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