Don Bosco Technical College Amateur Radio Club

1963

The Club was formally organized sometime in the school year 1962 to 1963. The founding group was headed by Engr. Emilio Asistores, DU1EA, a school official. The first members, coming from the high school department learned their basic skills in amateur radio from Fred Hashim, DU1EH, of the Philippine Amateur Radio League, Inc. (PARLINC). It was DU1EH who initiated the aspiring youths to the beauty of amateur radio by opening the doors of his shack at the time when the students did not yet have their own station to operate.

During the summer of 1965, arrangements were made through school officials, like Richard Nelson, WA6OBM, and benefactors here and in the United States of America to obtain Heath Company kits for the club. By the end of the same year, the kits arrived and were immediately assembled. The kits include an SB-300 receiver. Two years later, an SB-400 transmitter arrived which was assembled by Demetrio Carmona, now a Salesian priest, a class B ham and our former Fr. Administrator. It was only by school year 1966 to 1967 that the whole apparatus was finally put together as a working system.

The present hamshack, which is on top of the four storey college building, was built also sometime in the end of 1967. The club then had a four-element triband cubical quad antenna. The quad antenna (homebrew) has since been the club’s symbol of power. Being DX’ers by orientation and at heart, they draw guidance from the slogan “WE TALK TO THE WORLD.”

The club maintains ties with amateur groups like PARLINC which has been helping the club for the past 29 years. By the late sixties, ties with the Philippine Amateur Radio Association (PARA) were made and with the Philippine Chamber of Amateur Radio Societies (PCARS).

The club’s activities have always been centered on experiments in electronics and communications. DBTC-ARC is also very active in DXpeditions. It is rather not active in local events. It has committed to be involved in the annual Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) of the Boy and Girl Scouts of the Philippines.

As a DXer, the club is a recipient of various awards. It has DX Century Club (DXCC) to its credit. It also keeps a Worked All Zones (WAZ), Worked All Continents (WAC), International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) awards and a host of contest certificates and plaques.

The club has organized a DXpedition to Caballo Islands, signing as 4D0DBT some yewars back. It has also participated in the Calaguas Islands field DXpedition organized by the Bicol Amateur Radio Relay League, Inc. (BARRL) and the PCARS in the summer of 1983.

Presently, ARC DX1DBT enjoy the services of a TRIO TS-520D, ICOM IC-25H, KENWOOD TS-440S, a two element triband cubical quad, a three element triband yagi, a two element monoband quad for 2m, and various yagi and dipole antennas allowing the group to operate from 10m to 160m.

Sometime in 1979, DBTC-ARC acquired an 11m rig (CB radio) and was licensed by the NTC signing DZB-241A and operating CB Channel 15. The CB users in the club were organized forming the civic arm of the club known as the DBTC-ARC 11 Meter Group.

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