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color:#222222">My name is Rigoberto, but my radio nick name is Rig.  I am a semi retired businessman with an associated degree on computer sciences and a MB on business administration major on International Relations graduated in United States where I spent lived for over 20 years.

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My beginning in amateur radio goes back to the summer of 1975 at Barrio 27 de Febrero in Santo Domingo. My memory goes back to a night about 7:00pm my mother sent me to our next door neighbor to explain that her favorite soap opera was about to start and she could not watch on her black and white old television unless David Tabar HI8DTG stop transmitting on his old valve tube Drake TR4 transceiver causing lots of TVI all around the neighborhood.  After I pass on the message to Mr. Tabar he asked me to seat down while he was busy operating his station.   I could not resist that interesting sound coming from his radio shack while he was part of a net on the 40 meters band. I sat down by the door to listen that strange slang conversation and the sound coming from the speaker of old Drake TR4.

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That was my very first contact with amateur radio that captured my attention
from that day to date.



In summer of 1975 I started to visit David who installed a CB radio with the
purpose that his son and I stop touching his TR4 Drake transceiver.  We were allowed to use the 23 channels Xtal CB
radio on afternoon only after we have finished our daily school homework.

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After two years on CB radio I started to study and passed the test and officially
became licensed as novice class with callsign HI8NRD in 1977.    In
1979 my family relocated to United States where I lived for many years.  I had a new Elmer who was Arnold Lopez WA2CID
who taught me CW and theory in order to pass my technician license in
1980.  My first call in the US was KA2NQF.  I went thru all amateur classes from Novice, Technician,
General, Advanced and currently hold the Extra Class with the Callsign AI8RD since
2010.  



For some time I had a QTH in New York and a second QTH in the Dominican
Republic, but in year 2000 I permanently moved to Santo Domingo in a
condominium where I was unable to have a decent antenna in the center of the
city.  Later I moved to a house where I
installed my first tower in a suburban area if the city.  In the north part of DR near Puerto Plata I
have a farm where I also installed a station to enjoy ham radio while I do some
farming on a very rural community where there are only two amateur radio
operators.

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"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:#222222">I always had a dream to be on a dxpedition and it was only in
2014 when I was part of a team that activated Saona a remote Island on the east
coast of Dominican Republic using a club station callsign of HI2DX with a group leaded by  HOTEL INDIA DX CLUB.

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One year
later I was part of a team of operators that activated Beata Island on the
south west region of DR. At that time we used HI1UD a club callsign of Union
Dominicana de Radioaficionados (UDRA).

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"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:#222222">My very first international dxpedition was to Svalbard Island in
September of 2022 where I was invited by friends of the Dateline DX Association
of US to be part of a team that activated the callsign JW0A.  I also operated as JW/HI8RD from Longyearbyen,
Svalbard.

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"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:#222222">I enjoy most areas of amateur radio, especially dxing and I do
some contesting.  Amateur radio is a
great and interesting hobby that is not only funny but also very interesting due
to its association with technical and scientific experimenting and most important
it give people the opportunity to create friendship around the globe.

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"Times New Roman";mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:#222222">At present stage on amateur radio I enjoy collecting awards, working
new countries and new world zones, being my main goal to contact all active
countries and entities in the world and achieve the Worked All Zones Award and
the Honor Roll award.