June 25th, Monday
In the morning of 25th, I went back to Naha after having a glass of
“Seequercer” *7 fruit juice at the stand of Ishigaki Airport. After the plane took off, as it was climbing up and turning to the left, the beautiful coast line caught me from the left window.
After arriving at Naha, I quickly moved to Naminoue Beach in Naha City,
the last point of operation in Okinawa. Judging from the real time web
board, it seemed a good condition and even several stations were on operation
although it was a Monday morning. I got off a taxi and walked to the direction
of beach to come across a small, little tiny area of sands for swimming
separated and surrounded by cliffs. It was a wrong place where I got off
the taxi, because I wanted to go to the other side of the cliff. But I
was not allowed to waste any time in changing locations, because the conditions
seemed fine.
I took out the 87R and transmitted out CQs at Ch8 from the beach which
seemed in no way suitable for good propagation for radio waves. Uh… Too
good conditions! Again it was a hubbub of the illegals and noises. I got
an immediate response from a Fukuoka station, but I was hardly able to
pick up the figure portion of his call sign, defeated by stronger chaotic
signals. Repeating blindly “QSY to Channel 3”, I changed frequencies only
to find there was also piles of signals, though it was a little better
than Ch8. Trying to keep communications, I waited for a brief silence and
finally got the complete call sign of Fukuoka AB182. Exchanging reports
and several words of greetings, I finished the QSO.
It was clearly beyond my expectation that the waves could go far to reach
Fukuoka from such an unsuitable place for QRV.
When I looked around the beach, I noticed there were stairs, seemingly, leading to the higher place in the hill. Maybe it would be the nature of most CBers to be invited to climb to the higher places: I was, without recognition, hurrying up the stairs, hauling a suite case, a duffel bag and a fishing rod case. Very soon after, I came across a table and benches, where I could have a view down on the beach, and I set up the 707 and 87R. When I listened to the rigs, it was still continuing a hubbub condition. Although I thought it was not the best location to be QRV, I was successful in QSO, getting a response from Mie AA469. As he was coming in rather strongly, I was confident I could make more and repeated CQ calls. However, because still it was a Monday morning, I did not have a good probability enough to reach other stations.
Again maybe it was also a nature of CBers to try to find any better locations
for operation, I was, without knowing, further walking up the stairs with
87R in my hand. It was surprising for me to find an observation deck in
a place which seemed to be the highest point. As there was such nice a
setting of a big table and benches made of concrete in the deck, I thought
it should be telling me “Please use for radio operation”. Nobody comes.
Although it was not so high enough, one could see much portion of the buildings
in Naha City. I moved the luggage and rigs to the deck and set up 707 and
87R on the table to start watching. But the conditions had already sharply
gone down after the QSO with Mie AA469, although I could sometimes hear
CQ calls coming in.
It was already entering into the lunchtime of operation, and I caught a call of Fukuoka NS45. We could understand we were calling each other, but could never make the most important thing, communication. (what’s happening????) I continued operation having a Taco Rice lunch, but the conditions were straightly fading down leading me to the time-out for lunchtime operation. Even after 14:00, still I could hear legal stations sometimes rising up from the surface of AM noises, but they were only for a short duration. As it did not seem I could anticipate the improvement of condition, I decided to leave there around 15:00, earlier than scheduled. I tried operations after returning to the Naha Airport, but the conditions were not recovered.
My three-day operation ended at last.
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Beyond the gate:
737 was waiting |
From the sky:
Does the radio wave travel in this space? |
Taco Rice
Easy with lunch box. |
2007 OKINAWA
*7: A kind of citrus fruit specially produced in Okinawa area.
