|
Medical Mission to Honduras
Interested in visiting another country, helping out a good cause, using amateur radio and having a whole bunch of fun at the same time? Getting involved in a medical mission to Honduras may be just the right opportunity for you!
The International Health Service (IHS) of Minnesota is a non-profit organization that provides free health care to the people of Honduras. Each year IHS sends teams to various parts of Honduras to provide health care to people that desperately need it. IHS has been doing this work for over 20 years. In February 2002, the mission trip included 111 people assigned to ten teams that set up temporary clinics to serve over 10,000 medical and dental patients.
A typical team includes one or two doctors, a few nurses, a pharmacist, a dentist, a radio operator, an engineer, a language translator and a few general helpers. These teams are spread out, often into remote parts of the country, so the role of radio operator is critical to providing communications that link these teams together. Most villages have no phones, electricity or even roads. The typical radio setup at each location is similar to a basic Field Day operation-an HF transceiver powered by a gasoline generator, driving a wire antenna hung on the nearest tree or building.
IHS is in need of amateur radio operators with HF portable operating experience that are interested in this type of volunteer work. The next mission to Honduras is scheduled for February 14 to March 2, 2003. Applications for this important mission are being taken now through the beginning of October 2002.
Most IHS participants find this to be some of the most rewarding work they have ever done. If you'd like to find out more about this opportunity, contact John KB0UUP listed below.
HR3/KBØCY Amateur Radio Operation from Honduras
Denny HR3/KB9DPF (left) and Bob HR3/KB0CY (right) operate the HF station set up
temporarily in the local school house. The station was a Kenwood TS-440S with
G5RV Junior antenna, powered by gasoline generator.
Bob HR3/KB0CY is making an OSCAR contact from Honduras using an FT-817 (located
in a fanny pack) and an Arrow dualband antenna.
Contact Information
John Kirckof, KB0UUP, IHS Communications Director, JMKKEK@runestone.net, Tel. 320-634-4386
Internet links:
The IHS web site is at http://www.ihsofmn.org
A Yahoo groups web site for IHS Radio Operators is active at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IHSRadio
|
The KØNR Radio
Site