The laid back radio ham, Fernando Fernández

06.06.2009 - Much-travelled Fernando Fern­ández is looking forward to his retirement from politics because it gives him the chance to spend more time on the other love of his life, ama­teur radio.

The former president of the Canaries (1987-90) is currently riding on the crest of a wave in the radio ham world following his recent nomination for one of the highest accolades in the field, membership of the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, in recognition of his outstand­ing contribution during more than half a century.

The travelling every week is very demanding, not to say tiring

Island Connections spoke to Fernández on the eve of the elections at his La Laguna home, one of the most easily-recognisable in the city due to the two giant antennas in the garden that enable him to keep in touch with the rest of the world.  Before talking about his hobby, we discussed some aspects of the life he has just abandoned at the European Parliament, which he joined in 1994, quickly making his mark as an expert on Latin American issues, an interest which has seen him travel on Brussels’ behalf to the continent dozens of times, most recently to Ecuador as part of the EU’s official delegation to observe the presidential elections.

Fernández recalls as if it were yesterday his switch from regional to European politics. “I was president of the Canaries at the end of the 1980s and often coincided with José María Aznar, who was president of the region of Castilla-León at the time.  We were frequently seated next to each other at meet­ings and official functions and got talking.  I was leader of the CDS party which was on the verge of disbanding and Aznar invited me to join his newly-formed Popular Party.  In 1993 he suggested I become an MEP and I stood in the elections the following year and have been re-elected on two more occasions since then.” The life of an MEP, particularly Spanish ones, is not well known by the public.  This is due partly to the fact that candidates do not stand in their local constituencies but are elected from a party list at national level, meaning that voters often have little contact with ‘their’ MEP, unlike the situa­tion in Britain.  Looking back, Fernández sees each of his three five-year terms in very different lights:  “The first is fascinating, a marvellous new experience as you get acquainted with the workings of Europe and find your feet.  By the second, you have gathered up steam and can perform your job to the full.  However in my experience the third stint is very tough and it is hard to keep up the momentum.  The last two years have been particularly difficult for me and I admit there were times when I wondered what I was doing walking through the pitch-black streets as I headed to the airport to catch a flight to Brussels at the crack of dawn.  But I kept going because it was my obligation as an elected representative.  The day I stopped doing the monthly trek to Strasbourg was a very happy one for me.  If you are an MEP from Germany or Belgium, being in the European Parliament is almost like being in your na­tional Parliament in terms of going to and from work.  But for someone from the Canar­ies the travelling every week is very demanding, not to say tiring.  I was away for weeks on end due to my participa­tion in official delegations to other parts of the world and at times my wife and I had to meet up in Madrid for the weekend just to be able to see each other.”

That does not mean his time in Brussels has not been enriching. Fernández pin­points the arrival of the euro as the high point of his time in Parliament: “who would have thought that so many currencies could or would be­come one overnight?  It was a perfect operation, planned and executed brilliantly.  The euro has certainly helped pro­tect Europe from even worse problems in the present crisis.  Look at how Iceland has collapsed due to the financial crisis!  Or Britain.  At least we have a central coordinating authority in the European Central Bank and individual countries cannot print money to get out of trouble as in the past.”

The process of enlarge­ment is viewed less positively by the now ex-MEP, who is convinced that it was rushed forward for political reasons even though, in some cases, the new countries were not ready for entry. 

“I fully understand Poland’s right to be in the European Union due to its long Euro­pean history and all it has done for Europe.  The Czechs are as European as we are, as are the Hungarians.  But several applicants did not have the structures in place to enable them to join when they did.  Bulgaria and Rumania are good examples.  Clearly, political motives lay behind the big push to enlarge the EU so quickly.  Enlargement has been a victory for free market­ers like Britain, but there is a real danger that concentric circles will form as the more advanced countries seek to forge ahead with deeper integration.  A two-speed Europe, with many opt-ins and opt-outs of general policy is inevitable.  The border between what is and what is not Europe will have to be drawn at some stage.”

Another major concern is the lack of current leader­ship at national or EU level:  “Individual leaders are crucial during times of crisis but we simply don’t have them at present.

There is no Kohl, Mit­terrand or Thatcher on the horizon let along a De Gaulle or Churchill to take the situ­ation by the scruff of the neck and show leadership.”  These and other problems are gradually receding for the 65-year-old veteran, who has already applied to return to his university post as a profes­sor of medicine at La Laguna University Hospital.  His spe­cialist field is neurology but he readily admits medicine was not exactly his true voca­tion at the beginning.  Indeed, had it not been for a change in the curriculum he would probably be doing something totally different.

“Although I come from a family of doctors and chem­ists I always wanted to be a telecommunications engi­neer.  I wasn’t good enough at maths so had to look else­where.  The year I took my university entrance exams, maths was dropped as a requirement for medicine and I was able to get in.  In my second year we studied the body’s nervous system and I was totally fascinated by its sophistication.  With its myriad of integrated circuits it is the perfect communica­tions system and I was already hooked on communications through amateur radio by then.  How ironic that I should share the Amateur Radio Hall of Fame Award this year with Jack Kilby, who invented integrated circuits.”

Almost like a jolt of electric current, mention of the ama­teur radio connection brings extra light to Fernández’s eyes and he quickly launches into a detailed description of a hobby that many might find bizarre but for enthusiasts is the best thing ever to happen to them. 

“Today’s talk of globalisa­tion is all very well but in the amateur radio world we have been globalised for ages, in my case since 1958,” he insists.

A quick throw of the switch of his impressive array of equipment shows just how global the activity is. Within a matter of seconds we hear chatter from Russians, Ger­mans and a host of other nationalities on the airwaves, captured by his giant anten­nas, one of which was badly damaged by the Delta tropical storm a few years ago.  Now restored, the antenna helps him not just keep in touch with like-minded hams world­wide but also to take part in competitions, which make speed chess look slow-mo­tion.  “The idea is to contact as many people in a set period, usually a weekend.  You log the details of the contacts made - including the call-sign of the other person, the exact time of the communication - and send the details to the or­ganisers, who award a score which is weighted according to various factors such as geographical remoteness and the variety of contacts.  The highest score gets the award.  The real experts can get through thousands of individual contacts in a weekend!”

As coincidence would have it, after almost a month off the air due to travel commit­ments as an MEP, the week-end before we visited him Fernández took part in the national competition named after Spain’s most famous radio ham, King Juan Carlos (whose call-sign is EA0JC).  The monarch was on air him­self during the weekend and on recognising Fernández’s call-sign predicted that the Canarian might, “win yet again” as he did several times in the 1980s. The dearth of new blood in amateur radio is of concern to Fernández, who realises that Internet poses stiff competition and can be more attractive compared to what many perceive as an old-fashioned form of com­munication.  “When I look at pictures of our congresses and other events in recent years it hits home that we are all getting on and few young people are entering amateur radio, which is why I helped organise an information week at the European Parliament to try and raise the profile of the activity.  Few realise that when ‘conventional’ communica­tions fail radio hams continue to broadcast and their help is invaluable in updating the authorities on emergencies and natural disasters, as oc­curred when the tsunami hit islands off India.”

With what he admits is a, “blank diary for the fore­seeable future” (apart from sporadic contributions as a newspaper columnist and occasional participant in po­litical debates on TV), Fernán­dez can set abut enjoying his hobby even more, not just in his La Laguna home but also in the place he calls “the best location in Tenerife,” the fami­ly’s villa in Playa de la Arena, which also has antennas for his radio contacts. 

“There is nothing quite like watching the sun go­ing down from the terrace there.  It is priceless, like a Pacific sunset, and my wife and I always make a point of freeing up time to watch.  It is our little haven, which we use during the week rather than weekends.  We have Austrian neighbours on both sides who are rarely there so it couldn’t be quieter and I reckon we will spend more and more time there now that I no longer have to go to Brussels,” he predicts.  Be prepared to see the antennas twitching in Playa de la Arena a lot more as of today…
By Karl McLaughlin

Gallery: Retired MEP relishes radio ham role

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