History of 3V8ST

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In 1997 we got a generous donation of $1000 from a US ham in order to support thedevelopment of amateur radio in Tunisia. The money was used to purchase a TS-440,a power supply and a wire antenna. Felix, DL5XL ex DL8OBC transferred the equipment to Tunisia where it was stored in a safe place until November 1999. In the meantime, the search for a location for the new station was successful, so we could apply for a license.

You may have wondered why it took so long to get on the air in Tunisia, but things went much slower than we had expected in 1997. The issuance of a second license in Tunisia was tied to the availability of Amateur Radio equipment. At first we were quite optimistic that things would advance relatively fast but later it turned out that they actually did not. After a long struggle against bureaucratic difficulties, mastered by Mustapha, DL1BDF (DARC official for foreign relations), Andy, DJ7IK and the local authorities, the license for 3V8ST was issued in 1999 for the headquarters of Tunisian Scouts.

In November 1999 Mustapha, DL1BDF and Udo, DL1BDI went to Tunis with all the necessary equipment to set up the station. After another donation of the STARS we were able to buy a 3el beam and a rotator. The photo gallery shows the site, the station and the antennas and some of the future operators of 3V8ST.

Our sincere thanks go those who gave generous donations and support which enabled 3V8ST to go on the air and to promote amateur radio to enthusiastic young people. 3V8ST may have the same effect in this respect as 3V8BB, since this station is available to foreign guest operators like 3V8BB.

Help the scouts to get more familiar with amateur radio!
We hope that you will contact 3V8ST soon.