[CCF] Fw: [CQ-Contest] A plane trip conversation from Dayton 2002

[Marko Holmavuo]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marty N5NW" <n5nw@n5nw.org>
To: <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 04, 2002 8:07 PM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] A plane trip conversation from Dayton 2002


> Although I'm now local to Dayton, I had a business trip to take and found
> myself at the Dayton airport for a 1:35pm flight Sunday afternoon after
the
> Dayton Hamvention, bound for Detroit.  Probably 20 or 25 hams on the
flight
> (regional jet, capacity around 65 I'd guess).  As we were waiting, the
only
> seat vacant was next to me.  Who walks down the aisle?
>
> Martti Lane, OH2BH.
>
> Man, what an absolute stroke of luck.  45 uninterrupted minutes of
> conversation with perhaps one of the greatest ambassadors of ham radio in
> the world.  I almost felt like I'd been granted an audience with the Pope
or
> something ...  But here was a very down-to-earth guy genuinely interested
in
> a conversation with me.  Very sincere, very genuine, and very easy to
speak
> with.
>
> Martti spoke at the contest forum, and is currently organizing WRTC 2002
in
> Finland.  But on the plane, he spoke to me about the first WRTC in
Seattle,
> and the problems that were encountered that the Organizing committee was
> trying to avoid 10 years later.
>
>  That led to a discussion of what good ham radio can do as ambassadors,
and
> how little the typical DXpedition (both general DX and contest) adds to
the
> local environment.  He (like I) visited Albania.  I made about 45
contacts.
> He made several thousand contacts, and created 20 or so licensed amateurs,
> and instituted the amateur radio system in the government of Albania.
Even
> the license document format (double columns, in Albanian and English) was
> his creation.
>
> He didn't say this to brag ... far from it.  Rather, making a positive
> impact on the locations he visits has become a priority.  He was so taken
> aback by the hospitality of the Albanian people, and how the experience
> impacted him (and his son, who accompanied him).  But since then, his
> outlook on DXpeditions has changed.  As he told me, DXers will never be
the
> Red Cross, nor should we be.  But we (as a whole) need to examine ways we
> can leave the areas we visit better than we found them.  And not just with
> our equipment.  We have to also share our knowledge.  And, hard as this is
> to realize, we may have a little to learn ourselves.  Martti freely admits
> he got more from his experience in Albania than he left.
>
> He spoke of his host family back in 1992, and the matriarch going about
each
> morning to gather the day's food from various vendors in the neighborhood
in
> which they lived.  This same ritual occurred during my visit two years
ago.
> One shop for bread, another for produce, another for meat.  Nothing beyond
> that day, as preservation of foods is still quite difficult, and
appliances
> hard to come by.
>
> But one particular morning, the matriarch returned with something special.
> After asking around, she had located an egg.  One egg.  And as the family
> gathered, they insisted that Martti's son enjoy the egg that obviously
they
> hadn't had in some time.  Martti's son told him that was the most
difficult
> egg he had ever eaten.  But the family did receive their reward ... they
> enjoyed him, enjoying the egg!
>
> He spoke of the Solomon Islands trip, and how they convinced the locals to
> manufacture soaps and other materials from the native coconut trees.  For
a
> $25 donation to the local cause, you got a commemorative QSL, rather than
> the standard QSL.  You got the card perhaps a few days quicker.  But the
> locals got the money.  He expected to raise perhaps $4,000 to $5,000 and
> ended up with five times that, through the generosity of the DX community.
>
> I really didn't intend that this sound "preachy".  But I hope we all begin
> asking questions of the DXpeditions about how they have a positive impact
on
> the places they visit.  I hope we demand our contesters who were selected
> for WRTC also remember that they are ambassadors for amateur radio and the
> USA, whether or not they want to be.  The WRTC is an excellent
opportunity.
> Recall the US Hockey Team at the Nagano Olympics?  They trashed the place
> after a loss.  They did not remember that they were not only competetors,
> but also Ambassadors.
>
> Other countries come to mind -- North Korea offers some real
opportunities,
> just as Albania did in 1970 when Martti first visited.  It took 22 years,
> but Amateur Radio is now established.  And the Albanian regime was even
> tougher than the current North Korean regime!  Many inroads can still be
> made in Southeast Asia, China, and the African continent.  Ham Radio --
> Ambassadors of International Goodwill.
>
> Martti, thanks for sharing that plane ride with me.  It has changed my
> outlook on Amateur Radio, and how we might impact our world for positive
> change.
>
> de N5NW/8 (Marty)
> Bellbrook, Ohio
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest