Aidchild, the organization for whom I work here in Uganda, cares for orphans living with Aids. There are two homes filled with kids for whom we care completely. This means we provide complete care because they are in every respect our own children. We also provide clinical and laboratory services for about 3000 more children. All of this costs money, lots of it. You can check us out at www.aidchild.org

We raise money through donations, but we also have started businesses here in Uganda to provide funds. We have an art gallery and shop at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, a gallery and cafe on the Equator, and a restaurant here in Masaka called Ten Tables (any guess as to how many tables there are?). But caring for Aids children is not inexpensive. So we can always use more funds.

When I came here, I had in mind to set up an amateur station that we could then rent to those chasing DX from a rare 5X country. I still plan to do just that. I am making progress.

1. I know what is required to get a license, how much it will cost, and how long it will take.
2. I know what malaria is like and how imperative it is to avoid it.
3. I know how very often the power fails here.
4. I know how desirable a 5X contact is.
5. I have the site surveyed for the antenna and tower, the backup generator, the second antenna.

So, the pursuit of a DX station has begun but I will need more stuff. With the nearly daily power outages lasting from a few minutes to many hours, an alternative power source is imperative. I've been reading "Emergency Power for Radio Communications" by Michael Bryce, WB8VGE. This ARRL publication is actually quite comprehensive, telling me a good deal more than I want to know. But it is a thorough study and has been very helpful. I have two constraints. First I need reliable and cost-efficient backup power. Second, I have to provide it as inexpensively as I can weighing three factors.

1. DX chasers will demand, and rightly so, constant power for the time they are here.
2. I am learning how to simply get by without power so I don't actually need it in the larger quantity an operating station with amplifiers (typically used by DX'ers) will need.
3. I want to balance the money I need to spend against the relatively limited time backup power will actually be used.

I wrote in an earlier post about a couple of streets in Kampala selling knock-off Honda generators. They do so because genuine Honda generators are really, really pricey. The import duties imposed by the government drive prices of gear like that way up. For example, a small Honda generator that would sell at Home Depot or Lowe's for under $500 will cost over a $1000 here. A Nissan SUV selling in the States for $45000 or so costs over $80,000 here.

There is a line of diminishing return, too much money spent for the time and power needed. I have considered an inverter, battery bank, and chargers. But then again, batteries are not all that good but they are expensive. Inverters are pricey too. The only thing cheap here is labor. So, all things considered, it looks like a generator is the best choice.

Then there is the antenna. More about that in the next post.