Ham Radio

Ham Radio in Japan

For three years I operated the rig from my tiny room in Tottori City as 7J3AQB/4 nearly every day. Keep in mind this was before Al Gore invented the internet, and I had to wait weeks after that fact for videos from home if I wanted to watch any American TV. There wasn't much else to do when the weather was nasty, so ham radio provided a much needed relief of still feeling connected to the outside world even if snowed in. Note: almost no furniture! Yes, I had to sit on the floor to operate! And the manual paper log on the desk is a nice relic/reminder of a time before computers & logging software.

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The only foreigner at the Tottori branch meeting of the Japan Amateur Radio League.

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With the help of JE4CIL, I entered the 1997 All Tottori Contest. We drove to the remote village of Fukube, one of the rarest and most sought after for the JCG (Japan counties) award. Here I am operating as a single op entry from the back seat of his car, shielded from Tottori's perpetual rain, generator humming outside. Despite my limited Japanese, I passed out several hundred contacts and ended up surprising myself by taking 2nd place in the 7 MHz SSB category.

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Operating from the special event station at the 1997 Tottori Expo in Sakaiminato City.

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With three good ham radio friends in Tottori, JK4CZO, JE4CIL, and JE4MZA.

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One of the highlights of my ham radio activity in Japan,
visiting and operating from the special event station site at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

click here to see my Japan QSLs!