On August 22, the Honduras National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) delivered Amateur Radio equipment to COPECO -- a government disaster-organization coordination agency -- for use in an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) pilot project that aims to take wider advantage of the Winlink HF email system for emergency communication. The ITU pilot project includes Central America and the Caribbean with the goal of achieving implementation throughout South America. Winlink already enjoys wide usage in North America by Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams. ITU donated the equipment.

"The most important thing is that CONATEL, COPECO, and radio amateurs start working with the Winlink tool," said ITU Area D Representative Miguel Alcaine. "I am very happy to know that we are doing something before disaster strikes."

The donation consists of an HF radio, a VHF radio, a multiband dipole, a VHF antenna, an automatic antenna tuner, a modem, and coaxial cable.

National Commissioned Minister of COPECO Lisandro Rosales said that one of his agency's objectives has been to strengthen information and communication technologies (ICTs) -- a primary ITU initiative. "We have realized that telecommunications is a key element in order to give early warning and to warn about imminent danger, or to coordinate assistance or reconstruction activities," Rosales said.

"This program and radio equipment will allow first responders that work during emergencies to send information [via HF], when telephone and digital communications collapse or if there are power outages," commented Omar Paredes, HR1OP, secretary of Club de Radio Aficionados Central de Honduras (CRACH). -- Thanks to IARU Region 2 and the ARRL

Update: 9/7/2018
XE1BRX, Senor Remba from FMRE in Mexico will arrive Monday 9/10/18 to start the final configuration and gateway power up.
Gateway call sign is HR0COP. Tentative next installs are Costa Rica and Dominican Republic for 2nd week in October 2018, two teams same day.

Update: 9/10/18 First photos of HR0COP gateway and it is on the air. https://mikeburton.smugmug.com/organize/Honduran-Gateway-HR0COP-activated

Parte dos, una plática sobre el funcionamiento y utilidad de este sistema, Técnicos de #Copeco y de Conatel Honduras participan en capacitación de telecomunicaciones en emergencia y subsistemas de radio VHF y HF, impartida por miembros de la Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones #OIT y presentada por Jonathan Remba XE1BRX miembro de la Federacion Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores. En unos días mas se harán las otras seis instalaciones: Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica y Republica Dominicana.

August 24, 2018--The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today requested and was granted a temporary waiver of section 97.307(f) of the Commission’s rules to permit use of Pactor 4 for amateur communications between the United States mainland and Hawaii related to Hurricane Lane relief. The waiver is in effect through Tuesday, August 28, 2018. Another formal order related to a longer, 30-day waiver will be released next week.

US amateur Pactor gateways capable of running Pactor 4 and are involved in hurricane relief communications with Hawaii are requested to configure their stations to permit connections with this mode. Watch for further news regarding these temporary waivers of FCC rules to avoid violations.

--Winlink Development Team