PCP History
The Roots of PCP
The following chronology describes projects in which current PCP staff acquired the experience necessary to carry out the goals of the Primary Communications Project as it is now constituted:
1969 - 1971: A small effort is made at building a community radio station in Champaign - Urbana, IL. Equipment donations are sought and received from a local FM station undergoing renovation. Investigations into FCC regulations and contacts with local broadcasters provide experience for current PCP staff.
1975 - 1988: WEFT, Champaign, IL, constructed largely with donated labor and equipment. The station is entirely supported through listener contributions and equipment donations from midwest broadcasters.
1982 - 1987: Two shipments of surplus radio and electrical parts are made to radio stations and factories in Nicaragua in cooperation with OpCal in California and UniHard in Managua.
1988: Under the auspices of TECNICA, we taught classes and performed field work in RF alignment and tuning in Managua, and restored of equipment damaged in hurricane Joan in Rivas, Nicaragua.
1989: At Radio Maya in Barillas, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, we provided engineering studies to determine the predicted coverage area of their proposed station and determine an appropriate antenna site. These studies were used to compose their initial license application to Guatel.
1989: The Voice of Nicaragua International, Managua,
Nicaragua: This 50 kilowatt shortwave
transmitting plant was suffering from lack of
maintenance and a shortage of spare parts. We did
an initial retuning and temporary repair of the
transmitter, along with a complete analysis of its
problems. After we returned to the United States
to secure parts, the national elections in
Nicaragua changed the direction of the station
causing our local base of support to disappear,
scuttling the project.
1990: Under the auspices of The Technical Group in California, a proposal is prepared to supply high frequency packet radio communication between central Nicaraguan customs and National Bank offices, and frontier checkpoints and branch banks. This project also languished due to the change in government.
1991 - 1993: In cooperation with International Cooperation for Development (formerly Catholic Institute for International Relations) of London, England, a two - year project provided technical training and reconstruction of studios and transmitter plants and regular maintenance services to Radio HRBN in Marcala, La Paz, Honduras, and Radio HRLR in Santa Rosa de Cop n, Cop n, Honduras. HRBN is a local Catholic parish station which had a strong record of support for the surrounding indiginous Lenca population, especially in areas of human rights. HRLR was the station of the western diocese of Honduras. Both stations had outstanding programming concerning health, basic education, news and dissemination of personal messages.
1991: The Mission Radio Project is founded in conjunction with St. Mary Catholic Church in Champaign, IL in order to raise funds and acquire equipment for the projects in Central America and arrange for their packing and transport.
1991: We obtained a substantial donation of new transmitting tubes from Richardson Electronics, and distributed them to six community radio stations in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
1992: In Choluteca, Honuduras, we provided technical support, analyzing transmitting antenna problems and providing hard-to-get spare parts.
1992 - 1993: In the returned-refugee settlement Comunidad Segundo Montes in Meanguera, Moriz n, El Salvador, we significantly expand the studio facilities with reconditioned equipment from the Mission Radio Project and provide several tons of studio, transmission and intercity microwave relay terminals for use in new community stations all over El Salvador.
1993: In Santa Rosa de Cop n, Honduras, we built a radio production facility for INCOHES, a local educational organization which promotes natural health care, occupational education and preservation of native plants.
1993: A basic inventory of equipment is provided to Radio Maya in Barillas, Guatemala, to help to induce Guatel to grant them a license.
1993: In San Pedro Sula, Honduras, we provided a basic radio production facility for CODEH, the major human rights organization in Honduras, so that they could produce their popular weekly radio shows more cost effectively and with more freedom.
1995: Broadcasting authority is finally granted to Radio Maya, the first radio station run by indigenous Mayans to transmit in the Kan'job l language.
1995: Having become too large for the 501 (c) (3) tax status of St. Mary Church, the Primary Communications Project is chartered as an independent non-profit corporation in Piatt County, Illinois.
1996: PCP receives a request to build four community stations for returned-refugee communities in northern Guatemala, and we apply to the Tuthill Commission of the United Church of Christ to fund this construction.
1997: PCP receives partial funding for the Guatemalan Projects.
1997: PCP is granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by the I.R.S.
1998: We begin large-scale equipment acquisition and repair for the Guatemala projects.