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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=PT link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Portugal's amateur radio and EchoLink repeaters would appear to be the latest casualties of the current economic crisis. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>In a message to Southgate News, Miguel Andrade, CT1ETL says: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>The economy crisis consequences are worst and worst every day in Portugal and have made its first victims at ham radio.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>All the repeaters and echolinks located in the Serra de São Mamede, Portalegre, near of Spanish border are offline and it is not possible to predict any date for their reactivation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>The reason to this blackout is related with the lack of financial support in order to keep these devices working.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>This is a list of the affected repeaters and echolinks:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>- RV53; Tx Rep.145,6625 MHz; Tom 123,0 Hz; CQ0VPG; licensed by Associação de Radioamadores do Ribatejo (ARR). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- RU680; Tx Rep. 438,5000 MHz; D-Star; CQ0DSM; licensed by Rede dos Emissores Portugueses (REP). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- RU700; Tx Rep. 438,7500 MHz; Tom 67,0; CQ0UPG; licensed by Associação de Radioamadores do Ribatejo (ARR).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- RU742; Tx Rep. 439,2750 MHz; Tone 67,0; CQ0UPA - Conect to Echolink; licensed by Associação de Radioamadores do Ribatejo (ARR).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Echolink CS5GPG; 434,7625 MHz; 67,0 Hz; licensed by Liga de Amadores de Rádio Transmissões (LART).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>With the sponsorship of the Rede Portuguesa de Echolink - Echolink Portuguese Network and the Rede dos Emissores Portugueses (the Portuguese ham radio national society), Mr Jaime Pinheiro (CT2GPZ) the technical manager for these equipments, is presently developing contacts in order to achieve the necessary partnerships and sponsors to assure that all these stations can work again under a viable operation cost sustainability in the near future. So far it is still not possible to predict the date of reactivation of such devices listed above.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>73's de<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Miguel Andrade CT1ETL<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>