Episode 003 - Angel Santana - WP3GW
Angel, WP3GW travels around the World, from his home on the island of Puerto Rico, not by ship or airplane, but on the wings of ham radio. Angel says, “the magic for me is speaking to people in other countries”. Angel likes to meet people, make connections from different countries and from different backgrounds. From his beginnings on Citizens Band, in 1998, after Hurricane Georges left Angel and his neighbors without power for over a month, Angel discovered ham radio from listening to borrowed scanner. Two years later he got his first ham license after meeting his ham radio “Elmers” at the local CB radio club.
Before the interview, I had Angel on Skype video where he gave me tour of the “wall paper”, or all of the certificates for amateur radio contests where he has participated and placed. As an active “DXer”, someone who uses the low frequencies to make contacts all around the world with other amateur radio operators, Angel takes an active part in contesting that results in these numerous ham radio awards.
Angel says that he has 3 dreams or goals in amateur radio; 1) to enter and to place in an amateur radio on the air contest, 2) speak to the space station, and 3) to make DXCC or the ham radio contest for working and confirming one-hundred countries.
Angel began to meet is goals early in his ham career by placing 25th in the Rookie Category the CQ WPX Contest, his first contest using a CB vertical antenna that was ¼ wave on 20 meters. From then on, Angel participates in as many contests as possible. He has since spoken to astronauts on the International Space Station, and has made DXCC where he has worked over 100 countries.
Angel took David Sumner’s, K1ZZ, CEO of the ARRL, admonition that “every amateur is a promoter of amateur radio” to heart when he became the PIO, or Public Information Officer of the ARRL Puerto Rico Section in 2012. As a result of his promotion of amateur radio to the people of Puerto Rico, using radio and television, Angel was instrumental in getting the ARRL to sponsor a new Annual State Convention in Puerto Rico, every January. Follow this link and stay tuned for the next ARRL State Convention in 2015. http://www.arrlpr.org/?lang=en
Angel makes reference to "World Amateur Radio Day" or WARD, April 18th. While not celebrated extensively in the USA, it is popular in Europe. More information here on Angel's participation in WARD. An update on WARD 2014 is here.
Angel makes reference to the IOTA or Islands On The Air program. More information can be found here.
and US Islands Program:
Through Angel's tireless public relatons efforts in the WARD an IOTA, the radio and television coverage for ham radio drove more and more people in Puerto Rico to become hams to almost 4700 ham operators now licensed on the island. See this stat. Because of the success of ham radio in both the IOTA program around Puerto Rico, the television coverage that it produced, and the successful communications during earth quakes, the hams in Puerto Rico are known by the non-ham population as the “KP4s” or “Ka-pe-quatros”. More information on ham radio in Puerto Rico: http://www.qsl.net/kp4md/rcpr.htm
WP3GW Stats:
First Licensed: 2000
Elmers - Jose, KP4JFR, and Jose, KP4JRS
First Rig: Kenwood TS-440
Current Rig: Yaesu FT-840
Amateur Modes: 2 meter FM, HF SSB, PSK31, RTTY, APRS, some Amateur Television, Slow Scan Television (SSTV), and satellites.
Awards: CQ WPX SSB 2001-Rookie (#25 Worldwide) and 2004. CQ WW SSB 2003-04, 2006-07; WAE 2001-02; Russian Activitry Contest 2004, SAC 2001-02, 2006; IARU 2001-02 and 2005-10; WAC on 2003, WAS on 2007 (SSB) and 2009 (Mixed); DXCC Phone #32.979 on January 28, 2003, eDX100 and ARRL International DX contests 2002-03 and 07. CQ DX Marathon 2009 /2010 for Country and Zone.
ARRL 2011 Phillip J. McGan Memoral Silver Antenna Award
Achievements: Participated on all Field Day's since 2001, ISS voice contacts with Valery Korzun, Mike Fincke, Bill McArthur and Charles Simonyi. Three ARRL internet courses: Level 1 Emergency Communications, Amateur Radio Satellites, and VHF Beyond the Repeaters. Qualification of Isla de Cabras PUR012S for the USi program on WARD 2008 via KP4DJ
Angel says that he has 3 dreams or goals in amateur radio; 1) to enter and to place in an amateur radio on the air contest, 2) speak to the space station, and 3) to make DXCC or the ham radio contest for working and confirming one-hundred countries.
Angel began to meet is goals early in his ham career by placing 25th in the Rookie Category the CQ WPX Contest, his first contest using a CB vertical antenna that was ¼ wave on 20 meters. From then on, Angel participates in as many contests as possible. He has since spoken to astronauts on the International Space Station, and has made DXCC where he has worked over 100 countries.
Angel took David Sumner’s, K1ZZ, CEO of the ARRL, admonition that “every amateur is a promoter of amateur radio” to heart when he became the PIO, or Public Information Officer of the ARRL Puerto Rico Section in 2012. As a result of his promotion of amateur radio to the people of Puerto Rico, using radio and television, Angel was instrumental in getting the ARRL to sponsor a new Annual State Convention in Puerto Rico, every January. Follow this link and stay tuned for the next ARRL State Convention in 2015. http://www.arrlpr.org/?lang=en
Angel makes reference to "World Amateur Radio Day" or WARD, April 18th. While not celebrated extensively in the USA, it is popular in Europe. More information here on Angel's participation in WARD. An update on WARD 2014 is here.
Angel makes reference to the IOTA or Islands On The Air program. More information can be found here.
and US Islands Program:
Through Angel's tireless public relatons efforts in the WARD an IOTA, the radio and television coverage for ham radio drove more and more people in Puerto Rico to become hams to almost 4700 ham operators now licensed on the island. See this stat. Because of the success of ham radio in both the IOTA program around Puerto Rico, the television coverage that it produced, and the successful communications during earth quakes, the hams in Puerto Rico are known by the non-ham population as the “KP4s” or “Ka-pe-quatros”. More information on ham radio in Puerto Rico: http://www.qsl.net/kp4md/rcpr.htm
WP3GW Stats:
First Licensed: 2000
Elmers - Jose, KP4JFR, and Jose, KP4JRS
First Rig: Kenwood TS-440
Current Rig: Yaesu FT-840
Amateur Modes: 2 meter FM, HF SSB, PSK31, RTTY, APRS, some Amateur Television, Slow Scan Television (SSTV), and satellites.
Awards: CQ WPX SSB 2001-Rookie (#25 Worldwide) and 2004. CQ WW SSB 2003-04, 2006-07; WAE 2001-02; Russian Activitry Contest 2004, SAC 2001-02, 2006; IARU 2001-02 and 2005-10; WAC on 2003, WAS on 2007 (SSB) and 2009 (Mixed); DXCC Phone #32.979 on January 28, 2003, eDX100 and ARRL International DX contests 2002-03 and 07. CQ DX Marathon 2009 /2010 for Country and Zone.
ARRL 2011 Phillip J. McGan Memoral Silver Antenna Award
Achievements: Participated on all Field Day's since 2001, ISS voice contacts with Valery Korzun, Mike Fincke, Bill McArthur and Charles Simonyi. Three ARRL internet courses: Level 1 Emergency Communications, Amateur Radio Satellites, and VHF Beyond the Repeaters. Qualification of Isla de Cabras PUR012S for the USi program on WARD 2008 via KP4DJ
 First Rig: Kenwood TS-440 |  Current Rig: Yaesu FT840 |
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