Adygea: Signals from the Foothills

Nestled between the Kuban River and the Caucasus mountains, the Republic of Adygea is a small patch of Russian territory whose voice on the amateur bands is far louder than its size suggests. From the regional headquarters in Maykop’s DOSAAF building, Alexander Haas (RY7Y) runs the local branch of the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia with a blend of administrative discipline and on-air enthusiasm.

A Council in the Capital

Haas, also chairman of the council, works alongside Aliy Kuysokov (UA6YW), his deputy and a familiar voice to operators across the North Caucasus. Vladimir Velichko (RA6YJ), keeper of the QSL bureau and head of the qualification commission, doubles as a Sunday-morning net control on 3677 kHz, sharing the microphone with UA6YE and UA6YI. Other council members bring depth to the bench — from contesters to homebrew enthusiasts — giving the republic’s hams a well-rounded leadership.

On the Air

The Sunday roundtable at 09:00 on 3677 kHz is the week’s social anchor, a gathering point for voices from Maykop to the mountain villages. For VHF, the RR6YA repeater on 145.600/145.000 MHz covers roughly 50 km, enough to bridge the region’s hilly terrain.

Open Doors, Open Frequencies

Visitors are welcome on weekend mornings at the DOSAAF building on Chelyuskintsev Street, where the regional office, qualification board, and QSL desk share space — and coffee. Training, examination, and station licensing are handled here, often in the same breath as discussions about antennas or the vagaries of HF propagation.

Adygea’s hams operate in the shadow of peaks and in the heart of fertile plains, where weather can change quickly and signals can bend in surprising ways. Their presence on the bands is a reminder that even in a republic barely visible on most maps, the airwaves make it vast.