Philippine Amateur Radio Association Inc. (PARA / DX1PAR)
Philippine Amateur Radio Association Inc. (PARA / DX1PAR)
In 2018, the Philippines launched its first satellite capable of relaying amateur radio transmissions, the DIWATA-2 (PO-101). The Philippine Amateur Radio Association (PARA), through its affiliate organization, AMSAT Philippines, spearheaded the testing of various Philippine satellites with amateur radio payload such as the DIWATA-2 satellite. AMSAT Philippines president Eduardo Victor Valdez (DU1EV) coordinated with the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) the satellite frequencies and call signs used for the Amateur Radio Unit (ARU) payload of DIWATA-2 (call sign DW4TA, October 2018) and other Philippine satellites MAYA-1 (call sign JG6YKM, August 2018), MAYA-2 (call sign JG6YMY, March 2021), MAYA-3 (call sign DX3MYA, October 2021), and MAYA-4 (call sign DX4MYA, October 2021). As requested by the Philippine Stamina4Space team, amateur radio satellite operators Jharwin Barrozo (DV2JB), Anthony Guiller Urbano (DU1AU), Percival Padilla (DV1XWK), and Gil Brian Santos (DU1MS) conducted extensive initial testing of the DIWATA-2's ARU in March 2019. PARA also assisted in confirming the status of the MAYA satellites under the BIRDS-2 and BIRDS-4, a joint project of the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan, and the Philippine’s Stamina4Space. Morse Code beacons transmitted by the MAYA satellites were received and decoded by satellite operators Jharwin Barrozo (DV2JB), Anthony Guiller Urbano (DU1AU), John Kyl Cortez (DV9JC), and Tasmi Datumanong (DU9JJY), confirming the satellite’s active or inactive status. Eduardo Victor Valdez (DU1EV) and Leo Almazan (DU3ZX) served as the project’s technical consultants with support from the PARA Director Thelma Pascua (DU1IVT). With the help of PARA amateur radio satellite operators and the PARA officers, Philippine satellites with amateur radio payload were tested for their proper operation for the duration of their mission.
As the country further advances its satellite program through the establishment of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) in 2019, PARA continues to provide technical guidance and assistance to various stakeholders in matters related to amateur radio satellite communications.
