Suriname, and the pride of ownership

Last week I had a contact with Suriname on a 10m band with PZ2YT, Judel.

Suriname is a small country on the north-eastern coast of South America, defined by vast swaths of tropical rainforest, Dutch colonial architecture and a melting-pot culture. A resource rich country, but with 70 percent of the citizens living below the poverty line. Population: less than 600,000 with only a handful of active amateur radio operators.

As is it a custom nowadays, checking out the QRZ.COM page for shack and antenna photos is part of the contact.

Judel’s shack is modest, but the centrepiece is the new-looking ICOM 7300.

And this is the power of Japanese radio manufacturing: undisputed market dominance. There is no country in the world without ICOM or Yaesu’s presence. Market dominance means the ability to invest in research and development, the ability to provide post sale service and strong resale value on the preowned market.

As we say in the watch trade: there is someone out there, right now, looking to by a gold Rolex.

And equally so – there is someone out there, right now, looking to by an ICOM.