Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who shares this sad news via Horacio A. Nigro (CX3BZ):
Arnie Coro and family circa 2016 (Photo via QRZ.com)
Arnaldo Coro Antich (CO2KK) Passed Away This Morning At 80 Years Old
This morning of January 8, 2023, our colleague Arnaldo de Jesús Coro Antich (CO2KK) died in a hospital in the capital at the age of 80 due to complications from chronic illnesses he suffered.
Coro began his interest in the radio, according to what he said, from the gift of his father, a coil with a galena stone and headphones to listen to the stations. At just 12 years old, he joined the then Radio Club de Cuba, the association that at the end of the 50s brought together radio amateurs in the capital.
In 1957 he began working at CMBA Television Canal 7, owned by the Mestre brothers, where he gained a lot of knowledge.
As a journalist, he collaborated with the written press and with the radio, his greatest passion. The first one recalls his sec? tion on science in Juventud Rebelde newspaper and the articles in the magazine Juventud Técnica in which he was also one of the advisors. On the radio he was until his death a member of the team of the Radio Habana Cuba radio station and his program Dxers Unlimited, in English, which reached all corners of the planet, was highly appreciated, from where he re? ceived abundant correspondence. Many foreign colleagues knew him as Arnie Coro. He also had sections on science and technology in programs on Radio Progreso, Radio Taino and Radio Metropolitana.
Arnaldo was passionate about the dissemination of science and technology and was always aware of the latest discovery or invention to pass it on to listeners and friends.
As a professor, he also taught classes at the “Raúl Roa Kourí” Higher Institute of International Relations and at the “José Martí” International Institute of Journalism. But his teachings were not limited to the teaching scenarios, he constantly trans? mitted them to everyone.
Since its foundation in 1966, he was a member of the Cuban Radio Amateurs Federation, and an active member in technical commissions and other positions, always looking for solutions to technical problems. He founded and kept the “Rueda del Multimetro” (Net of multimeter) on the air for a long time, in which he helped to understand the technical issues of radio am? ateurs and to find solutions to the problems that numerous colleagues from the backyard and abroad consulted him.
He was an active contributor to other rounds such as the “Rueda Huracan” (Hurrican Net) and the “Encuentro Capitalino” (Capital Meeting) where he made available his knowledge about solar activity and propagation, one of his favorite topics and of which he was a true connoisseur.
Another subject to which he dedicated special interest, time and efforts was that of emergency communications by radio amateurs. His radio station was always ready to seek and share information during emergencies and disasters in our country and the region. At the time of his death he was the Emergency Coordinator for Area C of Region 2 of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU R2).
I will always appreciate our exchanges by radio or phone about extreme weather events threatening our area. Coro, who was born on July 2, 1942, received the National Radio Award in 2017.
We offer our condolences to his family on his death.
Rest in peace, friend. We will miss you.
Carlos Alberto Santamaría González (CO2JC)
Coordinador de la Red de Emergencia Nacional FRC
Coordinador de Emergencias IARU R2.FALLECIÓ ESTA MADRUGADA A LOS 80 AÑOS ARNALDO CORO ANTICH (CO2KK)
Horacio A. Nigro, CX3BZ
The following statement was posted on the RHC website:
Prominent Cuban journalist and professor Arnaldo Coro Antích passes away
Havana, January 8 (RHC)– In the early hours of this Sunday morning, the outstanding journalist and university professor Arnaldo (Arnie) Coro Antich, with a long working career in Cuban radio, passed away in Havana.
Winner of the National Radio Award 2017, Coro was born on July 2, 1942. From a very young age, he was linked to radio broadcasting. He was an expert radio amateur (his call sign: CO2KK) and a specialist in Mass Media and New Information and Communications Technologies.
He taught as Assistant Professor at the Higher Institute of International Relations of MINREX and served as Vice President of the Cuban Commission for the Preservation of Audiovisual Heritage, created by UNESCO.
Arnie Coro was the author of numerous scientific and technical publications, including the book “La Guerra Radial de Los Estados Unidos de América Contra Cuba,” published in 1984.
He was the host of the internationally-renowned radio program “Dxers Unlimited,” which he kept on-the-air for many years on the English-language broadcasts of Radio Havana Cuba. “Dxers Unlimited” was one of the most popular radio programs in English and was considered a profesional guide to shortwave listening around the world.
Arnie’s last working years were spent in Radio Habana Cuba’s English language service, a group that regrets his death and sends its condolences to his family and friends.
In 2013 VE3TLL and myself, VE3FAL had the opportunity to enjoy lunch and chat for many hours with Arnie and his family. It was a tremendous experience and Arnie and I had tried to catch up over the years even while he was attending broadcasting conferences he attended in Canada. But 2013 was the year it all happened. He showed me his humble radio table and showed me some of the repairs that he does and some of tools he utilizes. I would listen to him on RHC from the time I was a teenager, right on up to the last while when he uploaded programs from home to the radio stations he was heard on.
73 CO2KK SK de VE3FAL
RIP Arnie, thanks for the efforts you put in trying to get us accurate schedules for RHC each season – trouble was that it tended to not be correct by the time we came to publish it!
Frequencies changed, timings shifted and our tight deadlines, etc. all added to the fun!
A certain degree of diplomacy was required when dealing with both sides of the same coin 🙂
I looked through my log and found we had a QSO way back in 2009 – just the one, sadly.
73, and keep the ionosphere nice and polished – I’ll be bouncing signals off it and, maybe, just hear the echo of CO2KK somewhere in the distance…
Sean – G4UCJ
Very sad news, condolences to his family. I remember having a QSO with Arne on 10m probably in the early 2000s. He was kind enough to mention our QSO on the air on his DX Unlimited Program. His program was completely apolitical, bringing tips about swl and amateur radio informatiion to listeners throughout the world. . I am sure his DXers Unlimited was one of the longest running amateur radio/swl shows of all time.
Thank you for your contribution to amateur radio via your radio program!
Amateur radio has lost a true ambassador. RIP Arne, may you have many QSOs in the other dimension.
The praise for this man is funny. I have been told many negative stories about him from many ex and current Radio Havana Cuba staff.
I usually don’t react to death notices, but I listened to this persons radio broadcasts in my St. Louis Missouri home. When teachers told the class that communists are criminals, I knew from movies on TV how criminals talked. I knew, having listened to Arnold, on Radio Havana Cuba, that not all communists are criminals.
The world is a little poorer by his absence.
73.
When I got my first shortwave radio in 1992 DXers Unlimited quickly become one of my favorite programs. It was thrilling to get the schedule right! Newbies like I was probably struggled with UTC, throwing timing off on the day!
But I learned. I had the pleasure of swapping a few emails and writing letters to Dr. Coro and will remember him fondly.
Salute.
VE3 TDZ
? de VE3UTA
I met Arnie on numerous occasions. He interviewed myself and K0YL on Radio Habana regarding our joint USA/CUBAN T42US Dxpedition. He told many interesting stories about Cuban history. He will be missed.
73
Jim
WB2REM
CO2KK 73 es VG DX de N3BE SK . .
I despise communism, and the Cuban government, but Arnie was a classic. He will be missed. His program was a must hear for anyone interested in radio.
It is a shame that the US has an embargo on the island which limits the ability to live a full life. I always enjoyed Arnie’s shows and wish his family condolences. He was the ultimate recycle expert vis a vis shortwave and ham radio out of necessity. This coming from a long time listener from California.
2023, not 2022. It was a mistake, typo, in the original info. Please correct. 73 de CX3BZ
Done! Thank you.
I had been thinking all day Sunday that I had not seen any postings from Prof. Arnie for quite some time on the “Glowbugs” list for folks who enjoy vacuum tube radio gear. I was hoping that covid had not caused him some problem.
So sorry he is gone, we will miss him in the radio world. So thankful to have been able to correspond by email though I never did talk to him by radio. 73
Very sad news. Arnie’s sign on for DXers Unlimited will be forever burned into my memory. His voice was soothing, his enthusiasm infectious. Saturday nights on RHC with Arnie were special. . RIP CO2KK
You said it, as a fan, I just wanted to say dittos.
Deepest sadness at the loss of one of the finest radio men off our times. Rest in Peace Arne.
Was he still doing DXers Unltd? I never heard anyone so enthusiastic and helpful. He answered every email I sent him. He was a dedicated Sixer. I wish I had his list of ’60 ways to enjoy amateur radio’. I was looking forward to meeting him at a Radio Amateurs of Canada AGM in Vernon, BC where he was slated to speak. Unfortunately, the right-wing Prime Minister at the time refused him entry at the last minute. But I never heard a political word out of Arnie. Just the promotion of world-wide brother through amateur radio.
Yes, I was a little bit involved with that. I was planning to put him up in Toronto at my place during his layover between his flight to Toronto and his onward flight to BC. I’d made arrangements for him to speak at the Ontario Science Centre via the folks who run the VE3OSC ham radio station.
But that year the Canadian Embassy in Havana just kept deliberately delaying issuing him a visitor’s visa until he ended up missing his flight. They didn’t actually “refuse” him a visa, they just refused to respond to his visa application. They were playing some kind of weird political game that year and it was some kind of diplomatic “snub” for some reason or another.
In any case I later learned that quietly about a year later, the Cuban government engaged in a diplomatic snub of their own in retaliation. The Canadian government deserved it.
I last saw him at his home in Havana and he was assembling parts on his kitchen table for homebrew QRP ham radio kits.
Sad news. Yes, as Mark said, a huge loss to the radio world. Years ago I had a couple of email conversations with Arnie. He seemed to be a genuinely good guy
I’m really sad to hear this. I met up with Arnie on a number of occasions during trips to Cuba and we got to be friends. During one of my visits back in the 1990’s he invited me on as a guest on “DXers Unlimited”. That was a great deal of fun.
When I last visited him at his home in Havana back in 2008, he was sorting out parts for homebrew ham radio QRP kits on his kitchen table.
His passing is an enormous loss to the global SWL and ham radio community, and I’ve lost an old friend.
Condolences to Arnie’s family at this very sad time.
I listened to RHC here in Ireland a lot when I was on Night shift via my Kiwi SDR and always enjoyed Dxers Unlimited. Now I tune in via podcast from time to time when on my way to work as RHC transmit their English broadcast on 6000 Khz at 1am UTC in Winter and 2am in Summer which is too late or early in the AM.
It’s a massive signal here in Ireland on 6000 Khz but unfortunately wiped out by the 500 kw Voice Of Turkey until around 3am UTC, it can sometimes be picked up decent on 6060, 6165 Khz. It would be nice to be able to pick up RHC a bit earlier here. Sometimes even 5040 Khz is a decent signal.
Arnie will be a huge loss to the radio world, may he Rest In Peace.
Really sad to see this. Arnie was my favorite Cuban. I loved to hear his stories and weather reports over the years. RIP my friend!