.

In1997, I´ve got my novice license. Today my current callsing is CO8TH with the first class license.

My first radio was a homemade radio, like EICO-753. This radio brought me a lot of headaches!!

Today my working conditions are as follows:

• FT-101ZD
• TK-760G
• FT-80C
• Hammarlund HQ-140x
• Walkie Talkies FT-23R for 2 meter band
• Dipole “V” inverted antennas for 10 to 80 meter band
• Yagi and “J” antennas for 2 meter band

With these working conditions I enjoy DXing and participating in national and international contest in SSB, where I have achieved modest results, but I really had fan! I had been participated and enjoy participating every year in CUCALMBE CONTEST, REMEDIOS CONTETS, CQ-WW-SSB, CQ-WPX, and ARRL-DX CONTEST where I was awarded: First Place Cuba on 2015.

I prefer to collect printed QSL cards instead of digital ones! 

Hope to meet you on the bands!!