Chapter 49: Communication by Ham Radio - A Great Blessing
AS TOLD BY JOHN AGERSTEN
NOMIRA
During our time in Norway from April 1971 to July 1972, we visited an enthusiastic radio amateur in Halden, Steinar Aabø. He, along with several other radio amateurs in Scandinavia, had established a network for communication with missionaries in the field, known as NOMIRA (The Nordic Mission Radio Amateurs). Those involved in this network were passionate radio amateurs who also wished to provide support and assistance to missionaries around the world. They had contacts in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Our visit with Steinar opened our eyes to the possibility of improved communication with Norway. This would be incredibly beneficial for us down in the jungle, especially given the slow and uncertain mail service. This was many years before the advent of the internet and mobile phones, and there were no landlines for miles around. However, to make use of this network of radio amateurs, we obviously needed a radio that could send and receive signals.
We presented the idea to our sending congregation, Salem, in Oslo, and we managed to gather some funds for the radio while we were in Norway. However, what we raised was far from sufficient. In May 1974, an article appeared in Korsets Seier discussing the need for radio equipment for Tigre Playa in the Peruvian jungle. In October 1974, Pastor Magne Tangen wrote in a letter that the congregation had allocated a sum for amateur radio, along with Filadelfia in Alta, which was the sending congregation for the Wilhelm family. He further mentioned that it would be possible to apply to the Mission Fund for the remaining amount. We applied and received a positive response. This allowed us to proceed with purchasing a radio and the necessary equipment.
We planned to buy the radio in Peru, as we wanted to avoid the issues with import and customs we had experienced with the electricity generator. However, there was not an abundance of amateur radios for sale in Peru, and what was available was quite expensive.
During our time in Norway from April 1971 to July 1972, we visited an enthusiastic radio amateur in Halden, Steinar Aabø. He, along with several other radio amateurs in Scandinavia, had established a network for communication with missionaries in the field, known as NOMIRA (The Nordic Mission Radio Amateurs). Those involved in this network were passionate radio amateurs who also wished to provide support and assistance to missionaries around the world. They had contacts in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Our visit with Steinar opened our eyes to the possibility of improved communication with Norway. This would be incredibly beneficial for us down in the jungle, especially given the slow and uncertain mail service. This was many years before the advent of the internet and mobile phones, and there were no landlines for miles around. However, to make use of this network of radio amateurs, we obviously needed a radio that could send and receive signals.
We presented the idea to our sending congregation, Salem, in Oslo, and we managed to gather some funds for the radio while we were in Norway. However, what we raised was far from sufficient. In May 1974, an article appeared in Korsets Seier discussing the need for radio equipment for Tigre Playa in the Peruvian jungle. In October 1974, Pastor Magne Tangen wrote in a letter that the congregation had allocated a sum for amateur radio, along with Filadelfia in Alta, which was the sending congregation for the Wilhelm family. He further mentioned that it would be possible to apply to the Mission Fund for the remaining amount. We applied and received a positive response. This allowed us to proceed with purchasing a radio and the necessary equipment.
We planned to buy the radio in Peru, as we wanted to avoid the issues with import and customs we had experienced with the electricity generator. However, there was not an abundance of amateur radios for sale in Peru, and what was available was quite expensive.
Purchase of a Communications Radio
One of the pilots we had become acquainted with, David Ramsdale, who flew for Wycliffe Bible Translators in Peru, offered to sell us his used shortwave radio so that we could get started. It was an older tube radio, but it worked perfectly well. We decided to accept David's offer. He and others assisted us with the installation, providing us with valuable advice on how to use it. They also constructed a dipole antenna that we managed to set up. We don't recall exactly when this happened, but it was likely in the first half of 1975.
At that time, we had established good contact with Wycliffe, which had its center in Yarina Cocha near Pucallpa, approximately 500 miles in a straight line from Tigre Playa. They worked with the indigenous tribes in the district to translate the New Testament, parts of the Bible, school materials, and other resources into the various languages spoken by these tribes. Naturally, the first and most significant task was to learn the language and develop a written form of it. They would visit us on some of their trips, landing on the river with the seaplanes they used. We initially got to know the pilots, and eventually, a fuel depot for the planes was established at Tigre Playa. They had previously located it in Puerto America but wished to move it down to our site for various reasons.
Later, we also received a radio from them to provide weather reports and so on. It was quite a small radio with a fixed frequency that Wycliffe used to communicate with its missionaries and translators when they were out in the indigenous villages across the jungle. It was powered by a car battery that had a small solar panel as its energy source. We referred to this radio as the Yarina Radio.
One of the pilots we had become acquainted with, David Ramsdale, who flew for Wycliffe Bible Translators in Peru, offered to sell us his used shortwave radio so that we could get started. It was an older tube radio, but it worked perfectly well. We decided to accept David's offer. He and others assisted us with the installation, providing us with valuable advice on how to use it. They also constructed a dipole antenna that we managed to set up. We don't recall exactly when this happened, but it was likely in the first half of 1975.
At that time, we had established good contact with Wycliffe, which had its center in Yarina Cocha near Pucallpa, approximately 500 miles in a straight line from Tigre Playa. They worked with the indigenous tribes in the district to translate the New Testament, parts of the Bible, school materials, and other resources into the various languages spoken by these tribes. Naturally, the first and most significant task was to learn the language and develop a written form of it. They would visit us on some of their trips, landing on the river with the seaplanes they used. We initially got to know the pilots, and eventually, a fuel depot for the planes was established at Tigre Playa. They had previously located it in Puerto America but wished to move it down to our site for various reasons.
Later, we also received a radio from them to provide weather reports and so on. It was quite a small radio with a fixed frequency that Wycliffe used to communicate with its missionaries and translators when they were out in the indigenous villages across the jungle. It was powered by a car battery that had a small solar panel as its energy source. We referred to this radio as the Yarina Radio.
Radio License and First Contacts
To use the shortwave radio, we needed a license for amateur radio operation. The Department of Transport and Communication in Lima issued radio licenses. Rudolf applied first. He took the exam in April 1975 and, after some time, received the license by mail. I applied a little later for the same. It turned out to be quite easy; we did not need to take a Morse code test. It was simply a matter of paying the fee. Both Rudolf and I could then transmit on certain frequencies designated for beginners. Later, we received an extended license that allowed us to use additional frequencies. My call sign was OA8CL.
It was a landmark day when we established the first radio contact between Iquitos and Tigre Playa. This occurred in August 1975 when I was in Iquitos. I knew an amateur radio operator there, and we managed to connect with Rudolf, who was in the small radio room he had previously built just outside his house. The communication came through quite well. The conditions were not always as favorable. Over time, we expanded our network and also made contacts with several NOMIRA operators in Scandinavia. I remember one of the first times we connected with Steinar Aabø in Halden. He recorded a message from us to our parents on cassette and then played it back for them over the phone. It was a significant experience for both them and us!
Antenna and Tower
Later, we managed to set up a steel pipe antenna tower. It consisted of two sections, each 25 feet long, which were assembled to create a 50 feet tall structure. With advice and assistance from Wycliffe pilots, we installed a quad antenna at the top of the tower, which also had a rotor, allowing us to direct the antenna in the desired direction. I remember it was thrilling to climb up the swaying tower to install the antenna.
With the new antenna, we achieved better communication with Norway and with several missionaries in South America, including the Lindgren missionaries in Lima. Many missionaries were inspired by NOMIRA during these years to acquire communication radios and obtain their radio licenses.
To use the shortwave radio, we needed a license for amateur radio operation. The Department of Transport and Communication in Lima issued radio licenses. Rudolf applied first. He took the exam in April 1975 and, after some time, received the license by mail. I applied a little later for the same. It turned out to be quite easy; we did not need to take a Morse code test. It was simply a matter of paying the fee. Both Rudolf and I could then transmit on certain frequencies designated for beginners. Later, we received an extended license that allowed us to use additional frequencies. My call sign was OA8CL.
It was a landmark day when we established the first radio contact between Iquitos and Tigre Playa. This occurred in August 1975 when I was in Iquitos. I knew an amateur radio operator there, and we managed to connect with Rudolf, who was in the small radio room he had previously built just outside his house. The communication came through quite well. The conditions were not always as favorable. Over time, we expanded our network and also made contacts with several NOMIRA operators in Scandinavia. I remember one of the first times we connected with Steinar Aabø in Halden. He recorded a message from us to our parents on cassette and then played it back for them over the phone. It was a significant experience for both them and us!
Antenna and Tower
Later, we managed to set up a steel pipe antenna tower. It consisted of two sections, each 25 feet long, which were assembled to create a 50 feet tall structure. With advice and assistance from Wycliffe pilots, we installed a quad antenna at the top of the tower, which also had a rotor, allowing us to direct the antenna in the desired direction. I remember it was thrilling to climb up the swaying tower to install the antenna.
With the new antenna, we achieved better communication with Norway and with several missionaries in South America, including the Lindgren missionaries in Lima. Many missionaries were inspired by NOMIRA during these years to acquire communication radios and obtain their radio licenses.
The Radio Became an Asset in Medical Work
The radio proved to be invaluable in our efforts to assist all the sick who came from near and far seeking help at Tigre Playa. In San Lorenzo, the Catholic nuns operated a clinic, and in the provincial capital of Yurimaguas, there was a hospital. That was all that existed in the entire vast province. The journey from Tigre Playa and the villages upriver on the Marañon, including its tributaries, was a long one, especially to San Lorenzo, let alone Yurimaguas. At that time, almost no one had any means of transportation other than canoe and paddles.
Rudolf recounts one instance when he made contact via the amateur radio with a German doctor who was working in a mountain village in Peru. At that time, a couple of believers from a small village further up the Marañon had brought a woman from the outpost congregation. She was suffering from severe abdominal pain with urinary retention due to a serious infection. The German doctor provided quite an unconventional piece of advice, but it turned out to be the correct treatment for the situation.
This was not the only time we received assistance through the radio. Sometimes it was from doctors in Peru, but we also connected with a network of Christian doctors in the United States, who were a tremendous help in addressing the needs of the increasing number of patients who came to Tigre Playa.
The radio proved to be invaluable in our efforts to assist all the sick who came from near and far seeking help at Tigre Playa. In San Lorenzo, the Catholic nuns operated a clinic, and in the provincial capital of Yurimaguas, there was a hospital. That was all that existed in the entire vast province. The journey from Tigre Playa and the villages upriver on the Marañon, including its tributaries, was a long one, especially to San Lorenzo, let alone Yurimaguas. At that time, almost no one had any means of transportation other than canoe and paddles.
Rudolf recounts one instance when he made contact via the amateur radio with a German doctor who was working in a mountain village in Peru. At that time, a couple of believers from a small village further up the Marañon had brought a woman from the outpost congregation. She was suffering from severe abdominal pain with urinary retention due to a serious infection. The German doctor provided quite an unconventional piece of advice, but it turned out to be the correct treatment for the situation.
This was not the only time we received assistance through the radio. Sometimes it was from doctors in Peru, but we also connected with a network of Christian doctors in the United States, who were a tremendous help in addressing the needs of the increasing number of patients who came to Tigre Playa.
In 1978, we purchased a small communication radio, an Argonaut, which operated on flashlight batteries. We installed it in the riverboat. This radio contact meant a great deal to us while traveling, as well as to those back home. We used a long wire antenna that was simply tossed over a branch, and a small antenna tuner allowed us to tune into the right frequency. The radio had only 3 watts going to the antenna. However, with very little electronic interference in the jungle, it performed well. Occasionally, I made contacts from this little radio in the boat with amateur radio operators in far-off places, including Alaska, Russia, and New Zealand! The most important connection, of course, was with those back home in Tigre Playa. A couple of years after acquiring our first radio, which was an older model, we received a gift that made it possible to purchase a more modern radio with a stronger transmitter. This resulted in a significant improvement in communication with the outside world.
Radio Contact After Moving from Tigre Playa
We continued to greatly benefit from both the amateur radio and the Yarina radio after we moved to Betania around New Year 1984/85, located near Saramiriza further west/up the Marañon. There, we also established a fuel depot for Wycliffe’s small planes. The Wilhelm family also had a fuel depot in Industrial, where they moved in May/June 1984.
The radio tower was dismantled and transported in two parts by passenger boat upstream. The old antenna was in terrible condition. We were overjoyed when we received a new antenna as a gift from our friends in the United States. This antenna and tower traveled with us when we moved the house from Betania to the village of Saramiriza in the spring of 1992. We will write more about that move later.
Radio Contact After Moving from Tigre Playa
We continued to greatly benefit from both the amateur radio and the Yarina radio after we moved to Betania around New Year 1984/85, located near Saramiriza further west/up the Marañon. There, we also established a fuel depot for Wycliffe’s small planes. The Wilhelm family also had a fuel depot in Industrial, where they moved in May/June 1984.
The radio tower was dismantled and transported in two parts by passenger boat upstream. The old antenna was in terrible condition. We were overjoyed when we received a new antenna as a gift from our friends in the United States. This antenna and tower traveled with us when we moved the house from Betania to the village of Saramiriza in the spring of 1992. We will write more about that move later.
Dr. Miguel Cervantes and Gro in the administration office at the Saramiriza Health Center in 1991. At that time, the Health Center was provided with its own radio frequency to communicate with the health authorities in Iquitos for Loreto Province. The health center was built and operated in its early years as a project of PYM/NORAD, and it was inaugurated in August 1990. Dr. Cervantes was the first doctor at the center, and his wife, Nelly Palomares, served as a midwife. They were originally from Lima and worked at the health center for several years.
We will write more about the health center later.
We will write more about the health center later.