The first Radio Club of PR was the PORTO RICO RADIO CLUB (in those days it was spelled PORTO instead of PUERTO), founded by Don Joaquín Agusty in the 1920's. At that time don Joaquín was "4JE" (there were no KP4 calls until after the second world war). With him were his adoptive son Enrique Camuñas, Jesús T. Piñero "4KT", José Maduro, Luis Rexach and others.  Many years later the club disintegrated when Agusty went to work at WKAQ, the first broadcast station in Puerto Rico and the fifth in the world. For many years there was no active club in Puerto Rico.

The Museo de la Radio (Museum of Radio) was established at La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Santurce, Puerto Rico during the Communications Fair in 1990.  Part of the Museum is a replica of the office of Don Joaquín Agusty, radio pioneer of Puerto Rico. The Museum also displays exhibits of equipment belonging to the old radio station WKAQ and private collections of the era.  The Museum preserves the memory of the beginnings of this medium in Puerto Rico and honors the speakers, technicians, news commentators, announcers, actors, singers, musicians, writers, producers and sound engineers who have worked or still work in this most independent, flexible and mobile medium.  For more information about the Museo de la Radio, contact La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, PO Box 12383, San Juan, PR 00914-0383, Tel. (787) 728-1515.

Then, the first "PR Amateur Radio Club." was founded in Ponce by Don Tito Wirshing-KP4BI (deceased). Soon, the club moved to San Juan, it was incorporated with the same name, and started functioning in 1939. For years it published the monthly bulletin Onda Terrestre, operated the club station KP4ID, held annual meetings and weekly nets on Sundays at 1000 local time on 7.250 MHz and on its 2 meter FM repeater WR4ANI on Cerro La Santa on 147.69/147.09 MHz.

In 1985 it was disaffiliated from the ARRL. It began losing support until 1989-1990 when, for internal reasons, the Board of Directors was deposed. Since then, from time to time, some unsuccessful attempts have been made to reorganize the club. We hope to be able to see the club functioning again one day.

See an example of Onda Terrestre

See the cover of the 1978 RCPR Yearbook and Directory

The Puerto Rico Amateur Radio League
The Federation of Radio Amateurs

Since then The Federation of Radio Amateurs in the western area and the Puerto Rico Amateur Radio League in San Juan were organized. Both organizations work together but are autonomous. They have members throughout the island. These two organizations have taken in the radio amateurs who still maintain a great interest in radio. There are several other regional groups that are active.

The Puerto Rico Amateur Radio League was founded out of the necessity for an organization to include all those who for one reason or another had no radio club. In its year of organization, 1988, it took in more than 200 amateurs who for years were without an organization. Today there are about 400 members. Membership is by invitation similar to the QCWA, The Radio Club of America, the OOTC and others. In 1989, it was affiliated with the ARRL and became the first Special Service Club outside of the United States.

It achieved the approval of the Law of Special License Plates for radio amateurs and later an amendment to eliminate the use of double license plates (January 1998). It publishes the magazine ¡EUREKA!, chosen by the ARNS as among the best in the nation. It sponsors a large number of activities including ARRL Field Day, this year at the Bacardi Rum Plant in Cataño, offers classes at the University of PR for the Novice, Technician, Technician +, and General class amateur radio licenses (and assistance for those studying for the Advanced and Extra Class licenses with 13 and 20 word per minute Morse code). It is a sponsor of the ARRL/VEC and sponsors the ARRL/VEC PR team with monthly exams (the last Saturday of every month) at the University of Puerto Rico. It achieved approval for exams in Spanish for Novice, Technician, Technician + and General Class; Morse code exams in Spanish for 5 words per minute; published question pool books in Spanish so that those who do not know English may take exams in Spanish, and sponsored the publication of a theory book in Spanish for the same purpose.

It maintains a web site with 8-9 pages that serve to inform the public of its programs. This site is sponsored by the Interamerican University as part of the UNESCO program. You can reach the world through the KP4ES Gateway on the Internet or via 2 meters. (KP4ES is the call of the PRARL, obtained in memoriam of Don Pedro Pizá). It maintains an FM repeater on 146.85 MHz with the call KP4CK, Felín Rodríguez (deceased), husband of Alicia-KP4CL (who certainly is the most senior YL in PR).

How and when Amateur Radio arrived in Puerto Rico

Frequencies used by Radio Amateurs in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican radio amateurs and other Spanish speaking hams meet daily on the following frequencies (approximate times):
 

You can listen to on the air signals now through your computer on a WEB Software Defined Radio or this Virtual Shortwave Receiver.

Some Links to other Puerto Rican Amateur Radio Resources

Electronic Mailing List Servers:

These are e-mail list servers open to all radio amateurs for the discussion of ham radio in Puerto Rico.

KP4-Genie Sponsored by the Puerto Rico Amateur Radio League To subscribe to the list, go to KP4-Genie and follow directions.

[email protected] Sponsored by ISLA.NET This list is DISCONTINUED

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This page has been on QSL.NET since 05 APR 1998 and is currently being updated 13 JAN 2016

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