I’m sitting at Dulles Airport in Virginia, USA after a mad couple of weeks packing up the house and preparing for the move to Madagascar. In a bit more than a day, I should be on the ground in Madagascar, where I’ll be living for the next two or three years. This seems like a good time to provide a bit of an update.
First, I would like to acknowledge the help that I’ve had from a number of hams who have either previously worked from Madagascar, or who live there. My first contact was with Ken AD6KA (former 5R8GQ), who is listed on the ARRL country information page for Madagascar. Ken operated from Madagascar about fifteen years ago, but did not have current contacts with the regulatory authorities there. He did, however, point me in the direction of Phil Whitchurch, G3SWH. Phil is based in the UK, but has operated from Madagascar several times. Phil is also currently QSL Manager for a number of hams operating from Madagascar. Phil in turn introduced me to Albert, 5R8GZ.
Albert was instrumental in obtaining the equivalent of a license and call sign from OMERT (Office Malagasy d’Etudes et de Régulation des Télecommunications). I provided him a number of documents by mail (scans of my passport, visa, US license, etc.), and he did the footwork on the other end. I was very happy to hear that the “SV” callsign was available, since it appeared in both my Belgian (ON9CSV) and US (AI4SV) callsigns, and I had gotten very used to hearing it. The license is specific to equipment named in the request, in this case my Yaesu FT817ND and Elecraft K3. The license is issued for a renewable five year term, with a yearly fee of 90,000 Ariary (about $35 USD). These two units should provide me with flexibility in terms of both portable and fixed operation and frequency coverage from 160m through 70cm.
Most of the station equipment will not arrive for a few months. Even then, I expect that I will only be able to bring equipment online gradually as I unpack it and set it up after work and on weekends. For the immediate future, I am limited to low power operation with the FT817ND, because that is was I was able to fit into my luggage. I realize that this is suboptimal from the perspective of DXers, particularly those with more limited stations, but I was up against logistic constraints.
Jack, pretty much everything about your trip to Madagascar is fascinating. Mainly because I’ve read just enough about the place to be extremely curious about what it’s like there. I enjoy reading about your adventures, whether they be on the radio or whatever. BTW – I worked you on 20m tonight. Some of my curiosity starts with why in the world are you there for 2-3 years? I read your blog and so far have seen nothing about why you are there. If you’re not working for the CIA or something like that maybe you can let curious folks like me know.
Hi Art,
Thanks for the QSO and for spotting me. I’ve worked for the last five years at the US National Cancer Institute and recently joined their Center for Global Health. The Center has people stations regionally, in Beijing, New Delhi, and Latin America, but until I moved here, we didn’t have someone on location in Africa. I started as director of cancer programs in Africa back in May and the travel back and forth between Bethesda, MD and meeting locations in Africa was really wearing me down, particularly with all the time zone changes. My wife is a US Foreign Service Officer in the foreign affairs section. We managed to find a dual assignment that would work for both of us, as well as our kids who are still in highschool. There is an American curriculum school here and despite being in the southern hemisphere, its school year follows the North American calendar, so it was a smooth transition. South Africa probably would have made more sense in a logistical sense, but Madagascar seems to be working out pretty well and I’m in a reasonable time zone to do business with Africa… plus, I’ve always wanted to go to Madagascar.
When we move to a post, it’s the whole house, so moving for less than two years really doesn’t make sense. I asked for a three year assignment because that’s about how long it takes to evolve good contacts and really get programs in motion. I wouldn’t be surprised if we followed this tour with another in southern Africa, maybe Rwanda or Namibia.
73,
Jack
5R8SV / AI4SV