In the spring of 1995, I took a second tour of Romania to visit the amateurs I could not see during my first tour in 1993.  The city of Bucharest was an exception.  I had to go there again, not because I like the people in the capital city more than those in the other towns, but because the most convenient non-stop flight from New York lands there.
   During my visits I met many hams, I photographed them, and I prepared four articles because one would have been too long.  The first one about “The Transylvanian Amateurs” was published in the July/August issue of The DX Magazine.  The second article about “The Two Moldovas,” was published in the September/October issue of the same periodical.  The third travelogue “The Amateurs of Bucharest” was run by CQ magazine.  This is the fourth and last one (it was published also by The DX Magazine).  It describes some of the amateur radio activities in nine cities and villages in the southern part of Romania, in a region called Muntenia.

   I left Bucharest with Vasile YO3APG, the General Secretary of the Romanian Amateur Radio Federation, and the first city on our itinerary was Tirgoviste.  We arrived to the railway station but the person who was supposed to wait for us was not there.  It was the day when the country was switching to daylight saving time and the guy allegedly forgot to set his watch accordingly.  Later I found out that he is a local politician used to make promises and not to keep them.
   We took a taxi to the county radio club.  On the way, we passed the building where in 1989 the former dictator and his “dragon lady” met the firing squad.  Ironically, I asked the taxi driver if there was a monument honoring the departed ones and he answered that it would be erected before long.  There are many people who used to belong to the former ruling party and the power structure of the past dictatorship, and yearn the “good old days.”
   The county radio club is run by a beautiful lady: Tania YO9FSD.  The club station has a foreign made transceiver and is active using the YO9KBU call.  There were many hams at the club and I photographed them near their station.  First I took Tania YO9FSD, the lady in charge.  Then I photographed one by one the operators:  Dan YO9FSC; Bogdan YO9FSB; Ion YO9AYN; Nicu YO9AZW; Cristi YO9GCP; and Bebe YO9TW, the one who forgot to set his watch and pick us up at the railway station.
   I also made a couple of group photos.  First with Tania YO9FSD operating, and Nelu YO9BCZ and Bebe the politician YO9TW assisting.  The second photo shows again Tania YO9FSD at the mike, and Nicu YO9AZW and Ion YO9AYN giving her moral support.  Did I photograph Tania more often than anybody else?  Perhaps, but she was far the best looking in the entire bunch.
   Later we visited the well-equipped home-made station of Nicu YO9AYN.  The next one was the very elegant setup of Nicky YO9FSI, with everything built by himself.  We could not see the shack of Mircea YO9ALY, but judging by the photo he gave us, he has enough equipment for three complete stations.
   I heard of a court case and a judge who asked a defendant accused of a minor violation, who happened to be a ham operator:
   “Why did you not listen to your conscience?”
   “I tried, Your Honor, but with the poor propagation, high background noise, and strong interference, I could hardly understand anything!” pleaded the guilty ham.

   From Tirgoviste, Vasile YO3APG and I traveled north, about 12-13 miles, to the little town of Pucioasa.  There we visited the children’s radio club and its station YO9KPP.  The club uses a foreign manufactured, modern transceiver and a home-made piece of gear that seemed to be a linear amplifier.  The chief operator is Mircea YO9AGI, one of the few Romanian experts in Esperanto.  At the club we also found Ionut YO9FJW, who looked a little bit too mature, especially with his full-grown mustache, to be a student but nevertheless was one of the operators.  He reminded me of my son Thomas KB2KRN who probably will also have a big mustache and perhaps a beard by the time he graduates from high school.  I photographed the station with the hams, Mircea YO9AGI and Ionut YO9FJW, one by one and both of them together.
   We also went to see the personal station of Mircea YO9AGI, completely built by its operator.  The station is small but, according to the contacts recorded in the log and the large number of QSLs received, it is quite active and efficient.  Mircea uses a nice QSL card.
   Many Romanian hams use home-made equipment.  Generally they work well except in one or more of these cases:
   a. when the proud ham wants to demonstrate it to a friend,
   b. at the start of a contest,
   c. when a rare and needed DX station calls CQ.
   From Pucioasa we went back to Bucharest where I met many amateurs, both at the municipal radio club and the Federation.  For the next couple of days I went to see amateurs in other regions but those are topics for other articles.  After I returned from those trips I continued to visit the hams of Muntenia and I started with Slobozia.

   Vasile YO3APG, being the General Secretary of the Romanian Amateur Radio Federation, knew where the most active radio clubs were; he talked with them on the radio and on the phone, and set-up visiting schedules.  When we arrived at the county radio club in Slobozia, located about 80 miles east of Bucharest, Stefan YO9DFQ and a bunch of local hams were waiting for us.  Their station YO9KIH has a factory-made transceiver, a computer used for RTTY, and some accessories built by amateurs.  At the station I photographed the chief operator Stefan YO9DFQ and some of the hams: Petre YO9DEF; Gigi YO9FMM; and Marian YO9BMN.
   To see some personal stations, we went to the shack of Stefan YO9DFQ who uses all home-made equipment and is active on SSB and RTTY.  We also visited Petre YO9DEF, a diligent ham, doing a lot of traffic and participating in contests, using a station built by himself.
   I heard about the much-debated privatization, meaning letting people organize private commercial and industrial companies, as well as working their own farms.  In a small town, on the main road, squeezed between two large state-owned department stores, a small private mom-and-pop store opened.  One of the large commercial establishment posted a big sign: “20% Sale.”  The other big emporium,  in the newly acquired spirit of competition, announced in their oversized poster: “30% Sale.”  The little private store, crowded between the two giants, modestly displayed its own sign: “Entrance to the Sale!”

   From Slobozia we went to Fetesti, located on the Borcea arm of the Danube river.  Fetesti is a small town, not a county residence, therefore instead of a county club they have a municipal radio club.  There is the station YO9KRK, with a good Japanese transceiver, an FTDX-500.  At the club we met Bogdan YO9GIB, age 17; Claudiu YO9GNC, age 14; and Andu, YO9GCG, age 11; proving that amateur radio is not only for elderly, retired people.  Claudiu YO9GNC is the son of Silviu YO9GNS.  Both parents of Andu are radio amateurs; his father Vasile YO9DAX is an air force officer, and his mother is Luiza YO9FYV.
   At the club we took some photos, then we went to see the personal station of Bogdan YO9GIB.  He surely understood the importance of displaying a callsign and made a sign larger than his entire station, covering a large portion of the wall behind it.  We also visited the family with three hams but Vasile YO9DAX, the father, was at work, so we made a bunch of pictures with the mother, Luiza YO9FYV, and the very young Andu YO9GCG.
   In Fetesti my job was easy; I did not have to fight with the hosts offering all kind of drinks, and the operators displayed friendly smiles when I took their picture.

   On our way to the next town we stopped in a small village called Dragalina to meet Cristea YO9BEI and see his radio station.
    It is not that easy to set up a good amateur radio station in a small town, for technical and financial reasons.  In large cities there are lots of good jobs and many hams can afford to buy or build the necessary equipment.  In small rural communities, however, there are no such possibilities.  In addition, in the big cities there are plenty of experienced amateurs to whom one can turn for help and advice, but in a tiny place like Dragalina, a ham is more or less on his own.
   With all odds against him, Cristea YO9BEI managed to do very well, and using his modest home-made equipment, with knowledge and enthusiasm, he has achieved excellent results.

   We have arrived at Calarasi but could not see the county radio club and its station YO9KPL because it was closed.  However we saw their three-element 40-meter Yagi antenna, installed on a very large tower that looked like an oil rig.  Cristea YO9BEI, who came with us from Dragalina, climbed the tower almost to the top, so I can photograph it showing its size in relation to the human body.
   In Calarasi we visited Tony YO9FL and his station equipped with a factory-made transceiver and some home-made accessories.
   The problem with modern, sophisticated foreign-made transceivers is that by the time one learns to use their many dials, buttons, switches, programs and memories, it is time to replace them with even more complex units.  On the other hand, building a good piece of equipment requires knowledge, hard work, and lots of parts that are difficult to find.  As all the would-be builders have found out, it is surprising how long it takes to finish a project that was not even started.
   We also saw two amateur radio families.  The first one was Miti YO9FNJ and his spouse Tita YO9GIN.  Miti, an enterprising person, has a TV repair shop and a couple of other private businesses.  Their station has a foreign-made transceiver and other pieces of equipment built by Miti.
   When I lived in Romania, I used to repair TV sets.  I can tell that it is not an easy occupation.  If the set starts working after a component was replaced, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it was repaired.  There are many possibilities for intermittent defects that come and go.  It may break down again just when the owner comes to pick it up, or even worst, after he took it home.  Then you see the angry complainers.
   The second ham family is even larger than Miti’s.  Its head is Paul YO9CMF, an attorney who is the boss at work, as well as at home.  His wife is Teni YO9CYL, and their pretty daughter Magda YO9FNI is a college student.  They have a big station with several factory-made communications appliances and a large home-made linear amplifier.  When Paul was informed that they will be photographed, he prepared for himself a large callsign poster, completely forgetting that there are two more operators in the house.  He did the same thing with the QSL cards; he ordered only for himself but nothing for his spouse and daughter.
   I heard of an attorney who saw a traffic accident, ran to the injured victims, handed them his business card, and said:
   “I saw the whole thing, I am a perfect eye witness and an excellent lawyer; I can represent either of you who has more money!”
   Another story is about an old lawyer who went to a priest and asked him:
   “Father, I would like to know, when I’ll die, will I go to heaven or to hell?”
   “The priest had his opinion about the lawyer but nonetheless answered:
   “Tell me about your good and bad deeds, make a generous donation to the church, I’ll pray for you, and perhaps I’ll be given a heavenly sign.”
   The lawyer made a small donation, told the priest whatever he has done, mostly his good deeds, and that he regretted some of his bad actions.  The priest told the confessing lawyer to come back the next morning for an answer.  When he returned, the priest told him:
   “My son, I have for you good news and bad news.  The good news is that you’ll be going to heaven.  The bad news is that you are leaving this coming Thursday.”

   The next day we left Bucharest by train and, after traveling about 60 miles southwest, we arrived at Rosiori de Vede.  There we visited mostly amateur radio families with two or three members having licenses.  During the years I saw and photographed hundreds of hams in tens of countries but nowhere did I find as many amateur radio families as in Romania.  In the former Soviet republics, for example, there are many YLs and XYLs, most of them related to OMs, thus they’re part of ham families.  However, when I visited there in 1991, meeting amateurs in eight cities, I could not find a single female amateur radio operator, and God knows that I tried.  In 1992 I met scores of OMs during my travels through five countries in the Far East.  However only in Thailand I did meet an XYL; she was the president of their amateur radio association but she was not active on the air.  In Alaska, in 1992, I met quite a few ham families, but not as many as in Romania.  A common hobby strengthens a family and it is gratifying to see this phenomenon so wide spread in YO land.
   On the other hand, I heard of a woman who placed a want ad for a husband in an amateur radio magazine.  She received a dozen answers from wives of hams all saying: “Take mine and I pay for shipping and handling.”
   The family is an important factor in education. A father was teaching morality to his young son:
   “God put us on earth to help the others!”
   “But why did God put the others on earth?” inquired the puzzled youngster.
   I am not a young man anymore, not even of middle age, but I often wondered about this myself.
   A father offered his radio amateur son, before getting married, two suggestions.  The first one is to ask his future spouse to give him one night off every week to go with the boys to the radio club.  The second one is not to waste that night with the boys.
   In Rosiori de Vede, Vasile YO3APG and I went to the house of Virgil YO9SU and his attractive wife Anisoara YO9ISU.  They invited us for lunch and lots of excellent local specialties were served.  I had no difficulties in turning down the various beverages; Vasile YO3APG, in the interest of good relations, was more than happy to oblige the hosts.  Their radio shack is a separate little structure built in the backyard.  The equipment is the best there is: a Japanese-made transceiver and a linear amplifier, a computer, and various test instruments.  Their QSL card is a color photo showing their station, and the portraits of the two operators.
   The second ham family was Aristica YO9FOA and his wife Anisoara, who recently passed the test for her license and was waiting for her callsign.  Later I was informed that Anisoara is now YO9GIE.  They use home-made equipment and have some factory-made test gear.
   The third family includes Aron YO9BRT, his spouse Florina YO9GAZ, and their lovely daughter Beatrice YO9GBA.  Aron YO9BRT, as Paul YO9CMF did in Calarasi, prepared for himself a large and nice callsign but did not make any for his wife and daughter.  The same with the QSL cards: he has two kinds, but the rest of the family ... nothing.  Perhaps Aron is also an attorney (?).  Some of the equipment they use is factory-made but the linear amplifier and various gadgets are amateur productions.
   Petre YO9BCJ was the next and the last ham we visited in this city.  Petre operates only equipment designed and built by himself, is quite active, and has achieved very good results.  On the big sign on the wall, besides his callsign he also wrote his “QTH: Rosiori de Vede.”

TROIANUL

   Troianul, a small rural community, is the residence of Marin YO9FXQ.  What has to be mentioned here is Marin’s profession: he is a farmer.  In Romania I visited many ham operators and, if they were not high school or college students or retired persons, then they were teachers, engineers, technicians, office or factory workers, military personnel, medical doctors, sometimes even lawyers, but this was the only time I met a farmer interested in amateur radio.  Personally, I like hams in any kind of profession except officers who wear civilian clothing most of the time.
   Marin YO9FXQ is a passionate radio amateur and, most of all, a skillful builder; he has to be, because is no way he can afford to buy a factory-made transceiver.
   On the subject of farmers, I heard that an agronomist fresh out of school for political indoctrination was named director at a state-owned farm.  Wishing to show off, pointing to a cultivated field, he told an old farm hand:
   “With you ancient agricultural methods, I don’t think you will get 1,000 lb. of wheat from this field.”
   “Not even that much” answered the old farmer, “because this is barley.”

ALEXANDRIA

   Many times I dreamed of visiting the city of Alexandria; its interesting history and today’s lifestyle fascinated me.  God finally satisfied my desire; however, it seems that He did not pay close attention to my plea because I wound up in Alexandria of Teleorman county, in Romania, while I was wishing for the one in Egypt.  In fact, Vasile YO3APG, the General Secretary of the Romanian Amateur Radio Federation, took me there, and it is very possible that he misinterpreted the heavenly indication.  Meanings are sometimes lost in the translation, you know.
   I am not sorry, however, that I saw the Romanian Alexandria; I am sure that it has more hams that its Egyptian counterpart.  We visited the county radio club with the station YO9KPM where Florian YO9BVG is the chief operator.  The station has a foreign-made transceiver, it is very active with many operators.  At the club we met Lari YO9CSM, Viorel YO9FIM, and Paul who did not have yet a call.  I took some picture at the station, with every operator one by one, and also a couple of group photographs.
   We went to the house of Viorel YO9FIM to see his personal station.  Viorel has several pieces of gear; some built by himself, others factory-made.
   The next one was Lari YO9CSM who uses various radios that looked factory-made or they have been built by a very good technician.  I photographed Lari YO9CSM at his neat station and for this festive occasion he took his pipe out of his mouth but he did not let it go from his clenched fist.
   From Alexandria, Vasile YO3APG and I have returned to Bucharest which, despite the fact that is also located in the Muntenia region, was described in a separate article.  It is often stated that New York City is different from the rest of the United States.  Bucharest is also unlike other Romanian cities, and the residents of Bucharest belong to a special human group, therefore the hams of the capital city had to be described separately.
   In Bucharest I met many amateurs, even a very old friend; I did not know that he was drinking until one day I saw him sober.
   Because of my limited time, I could not visit many of the cities where there are good radio clubs and many active hams.  Those whom I met, both men and women, were very nice people, capable builders and operators, diligent and enthusiastic amateurs.
   Let’s not forget however, that behind every great woman there is a supporting husband; and behind every successful man there is a nagging wife.