have been a ham for over 40
years, involved in most all
aspects of the hobby with an
emphasis on contesting. Most
of that contesting has been from
my modest home QTH, but some
has included operating at several
West Coast Big Gun stations, at
W7RM principally, and a couple of
contests at W7GG's big station.
I had been thinking of trying some
operating from a DX location, and
I was able to follow that dream
when I was asked to join the Cinco
Nueve Contest Group (A small
group of hams from the Portland
and Eugene, Oregon areas) for
their operation at TI5N, using the
station of Carlos Diez
TI5KD,
for
the 2003 ARRL DX CW Contest.
The operators for the trip were to
be Al Rovner, K7AR, Mark Perrin,
N7MQ and Ron WJ7R and myself.
The preparations were made; get-
ting a passport, arranging airline
tickets, selecting equipment, work-
ing on propagation and band
plans, and on and on. Still, the
time seemed to drag until it was
just a few days before I was to
leave for the trip.
Then, the week before we were to
leave, WJ7R injured his shoulder
and was unable to make the trip.
And, the weekend before
departure, on confirming flights, I
learned that for some reason my
airline tickets were not for the
same flights as shown on my
itinerary from the travel agent.
Instead of a leisurely daytime
flight with the others, on Monday
before the contest, my flights
started with a red eye flight to
Atlanta that evening. Then I
would spend the pre-dawn hours
at the Atlanta airport until the
connecting flight with the others,
leaving late on Tuesday morning.
I was learning about the patience
required on international travel. I
met K7AR and N7MQ at the
airport when they arrived, and we
went to our gate to wait for our
flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.
This being my first trip out of the
country I was a little nervous
about what I would run into as far
as security and customs when we
arrived in San Jose. No worries;
we breezed right thru with no
difficulties at all. I had been
wondering what if any problems I
would have when the security
agents find out I was carrying an
FT 890, its power supply, and a
computer on the flights, but it only
raised a moderate amount of
curiosity.
We arrived in San Jose in the after-
noon that Tuesday and found
Keko Diez,
TI5KD,
waiting for us
as we left the airport. We split up
into two groups, one piling in his
small car with the bags, and the
others with his wife, Sophia, TI2IY,
and headed off to their home, in
their separate cars.
Their QTH is a very short distance
from the San Jose airport in
Guacima. Wow! We left cold and
overcast weather in Atlanta and
arrived in the warm sunshine of
Costa Rica. At least that part of
what I expected and hoped for was
coming true - DX travel was
proving simply fabulous.
TI5N Contest team Jim Cassidy, KI7Y; Al Rovner, K7AR; Will Gross,
TI2WGO, and Mark Perrin, N7MQ.
Keko and Sophia have a very nice
place, in a walled compound
surrounded by fruit trees,
beautiful grounds and a very
comfortable home. The property
not only includes their own ham
station, but has two separate
apartments for their guests, and a
terrific contest station in one of the
apartments. Keko, Sophia, their
children and their terrier, Brescia,
made us feel at home immediately.
Keko talked through the antennas,
and showed us around the contest
station. We quickly felt at home
and that evening began some
operating. Keko has a very nice
antenna farm with towers, beams
quads, wire beams, etc - just every
type of antenna you could want,
and more effective than what I
have to chose from at home.
-KI7Y
Editor's Note: This is the first part
of a longer article penned by PARC
Member Jim Cassidy, KI7Y, about his
trip to Costa Rica for the 2003 ARRL
CW DX Contest, which operation
garnered the highest score for a DX
multioperator, multi-transmitter
entry. Jim and Al Rovner, K7AR,
will be presenting the program for the
September 19 general meeting, on this
trip and operation. Many thanks to
K7AR for providing the accompany-
ing photographs.
to arrange a visit.