I met a ham radio operator today in Argentina named Dario who has this beautiful radio setup tucked into the side of his son’s oil change workshop. Dario uses his radios to talk with people all over the world, including Japan, Russia, and the United States.
Dario sat down with me and explained the different frequencies, how storms and rain can affect signal, and then called up one of his friends in Uruguay.

If he makes a first contact with another radio operator, they will exchange post cards with the date, frequency, each other’s radio information, and a personal note. He then proceeded to show me over 20 years of postcards from contacts he has made over the years.

He told me how the economy in Argentina is so bad that most years he can just afford to eat, but there is no way he could ever afford to travel to other countries. Instead, he uses his radios to travel all over the world and talk to people he never would have met. I was humbled by his amazing attitude, such a wonderful person to have a conversation with.