matt, how did you find accessibility in Japan?
I have heard that it is quite spectacular
Perhaps not in all of the country, but certainly in major centers.

Regards
Colin

-----Original Message----- 
From: Matthew Chao
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 11:19 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Japanese Sideband Q S O

Hi, Ron.  Sounds great.  I was in Japan in 2013 for the World Blind
Sailing Championships, representing the U.S. and the state of
Massachusetts.  I truly loved Japan.  Great place and people.

Now, with my new ticket, I hope to talk to some folks there,
propagation permitting.--Matt, N1IBB.

At 08:02 AM 4/24/2015, Dr. Ronald E. Milliman wrote:
>Phil, your Japanese QSO reminds me about a young Japanese kid I met on the
>air many years ago when I was working on my Ph.D. at Arizona State. We had 
>a
>regular schedule set-up, and he would ask me all kinds of questions about
>the United States and in turn, he would tell me lots of really interesting
>things about Japan and the kids in his country and at that time, how much
>they wanted to buy the kind of jeans that the American kids were wearing.
>However, American jeans were extremely expensive in Japan and very 
>difficult
>to find. Anyway, I sent him a pair of American jeans, and he couldn't thank
>me enough. The best part of the story, though, is that when he graduated
>from high school, he came to the United States and enrolled in Arizona
>State, and he used to come over to my house quite often to have dinner with
>my wife and me, and we set up schedules to talk to his family and friends 
>in
>Japan.
>
>Ron, K8HSY
>  family
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>On Behalf Of Colin McDonald
>Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 12:54 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Japanese Sideband Q S O
>
>Great story.
>Japanese ham operators have the best on air edicot in the world bar none.
>Of course, they also have the highest number of ham operators per capita of
>any other country.
>I love working Japanese stations...especially on 10 when they have their 
>10M
>contest.
>
>73
>Colin, V A6BKX
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Phil Scovell
>Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2015 11:24 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Japanese Sideband Q S O
>
>I'm sure I've told this story before, so for those on the list who have =
>heard it, just delete this post.
>
>I tuned down to just a few KHz above 28 300, checked the frequency to = see
>if it was clear, and proceeded to call CQ D X.  I don't know if it = still
>is the case but 10 meters used to be the Japanese novice band = including
>running only 10 watts for either CW or SSB.  At least, a long = rag chew I
>had with a Japanese station once told me.  His English was = better than
>mine.  Anyhow, let me give you a flavor of what it sounded = like first and
>then I will tell the story.
>
>Calling CQ D X and standing by," I said.  By the way, I wasn't K0NX back =
>then but I'll just use my current call sign to demonstrate what happen.  =
>As I said in a previous message, I am really bad about understanding =
>anybody that doesn't sound like he is from Iowa.  Anyhow, I let my = signal
>drop and a guy, all alone, called me.
>
>Keelowatt serro November x-ray, keelowatt serro November xray, this is =
>Ja-pan Amerika one, Mexico Quebec Mexico.  Ja-pan America one Mexico =
>Quebec Mexico.  And he repeated it a couple of additional times.
>
>Q R zed, I called.  I didn't get all of your call.  Please say again, = 
>this
>is Kilowatt zero November x-ray.  He repeated it several times.  It = took
>me a couple of more transmission to even get his call.  Finally, I = got 
>it.
>I gave him his signal report, my QTH, and name, and turned it = back to 
>him.
>I had to get him to repeat his QTH and name three or four = more times
>before I got it.  I was going to sign with him without = telling him what I
>was running for a station, and that out of plane old = embarrassment, but
>when I turned it back to him, he said, "Feel.  I am = going to ask 
>question.
>Is this ok, feel?"  I reluctantly said, ok, and = he asked me a question. 
>I
>asked him to repeat it.  He asked me again = and I asked him to repeat his
>question.  This happened, God as my = witness, two or three additional 
>times
>until I understood he was asking = me if I lived in the capital city of
>Denver or did I live in another = town near Denver?  I thought, what in the
>sam hill is he asking me that = for?  I mean, isn't Denver good enough just
>for a short contact?  I = finally got it and so I told him I was in 
>Lakewood
>Colorado.  I spelled = it.  Lima, alphas, kilo, echo, whisky, oscar, oscar,
>delta and I = repeated it several more times and pronounced it a few times.
>He asked = me to repeat it all again.  I did.  He came back and said, "Ok,
>feel.  I = now understand.  You leave in Lake wud Co low ri doe.  Now, 
>feel.
>I ask = you question.  Is this ok?"  Very hesitantly, I said it would be 
>ok.
>= "Now, feel, in Lake Wud Co low ra da, I am asking your address."  I =
>asked him to repeat his question.  He did.  I asked him again to repeat =
>his question.  He repeated it two or three additional times.  To my =
>surprise, he was indeed asking me for my address.  I thought, "Oh, good. =
>He wants to QSL direct," so I said my address was 8427 West 6th Avenue. = I
>was figuring that he'd never get such a weird long address but after =
>repeating it two or three more times, he repeated it back and I = confirmed
>he had it ok.  By the way, ok is a great word used often in = any language.
>He said, "Ok, feel, in Lake Wud Co low raido, I am asking = you your zip
>code.  See?  I was right.  The guy wants to qsl.  Hot dog.  = I got it now.
>He got the zip code just fine right off.  I am telling = you the truth how
>this all went down.  In fact, it took probably 10 or =
>15 minutes to get this far in the QSO.  I was kicking myself for = sticking
>my neck out working sideband by this time.  Finally, he said, = and this is
>the truth, "Feel, this is ok.  I have, what you say is, map = called Atlas.
>I see you right where you live from map.  Very nice = talking you.  I see 
>on
>map exactly where you house would be."  Now = remember, this is long before
>computers and google maps and almost = before satellites, haha.  I mean, we
>didn't have cable channels, the = internet, and the most modern thing in my
>shack was a push button = telephone.  I've give a dollar to your favorite
>charity if I had a = recording of that, one of a kind, classic QSO.  Now 
>you
>know why I don't = work phone.  I'm kidding, of course, but I made the same
>mistake once, = when I had my 4 element 20 up at 40 feet.  I cranked up my
>amplifier = that I finally purchase, 4 811 a tubes with 700 watts output,
>pointed my = beam straight north, shouldered my way between two huge
>signals, and = called CQ D X United Alpha, cq d x USSR, cq United alpha, cq
>the soviet = Union.  I called cq like that for maybe 15 seconds and at that
>time of = the evening, in the early 1980s, Russian were 30 and 40 over 
>nine.
>They = were even louder long path pointed southwest in the morning hours. 
>I
>= worked Russians for the next two hours, some short 5 or six minute rag =
>chews, too.  I also worked Willy, who operated from UK 9 A A N, or as he =
>used to say, UK9 Able, able, nan, for two hours on phone one night but =
>again, his English back then was better than mine.  Willy and I worked =
>high speed CW on 20 occasionally and UK9AAN was a big Russian contest =
>station back then with about 20K of output.  This was when Russians were =
>only supposed to run 200 watts maximum.  Willy told me, in a rather = 
>clever
>way, what their amplifier was putting out back then and he told = of some 
>of
>the other big Ukraine contest stations and other calls with = which I was
>familiar, and none of them ran less than 10K and some even = more than 20K.
>Great d x days back then on all the bands.  Anyhow, from = a guy who can
>hardly understand guys on sideband from New York, New = Jersey, 
>Mississippi,
>northern Georgia, and Alabama, I try and stick to =
>75 meters at 4 PM in the afternoon before the band goes long and starts =
>filling up with all them foreign accents from near by states, haha.  By =
>the way, the only Japanese I know is the word Tokyo but even Eloquence =
>pronounces it incorrectly as most of us do.  It is not pronounced Toe = Key
>oh, as three syllables.  If you listen closely, Japanese pronounce = it as
>just two syllables as in toke Yoh.  I still pronounce it as three =
>syllables myself but then again, we CW guys don't need to know such = 
>piddly
>information, haha.
>
>Phil.
>K0NX