From the western Pacific Ocean’s earthquake capital, Marikina City in the Philippines, we introduce to you 79DA123 Mark who connects with our club in October 2021.

Known previously on-air as 79MRK001, 79DA123 Mark is a Solutions Architect with Globe Telecoms who possesses a love of Freeband radio communications.

He’s also a qualified ham radio operator where he displays a penchant for digi operations such as FT8.

On 11m, 79DA123 Mark is a frequent caller on the international call frequency, 27.555 MHz USB, where he’s always fast to latch on to incoming RX signals with his new XIEGU G90 HF Transceiver.

Ideal for dx adventure, this is a high performance portable multimode rig which covers 0.5-30 MHz and 10-160 MHz.

In 79DA123 Mark’s shack, this exceptional SDR transceiver is combined with a BAOJIE BJ-300 Linear amplifier (20-30MHZ) that packs a massive 300W SSB punch on 27 MHz frequencies.

Embellishing Mark’s IOTA station is a homebrew Astroplane verticle antenna, modelled on the very popular AVANTI AV-101.

79DA123 Mark’s TX HQ is the city of Marikina, on the island of Luzon, the largest island of 79 Division.

Located along the eastern border of Metro Manila, Marikina is bordered on the west by Quezon City, to the south by Pasig and Cainta, to the north by San Mateo, and to the east by Antipolo.

Not only is Mark’s QTH susceptible to earthquakes caused by the West Valley Fault Line which lies at the west of the city, it’s also prone to natural disasters, including major floodings and typhoons.

Interestingly, Marikina is known as the ‘Shoe Capital of the Philippines’ for its famous shoe industry, producing almost 70% of shoes made in the country.

In fact, hundreds of footwear establishments are located throughout the city, generating thousands of jobs that continue to make the shoe and leather industry the top livelihood in the city.

79DA123 Mark’s city is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo and contains the Our Lady of the Abandoned Church (See pictured above), the oldest in the Marikina Valley built in 1572.

Another tourist attraction, including to 79DA123 Mark, are Marikina’s festivities as these are rich in culture and tradition.

Some include the Ilognayan Festival which is a cultural event celebrating the Marikina River’s significance, held along the Marikina River; the Ka-Angkan Festival which is a feast that coincides with the founding anniversary of Marikina and honors the large native clans; Marikina Christmas Festival/Shopalooza which is a long holiday festival filled with stalls selling a wide variety of goods at affordable prices; and the Sapatos Festival.

Since Marikina was tagged as the Shoe Capital, the city celebrates the Sapatos Festival every year to pay homage to the ingenuity and craftsmanship of shoemakers in Marikina and give due recognition to their hardship and the local shoe industry itself.

Marikina City is also home to the Marikina Sports Park, which features an Olympic-size swimming pool, a 15,000-seater grandstand, a 400m oval, a sports building, an indoor gymnasium, and several courts.

The sports complex is also home to the JPV Marikina Football Club, that currently plays in the Philippines Football League.

79DA123 Mark’s home is on the banks of the Marikina River which runs through the mid-west portion of the city.

The river traverses 11 city barangays which have streets and alleys going to the river, making river parks easily accessible for sports and recreation.

The tropical monsoon WX of Mark’s QTH makes outdoor leisure a tricky proposition — still 79DA123 Mark lists adventure riding and hiking with his family and friends as his two most favourite pastimes outside of radio communications.

He also loves computer gaming, a passion which stems from his years of study at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Like his 79 Division team mates, 79DA123 Mark is QRV on Triple 5 but he also monitors 27.205 MHz (ch 20 USB ) and 27.125 MHz (ch 14 AM) for local chat.

He’s always keen to exchange QSL cards via DA-RC HQ OC — See details below!

QSL INFOS

Via DA-RC HQ, PO Box 3140, Browns Plains LPO, Q, Australia, 4118