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 Previous: Surfin': PSK31 |  Next: The Amateur Amateur: Assaulting the Battery |
By Stephen Stuntz, N0BF
January 13, 2002
Buongiorno Stefano. Come sta? (Good morning Stephen. How are you?) The words rolled off Franco's tongue sounding like music. Adrenaline raced through my veins as I scribbled notes struggling to understand and respond quickly in my first Italian language QSO. I responded Molte bene, Grazie. (Very well. Thank you.) ll Segnale e molte forte, (Your signal is very strong.) said Gianfranco Meunier, IK3HHQ.
The Yaesu FT‑817 QRP transceiver transmitting 2.5 W from a rubber duck provided solid communications from its perch on the window sill in our second story hotel room. The window overlooked a cobblestone mall that connects the train station to the ancient walled city of Vicenza.
 Jeannie (left) and Stephen, N0BF, prepare to depart San Gimignano for Volterra on their tandem bike. |
On the previous day my wife Jeannie and I had taken the train to Thiene to visit Franco and his wife Ada. They greeted us with lots of Italian hospitality: hugs, kisses and espresso coffee laced with grappa--a liquor distilled from skins and seeds of pressed grapes. Feeling dizzy from caffeine, sugar, and alcohol I grasped for Italian phrases to explain our three-fold mission while revisiting the place of our luna di miele (honeymoon). We would pick up a hand made violin, ride a tandem bicycle through Tuscany and practice my Italiano with Franco--who did not speak English. For the latter I planned to use my FT‑817.
Franco wanted to know all about the tutti modi, tutti bande (all modes, all bands) QRP transceiver. He marveled at the small size as he tuned it to 145.675 MHz and keyed a repeater using the 1725 Hz tone burst and a --600 KHz offset. The repeater was located near our hotel, about 20 kilometers from Franco's place. A station replied and reported my signal as motte chiaro (full quieting). The strong signal report meant we could communicate between Vicenza and Thieneon a 2-meter FM simplex frequency. We arranged to meet on 145.250 MHz each morning at otto (8 AM).
Franco was fascinated to hear how--during the bike trip through Tuscany--I used the antenna wire I had earlier stuffed into the FT‑817 fanny pack. One rainy night in the hilltop town of Volterra, I assembled a 20-meter inverted half-V antenna using two 16.5 foot lengths of 20 gauge wire, 12 feet of RG-174/U coax with alligator clips fixed at one end, 1 roll of nylon fishing line and a small padlock. One length of wire, connected to the coax shield, hung from the second story window and down the outside wall of the hotel. The other wire, connected to the coax center conductor, was oriented at a 45-degree angle sloping down between the window and a fence 30 feet away. To install that wire I tied it to a fishing line and tied the line to a padlock. I threw the lock out the window and over a fence. I then used the fishing line to pull the wire out the window and tie it off to the fence.
Signals with exotic call signs from all over Europe, Asia and Africa came over the headphones when I connected the other end of the coax to the FT-817. I plugged in the Whiterook keyer and sent a CQ on 14.050 MHz. "I/N0BF de OK2BUX" blasted in my ears at 25 wpm. Stan's signal was 599 plus 10 dB from Polanka near Vsetin in the Czech Republic. He was running an FT-745 at 90 W to a ground plane vertical antenna. Stan gave me a 589 report and was impressed with my 2.5 W signal. He also enjoyed hearing about our Tuscany bicycle trip between Florence and Lucca.
 Ada (left), Stephen and Franco, IK3HHQ, in Thiene. |
I moved up the band, changed the mode to USB and answered EA5/GM0UPK. Paul gave me a 5x6 report from his QTH in Valencia, Spain. His signal report was a powerful 5x9 plus 10 dB but I had difficulty understanding his Celtic accent. Paul explained that he had recently moved to Spain from Scotland. "Sounds like you're having fun biking in Italy," he said when he learned that Jeannie and I had pedaled from San Gimignono in the rain on a tandem bicycle.
Va bene (That's good), said Franco as he repacked the fanny pack putting the 20-meter antenna in the left pocket, the keyer in the right pocket, the FT-817 in the main pouch and the lightweight headphones and rubber duck in the front pocket. He wanted to take Jeannie and me to visit his ham radio friends. Downing the espresso and saying ciao to Ada, the three of us were off to the Saturday Thiene ham meeting in the town square. Franco, in true Italian fashion, rapidly but skillfully navigated his macchina (car) through narrow winding cobblestone streets. We arrived at an ancient stone building, descended to the basement and entered a room dedicated by the City of Thiene solely for Amateur Radio.
The welcoming committee was Thiene Amateur Radio Club President Marco Costa, IW3HHN; Anselmo Stiffan, IZ3BGJ--who spoke excellent English; and Bruno Balasso, IW3HXR--who wanted to operate the Italian VHF contest that had just begun. After Jeannie took a group picture, Bruno took the FT-817 into the radio room and connected it to a quarter-wave 2 meter vertical antenna atop the building. He was scanning for SSB contest stations when another club member, Floriano Zambon, I3VZF, who was captivated by the tiny radio, asked for the microphone. Floriano contacted IK5ZWU/6 on 144.330 MHz giving him a 5x9 report and Thiene coordinates--JN55RQ. IK5ZWU/6 gave Floriano a 5x9 report. His portable coordinates, JN63GN, indicated that his QTH was near Fabriano, 200 miles south of us. Not bad for a 2.5 W signal powered by dying batteries. Floriano tried calling a second station but the 8 AA batteries were morti (dead).
 Marco, Stephen, Bruno and Anselmo at the club meeting in Theine. |
By now approximately 20 hams had arrived. I was fascinated to see how the meeting unfolded, so unlike the structured meetings we have back in Colorado with schedules, itineraries and presentations. These hams spent the entire 3 hours milling around, forming small groups and speaking intensely while waving their arms. I kept hearing the word bomba. Anselmo, who translated into English, told me that a 7000-pound bomb had been found recently in the Vicenza cemetery near our hotel. The English apparently dropped it during WWII. Authorities were rounding up ham volunteers were being rounded up to provide communications during the evacuation of 75,000 people while demolition experts could safely disarm the bomb. The club meeting dwindled to an informal close instead of coming to a defined end.
Franco ushered us to the car and drove us to the Cavalino Bianco (White Pony), our favorite trattoria (restaurant). There we met Ada, Franco's sister Maria, and Maria's family--for an Italian meal. Over a 3-hour meal we shared vino (wine), insalata (salad), gnocchi con ragu (my favorite potato pasta with meat sauce), and pollo, miale e salsiccia (chicken, pork and sausage). Maria's husband Frank offered a toast celebrating our first wedding anniversary. Jeannie and I gave thanks to Frank for performing our marriage ceremony in Colorado and to Maria for loaning us her summer home in Thiene for our honeymoon. Frank said, Salute (To your health) as we drank limoncello (a delicious sweet/sour lemon after-dinner liqueur). Franco and Ada hustled us back into the car and zipped us off to the station where we caught the last train to Vicenza.
Ciao, Stefano. Sono IW3HHN. Marco's words sounded like a rapid tremolo as he joined my first Italian language QSO with Franco. My adrenaline level went even higher as I tried to communicate in a 3-way QSO. I responded: Marco, parle piu lentamente, per piacere. (please speak more slowly). Franco helped by explaining that I was a beginner at speaking the language. Marco, speaking deliberately, explained that he was operating mobile as he was driving to his job in the automobile factory in Marano. He asked when Jeannie and I would return to Italy. I said proximo anno (next year). He signed arrivederci (until we meet again).
 Bruno operating the FT‑817 at the Thiene Amateur Radio Club. |
Feeling excited about my success in communicating with Marco, I proceeded to tell Franco how Jeannie and I would take a train to Verona where we would board a plane to London and return to Colorado. When Franco said va bene, I was thrilled. He wished buona fortuna (good luck) to his amici (friends), Stefano e Gianetta.
Three months later, when Frank and Maria met us for espresso latte coffee at the cafe near their home in Fort Collins, Colorado they told us that the bomb had been safely disarmed. Franco's club had helped evacuate townspeople within 3 km of the bomb. It was the largest unexploded bomb found anywhere in Italy and was apparently dropped on the Vicenza train station by the British Royal Air Force when the Germans occupied Vicenza during WWII. When the bomb landed on the tracks near the station and failed to explode, German solders moved it to the cemetery where it was buried and lay forgotten for more than 50 years.
Meeting Franco and his friends face-to-face and speaking with them on 2 meters has given me a new perspective about ham radio. As the world grows smaller and technology advances, it becomes easier to speak with foreign hams in their language when one is traveling in their country and packing a ham radio set. Doing so can certainly be challenging and a bit intimidating but the adventure is well worth the effort.
Editor's note: Stephen Stuntz, N0BF, an ARRL member, lives in Loveland,
Colorado. He holds an Extra class license. A retired electrical engineer,
Stuntz and his wife Jeannie travel the world full time. Stephen likes to pack a
QRP rig and meet hams along the way. He can be reached at N0BF@juno.com.
| Previous: Surfin': PSK31 | Next: The Amateur Amateur: Assaulting the Battery |
