lcfgroup's video: Amateur Radio in Dominica - Visit by Foundation for International Radio Service FAIRS 1-2020

Radio https://bugbookmuseum.blogspot.com/2020/02/amateur-radio-volunteer-to-help.html Watten Waven tourist information http://wottenwaven.communitytourism.dm/ READ INFORMATION BELOW FOR TRIP REPORT. Photos of trip http://www.n4usa.info Dominica on Google Maps https://www.google.com/maps/place/Roseau,+Dominica/@15.306121,-61.3948394,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8c14d59176f2ef8b:0x5a2f329cb3abb373!8m2!3d15.3091676!4d-61.3793554 February 5, 2020 Dear FAIRS Friends, Dave and I just returned from Dominica and I wanted to update you on things down there. We flew out of Charlotte to San Juan and had to overnight there because there was only one flight into Dominica. We arrived in Dominica and Clement J73CPL met us at the airport. The flight arrived at 5:30 PM so it was beginning to get dark and we had an hour and a half drive across the Island and up to Wotten Waven. To say the roads in Dominica are “curvy” is an understatement!!! The Island is only 32 miles long and 16 miles from the Atlantic to the Caribbean – however, there are 3 to 4 thousand foot mountain peaks and there isn't a straight road from the airport to the Capital Roseau - there are only “S” curves!! up and down the mountains. This was our 32nd trip to Dominica since 1997 and Hetty and Clement make us feel so comfortable – it's definitely our “second home”. Usually when we're up on Wotten Waven – we usually call it “water haven” because it rains every hour or so – this year we only had 3 little showers of rain and they came during the night – I could hear them coming over the mountain and one shower even made it to our house!! This year has been their driest in many years. While we were in Dominica we attended the AGM meeting for DARCI (Dominica Amateur Radio Club Inc) and Clement J73CPL was elected President for 2020. We got to meet all the hams at the meeting and enjoyed it so much. In fact, I made “GayGay's Banana Pudding” to go with the other snacks we fixed for the gathering and it was all gone. I started making this years ago and it's become a tradition to have it at the Amateur Radio Meetings. We also went up to the Club Site several times and helped with some of the repair work they are continuing to do since Hurricane Maria. The Club House was really demolished during the Hurricane – the roof was taken off and the hams have done a wonderful job replacing the roof. The antenna was destroyed and Gilbert J72GPG is very knowledgeable in electronics and while we were there he was able to get the antenna and the rotator repaired and put back up. The Club Site can now be used for making contacts. For many years FAIRS has been working with Gloria Walsh and her non-profit in Dominica called “Love One Teach One”. We met Gloria about 15 years ago when she was Director for a Children's Home. After Gloria set up the non-profit, we began working with her – for many years she was given a school room in a school close to a really poor and needy area close to the Capitol Roseau. When the children walked home from school she would furnish a snack and juice and help the children with their homework. Gloria now helps the children set up projects to improve the area like – painting old tires to be placed along the roads and planting flowers in them. While we were in Dominica, I got together with a group of teens and we painted lots of tables, chairs, cabinets, etc. for a new Pre-School. It was really great to spend time with the teens – I've known many of them for years and it was wonderful to see the projects they're working on and be a part of that work. Clement and Hetty were so kind and since I really don't feel comfortable driving down there any more because of the road conditions, they took time to take us back across the Island to visit with a very special family – Joseph J73JT and Maria Guiste. Joseph is the reason Dave and I started going to Dominica in 1997 – he'd written Dave about 10 times asking for us to come to the Island and help them with Amateur Radio. It was a wonderful day and I'm so happy we were able to visit them and keep in touch. If you have any questions and would like to know more about our trip, please give us a call. Gaynell Larsen, Director 540-392-8831 David Larsen, Director 540-392-2392 KK4WWW/J79WWW KK4WW/J79WW FAIRS call is: N4USA – Dominica J79USA Sincerely, David J79WW and Gaynell J79WWW FAIRS Directors For Pictures of the trip, please go to ---- http://www.n4usa.info Dave has about 400 pictures here of the trip!!! Subscribe to my channel http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=lcfgroup hhttp://www.fairs.org all about "Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service" FAIRS N4USA Ham radio station Floyd Virginia. http://www.microcomputermuseum.com David Larsen blogs about his interest in Historical Microcomputers, Chantilly Farm, Rural land sales and the Tiny House Movement