Reviewing 2011

Reviewing the year 2011,
it was a kind of turning point of my life.

[Jan] Start CW Clumn of CQ Hamradio Magazine
I took charge of monthly CW column of JA CQ Hamradio magazine from 2011-Jan issue till 2011-Dec issue.

[Feb] Sports Club Debut
I became a member of a Sports Club due to my wife and daughter's strong recommendeation.
Although I've been hesitating to go such facility, soon I was hooked.

[March] Natural Disaster & Nuke Accident
On the 11th of March, when the great earthquake attached northern part of Japan
I was in a meeting at 21st floor of my office building in Kawasaki-city near Tokyo about 250km south west from the epicenter.

The 21st floor swayed very much for long senconds after some interval we had bigger shock again.
I've been clinging on the desk and felt this building might be collapsed.
After a couple of minutes (actually may be less but I felt it much longer than some minutes), rolling was stopped.
After that I experienced the wolrd where no electric power, no telephone for long hours.
Only twitter communication through cell phone was barely available.
The most worry was that I could not confirm if my family is safe. (They don't use twitter!)
Since all public transportation means became unavailable and no one knows when the service will be restored.
I decided to go back home on foot.
I left the office around 6PM and arrived at home around mid night.
(The distance between office and home is about 25km or 16miles.)

I've never been experienced such a dark town without lights.
Fortunately my wife and son were safe in the home and listening portable radio with battery.
My daughter who is working at the down town Tokyo and she chould not come back home as it is too far to come back home by foot.
After train transportation restored next morining, She came back home. She cried when she saw my face.

Soon, we noticed that the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Pant had damaged by TSUNAMI. And the situation became worse day by day. And resulted to the worst way as everyone knows.
The radioactive contamination have been continuing since that time and no one knows when it will be stopped and cleared.
It's sure that the problem won't cleared within my life.

[Apr] On the air by Solar Energy
After the March disaster I realized that we have to study about survival skills and should prepare for next disaster.
Japan is geographically located on the most earthquake sensitive place in the planet.
With high possiblity a similar level of huge earthquake will attack near Tokyo anytime.
And we cannot rely on the electricity supplied by electric power company with poor risk management.
As a first trial, I decided to use solar energy for my hobby.
I've been using solar panel and battery to feed power supply to the amateur radio equipment since April.

[May] Turning 50
I turned 50 in May.
I recognize that the aging effects such as ear ringing (tinnitus), eye problem (myodesopsia, presbyopia)
and forget things to do rapidly (amnesia?) are becoming subjective symptoms.
It's sad.


[June] Becoming a member of FOC
Thanks to the kind support of the sponsors, I could become a member of FOC.
For me, FOC was a kind of admiration and final target of my CW oriented ham life.
So, when Bruce, K6ZB sounded about nomination, I said to him "not now".
But Bruce nominated me and kick my back to try the quest.

I was first nominated Bruce, K6ZB and Shin, JA1NUT in last November.
Then, Bert, W5ZR and Jurgen, DJ3KR.
Steave, W7QC also gave me kind intension for sponsoring.
But the G land was quite a big hardle for my small station.
I've been looking for explosion of high band condition.
The high bands have gradually getting better this spring and I was ready to put on a spurt at the end of nomination
period of 6 months.
Unfortunately, the great earthquake on 3.11 made my activitiy almost zero for about one month. I restarted radio mid April but with 100W solar panel and 100AH battery to protest against TEPCO nuke plant problem.
At the end of April, that's almost expiration of the nomination period, band condition on finally 15/17/20 smiles to me.
In the last two weeks of April, I got up around 5AM every morinig and watch the bands carefully just before the time I must go to the office.
Thanks to this efforts, I could worked several G stations and one of them became my final sponsor, Ron GW3YDX.
This 6 months was really exciting quest for me.
I'd like to say thank you again to their continuous support and encouragement on & off the air.

[June] Morse PR SPecial Station
The special event station 8J1MORSE, that commemorates the 220th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Morse and the first successful Morse Code communication across the Atlantic Ocean by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901, QRVed from 1st June, 2011 till end of Nov 2011.
Also, this special station is opened for remembering drop of Morsecode proficiency test from all class of amateur radio operators license exam.
For detailes refer to official website http://8j1morse.a1tokai.net/ and offical blog http://8j1morse.blogspot.com
I planned this project and promoted to CQ Hamradio Magazine and JARL.
This station was operated by members of A1 CLUB http://a1club.net/ .


[Aug] Performance on TV
In August, a Movie "Let Me In" has been road showed in Japan as title of "MORSE"
I was interviewed by a TV broadcasting co, JOCX TV about MORSE.

[Sep] Issue a Book for Morse Communication
A book for promoting Morse Communication "Hajimeteno Morusu Tsuushin" has been published from CQ Publishing Co. Ltd.
This book is for beginners who don't know Morsecode yet.

[Oct] Death of My Friend
One of my old friend who spent our college student days and at the school rowing club was killed by unexpected accident.
It was shock to us all who spent youth days together.
Remembering him and our sensitive young days, the remaining friends reunioned after long years interval.

[Dec] Introduction of Electric Vehicle
Since my 11-year-old Nissan Tino getting aged and worse in fuel consumption, I decided to change my car.
Considering my life style now and to be, I decided to try an electric vehicle.
Nissan Leaf has come just before new year.

-...-
Thus, lots of things were first time in my life even in this age and I feel it is important to keep basic as stable but keep looking and hearing news widely and do not hesitate to change myself if I believe it is the right way.

Thank you evrything in 2011 and I do hope the coming year will be a healty and happy new year to you and yours!

73+88=161
Atsu, JE1TRV

Fall colors in Yamanaka-ko Lake

Today, I took Kyoko to the Yamanaka-ko lake.
As we expected, the time was a bit too late to see the fall colors here.
But still nice colors there.
After Yamanaka-ko, we visited Kawaguchi-ko Lake too.
A fanous fall color spot in Kawaguchi-ko named "Momiji Kaiou もみじ回廊"　(Maple Leaf Corridor)
That spot was a bit too early for the peak of the color.

View from Hakone

I have been borrowing some land estate in Hakone, near Hakone Pass where is about 800m above sea level.
I'm dreaming to buid small cottage there to spend weekends after retirement.

Last Saturday I visited there and spend one night in my car.
I could see great view of sunset on the gulf of Suruga on Staturday and shining Mt.Fuji at sunrise on Sunday morning.

Typhoon attack

The typhoon no.15th attacked Tokyo yesterday 2011-9-21.
More than 30m/s wind was recorded in my QTH Machida-city, south east of TOKYO.
My 7MHz HB9CV anttena had been damaged on its reflector elemnt.

My garded also became messy.



Above kiwi-fruits tree shelf has been crashed down by a solar panel that has been smashed out from roof-top. Terrible...

CW Promotion

I’d like to introduce some of my recent off-the-air activity for promoting CW.

1) I made presentation titled “モールス通信への誘い” (Morse tsuushin heno izanai )=”Invitation to Morse Communication” at CQ publishing company’s booth in Tokyo Hamfair on 2011-08-27.


2) On the same day, a new book titled “はじめてのモールス通信”(Hajimeteno Morse Tsuushin)=”The First Step of Morse Communication” has been issued from CQ publishing co. The book is written for no-code ham and even for non-ham operator who has no knowledge about radio amateur at all.


3) I also made similar presentation titled “モールス通信を始めよう“(Let’s start Morse Communication) at JARL event corner in Tokyo Hamfair on 2011-08-28.



4) Before Hamfair, I co-operated an interview from JOCX (Fuji TV Broadcasting Co.).
Since there was no enough time before on air, the TV crew requested me to work on my shack and asked real QSO with other ham. I asked my local station JA1HMK, Ron-om to have schedule QSO and showed our chat with both English and Japanese Morse code.
In my small shack, they recorded many scenes for an hour but I haven’t been known how they edited the contents till I saw the result on the air.
Screen shot of TV

8J1MORSE

The special event station 8J1MORSE, that commemorates the 220th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Morse and the first successful Morse Code communication across the Atlantic Ocean by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901, will QRV from 1st June, 2011 till end of Nov 2011.
For detailes refer to official website http://8j1morse.a1tokai.net/ and offical blog http://8j1morse.blogspot.com

I'll operate the station from June 1st to June 3rd from my home QTH, Machida-city, Tokyo.
Then, on June 4th, we are planning to have field operation event at Sagamigawa-river, Zama-city, Kanagawa-pref.

Opening of Machida A1 Museum

Today, my 50th birthday.
Since several months ago, I've been planning to open small private museum in my home on this memorial day.
Neither vintage bugkeys nor special paddles.
Just a kind of ordinary keys and paddles that I've been collected during my CW life of 35 years up to now.
I'd like to provide a meeting place to guys & gals who are interested in the CW and wondering what key or paddle is suitable for themselves.
To all CW lovers, If you come across to Tokyo, please stop by and visit my museum.
Please note I'm still full time worker, so this private museum is available only weekends with prior notice. Hi

Let's have eyeball meeting and talk about CW!

Golden Week Holidays

We had a long golden week this year from April/29 till Mat/8.
I went to short trip to JA3 area (Shiga & Nara) and JA9 area (Fukui) with wife and daughter and my mother who is living in JA3 area (Hyogo) alone.

April/30, we went Shizugatake mountain where located north part of Lake Biwa.

After Shizugatake, we visited the place of my family's origin in Kinomoto town and pray at my father's grave.

We stayed at Kokou-An Inn in Kinomoto town.
It was pretty quiet place and had very nice hot-spa there.


Next morning we visited Shakudo-ji where famous 11-face-kannon (Goddess of Mercy which has 11 faces) a kind of wooden statue.
Photo took at the front passage to the Shakudo-ji temple.


Then we moved to JA9 area (Fukui), and visited Tojinbo where impressive scenic spot facing to the Japan sea.


and Eiheiji-temple. It was a bit disappontment because it was commercialized than I thought.


We went back to JA3 Area (Hyogo) and stayed at my mother's home.

On the 3rd day, we visited Nara.
This is a kind of ancient remains "Saka-Fune-iseki"
The puropose of that shape of stone is unknown. But some says it was used for squeeze Sake.


This is one of a famous temple in Japan, Horyuji temple.
There are a lot of national treasures.


This is "Ishibutai-kofun" a kind of ancient stone grave.


Finally, we visited "Toshho-daiji" temple.
Here also one of most famous temple in Japan and
there have many national treasures too.


It was short 2-day-stay in kansai district, but it was very impressive and happy time with my family.

I'm afraid my 75-year-mother got tired due to many up/down steps and walks.

I hope to go somewhere nice place again with family soon.

BBQ with K3TN

K3TN John and his XYL Carol came to my home with JJ8KGZ Leo.
I invited local friends and had a BBQ at my garden.
Many frisnds gathered and enjoyed drinking eating and chatting under the sunshine.
It was very nice sunny day. Thank you everyone, thank you nature god for this fine time. May the peacefull time be with us for long!


John wrote about his visit to JA i his BLOG

Spring comes even on the tragedic island

Hi Friends!
Thanks for your kind and warm message from all over the world both on and off the blog.
After 3.11 of the great north-eastern Japan earthquake and tsunami, we lost more than 28,000 people including missing and still near to 200,000 peopole are living in the shelters. And situation of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been getting worse.
The trouble of the nuke plant was caused by lack of risk management of Tokyo Electric Power compant (TEPCO) and government. As one of a Japanese people, it's shame of ourselves and I'd like to apology all the foreign countries we are worry about contamination of the environment.
After one month of the tragedy, we still have many aftershocks with magnitude 4-6.

Although such situation, spring comes equally.
Cherry blossoms are now full open around Tokyo.

I decided not to use AC mains power sourced by TEPCO for my hobby.
My CW signal made by solar power since April, 2nd, 2011.

No More Fukushima!

QTC from JAPAN

This is the copy of message I sent to A1 club DX membes;

As you may know, we had a terrible quake in northern part of Japan on Friday afternoon last week.
After three days past, more than 2000 killed and more than 10000 missing up to now.
Also, the neuclear power plants located in Fukushima-pref. is getting serious situation.

We as an amateur radio operator are gathering and exchanging emergency information on the
following frequenies.
Please kindly keep clean these freqs.
3525KHz+/-5KHz　
7030KHz+/-5KHz　
14.100MHz+/-10KHz
21.200MHz+/-10KHz
28.200MHz+/-10KHz
50.100MHｚ、51.000MHｚ、51.500MHz
144.100MHz、145.000MHz、145.500MHz
430.100MHz、433.000MHz、433.500MHz

Thank you for your kind cooperation.

A1 CLUB secretary
Atsu, JE1TRV
je1trv@a1club.net
http://a1club.net/
http://jo1zzz.blogspot.com/

Begali Stradi

Pietro Begali made another masterpeiece named "Stradivarius".
I love his paddles best.

A Happy New Year 2011

A Happy New Year 2011

I thank you very much for everything in 2010 and wish your happy and health new year 2011.

This year is;
220th anniversary of Samuel F.B. Morse's birth.
110th anniversary of Marconi's over the Atlantic ocean Radio Telegraphy communication.
And probably the year that Morsecode proficiency test will be dropped from the all class of Japanese Radio Amateur License exam.

Cerebrating this, I will work harder for prpmotion of CW.

As my private issue, I'll turn 50 this year.
I think I'll do my best this year, but after that I want to ask to have some time to think about my life in future.

On the other hand,
Number of Collection of my Morse Keys and Paddles became some extent so that I'd like to prepare a place where you can touch them and talk about CW in my home at Machida, Tokyo.
I named it "Machida A1 Museum".
If you have chance to come to Tokyo, please contact me.

73+88
de JE1TRV, Atsu