• Island          : Samothraki
• Iota             :  EU - 174
• Activation   :  22-27 / 06 / 2006
• Operators   :  SV2BRT,SV2EWS,SV2FPU,SV2HNZ,SV2HPP,SV2HPY
• Qso             :  8178
• Qsl - Card   :  Bureau or Direct
• Qsl - Mgr    :  SV2HPP

 
The journal writes four of September of 2006, while National Basketball team has returned from JA Land taking the second place on world wide and succeeding among others an historical victory against the Americans with score 101-95….

There is no propagation on high bands while for the low bands I don’t have serious antenna..

Is it maybe the time to print my memories that I had from  the recent past..? The story that I am going to write has to present its own triumph , its own world cup, less meaning but the same goal : “ for Greece, for SIERRA VICTOR (SV)! So seat comfortably on shack chair, low the volume from your tranceiver and travel with “WHITE TOWER DX TEAM” first class, on fly for Samothraki isl, and from there all over the world from hertzian.  

Everything started on 2004 when I met Babis (SV2HNZ), on radio amateur training course for Morse, and through him Gianni (SV2HPY), and Niko (SV2HPP). Immediately developed  a solid and a lot promised friendship ,while on “radio amateur field “ we share the same opinions ….

The first small writing sample has been during the cultural festival of Thessaloniki  “Dimitria 2005”,  when was constructed a portable station on the beach of the city , in container, and in 24 hours succeeded almost a thousand (1000) QSO’s with many operators.  

The basic step and the idea of “WHITE TOWER DX TEAM”  had happened on MAY 1st 2006, while the four (4) fundamental members (SV2FPU-SV2HNZ-SV2HPP-SV2HPY)  took  among others the call to activate from Samothraki island (IOTA EU-174), duration time June 22 to 27, 2006 using the  special Hellic prefix “J48White Tower”.

And so has begun the preparation of the exhibition …. In between fifty (50) days had to be predicted any unpredicted , be solved , and find sponsors , order antennas ,band pass  filters, and be on time in Greece so as to put in order, and book the proper place on the island that can fit … all (antennas and us!!!) etc . The team with many other colleagues  in background had managed to make it happened on time, so the morning of June 21^st,  2006 finds us to packed  and load everything that we gone need to fulfill our exhibition .

Three cars with six member team each (WHITE TOWER DX TEAM plus SV2BRT giorgos/ SV2EWS giannis ) go on board on vessel ‘ NONA MARY’ from Alexandroupolis port ,  full of dreams for a success expedition… Our destination was the studios of ms Litsas Hondrou in K. Kariotes a place near the sea  on the north coast line of the island (0030-25510-98250). The same night finds us with flash lights “ coalmine type “ ,big lights hanging from the trees , and the team to unload the materials ,picking place and placing antennas ,making shacks , connecting laptops …

The equipment is something you can neglect …
A) Antennas HF six (6) – 1X2 elements C.Quad (10m-20m)-2X Vertical Gap Titan(10m-80m)-1X Vertical Eco (10m-40m)- 1X G5RV – 1 X Yagi 5el (6m) B) Transmitters six (6) – 3X KENWOOD (TS870 – TS 2000 – TS 480 ver 200w ), 3 XYAESU (FT 897) C) Amplifiers 2 X 600W D) 4 X Laptops using ( net diary ) ? Swiss log They were engaged with these equipment three (3) shacks while the “crew” split it in three (3) pairs.

The time reached at 21:23:57Z and the call  “J48WT” is on the air in trial broadcast submitting frequency  that will start to glow …. 14005KHZ and the remote control are on fire! :”K2MFY DE J48WT 5NN 73 FM SAMOTHRAKI ISL. IOTA EU 174 QRZ..?
“ But the party didn’t last much, because who can put up with propagation ….?The “bulletins” as 1JA says, it is said that the 23^rd sun circle is the worst ever! Although we didn’t back up, we continue on dead frequencies: From 22 to 27 of June the J48WT became the calling discreet with the most regular appearance on Dx spots”. These unexpected succeed is occurred on the team hood, cooperation, persistence and professionalism that the team had showed in combination with to maintain in the goal!  

What to recall and what to leave out! : The perfect technique , the character and the low profile of George SV2BRT , the wonderful effort of Gianni SV2EWS  that  calmed down the “wild” Americans , the cheer the competitive as an operator of  Nikos SV2HPP (Qsl mgr) perfect  exhibition record  in DVD ,numberless  hours of his operating day, the night of the two best men Babis SV2HNZ and Giannis SV2HPY.. Until 03:00 to 04:00 local time in the morning, all bands shouted down and the transmission fall in to 0, six “ambassadors” of SIERRA VICTOR on the planet earth, were gathering in to the main shack and deliver their efforts (QSO’s) in to Babi (SV2HNZ) and Gianni (SV2HPY) while they were holding a glass of traditional Cretan tsikoudia (offer of SV2HNZ), for adding new contacts and the quality evaluation (DXCC, WAC, IOTA ect). Somewhere here I would like to note my operating: “All that I’ve dreamed before the exhibition and I’ve never told to anyone from the team was to transfer (if I am aloud to say) with my turn in to the youngest radio amateurs, in to those who doesn’t have my experience but they are willing to learn, and trust me, they learn too fast… Was my big personal bet, to give the chance to everybody that they are for first time in frond of the ruthless pileup and numberless judges, to experience the pleasance of that “you are the DX station” and manipulate radio amateur “jungle”. I followed (apart from few exceptions in to SSB) the obvious loneliness and quietness of CW that so much pleases me (1741 cw QSO’s).  

Dear team of J48WT you are the best to congratulate for the way you managed the pileups, the way you cooperate for total nine (9) days in such a small environment. The result justifies us: 8.178 actual and real difficult QSO’s and 106 DXCC came through this big effort. From the far Alaska (KL7J, LES), until Sweden (SM7WOC, KENT), from Vancouver of Canada (VA7DJ, DON) until Venezuela (YV4DUJ, MANUEL), from Japan (JR2KDN, YOSHI) until S. Arabia (HZ1YB, YARUB), and from there to our country Greece honored us with hundred (100) and more contacts: Well done Gianni SV2DFA that fights on Morse and voice and succeeded ,to Giorgo SV2BRA, to Sotiri SV2CBM, to Giorgo SV2HPI, to Dimitri SV2GWY, to Saki SV2HNC , to Taki SV7TL from Kavala (always near on the radio exhibitions that I’ve took part) ,WELL DONE with caps letters  to Kostantino SV7BOT from Ag. Sosti of Komotini (very valuable colleague during the exhibition) , to Vasili SV1JA , to Stamati SV1EML   to  Kosta SV1DPI,  to Gianni SV5FRI from Simi, to Gianni SV9AHZ that didn’t leave band to make fun of us.. to my good friend Argiri SV8EUX, to good friend Ginni SV1GYG, SV1FZW,SV1GRN,SV1GSP,SV1HAC,SV9CJO,SV9GPV and so many others sorry I can’t recall ……

Unfortunately good things in life ends fast… on 28^th 02:55-03:00 local time the station was on air on 14259KHZ, while all the operators were around the shack, exactly in frond of the sea with the only light of the laptops screen, and the sinning stars onto the peaceful Thrakic Sea, watching in the frequency endless list of DX stations that patiently waited : KC2MWA THANKS FOR THE CALL YOU ARE A FIFTY NINE 73, KC8IDF THANKS FOR THE CONTACT YOU ARE A FIFTY-NINE IN SAMOTHRAKI  ISLAND IOTA EU 174 73, TI2KAC…AA2AP…(03:00)..PLEASE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ITS TIME FOR QRT, ITS TIME TO EXPIRE THIS SPECIAL HELLENIC PREFIX , J48WT NOW 03:01 LOCAL TIME 00:01 UTC BELONGS TO THE RADIO AMATEUR  HISTORY THANKS FOR THR CO-OPERATION AND C U DOWN THE LOG IN THE NEARLY FUTURE FROM ANOTHER GREEK BEAUTIFUL ISLAND 73 88………………………………………………………….

We let out the press of the microphone and quite cover up the voices, to blow of the band cover up the fights for whose gone come, who’s gone be heard …QRT… But, no, I don’t believe it, all ready a small group talks an is planning the next island that’s gone shine with the antennas of “            WHITE TOWER DX TEAM”… reckless all the fans of radio communication me included, for somewhere else for the next IOTA, for the next activity, for the WhiteTowerDX Team, with the promise we made on May 1^st,  2006.And next year again…..

Friends radio amateurs, somewhere here our story ends, and the flight I’ve promised you is on the way to Thessaloniki’s airport. I hope you had a pleasant fly and become for a while theoretical operator of …….