after my alerted holiday ops on the AG summits on the Island of Rhodes for September, I spotted this worrying incident for a german operator on the Island of Kos
A little worrying as this was to be my first SOTA activity from a CEPT country, I was concerned about taking any HF gear with me and decided to go with just my FT60, but this has put me off taking anything at all??!!
I have though spoken to a couple of SV5 friends of mine who live on Rhodes and they have said don’t bring any radios with me as I can borrow anything I need while over there from the club station or their personal stuff, I may even have them accompany me while up the summits
The coverage seems to suggest that it was one-off incident with, aledgedly, some strange circumstances surrounding it. I never had any problems operating from a hotel in Rhodes some years ago. Judging by the number of reciprocal calls I hear from Greece in the summer this incident would not worry me at all.
The chances of being run down by someone drunk on a scooter seem far greater.
In reply to G3CWI:
I wouldn’t worry. Inform as many officials that you can lay your hands on in advance and when you get there. Be completely open and tell them what your intentions are. I activated Mt. Ataviros which is the highest mountain on Rhodes and getting on for the same height as Ben Nevis in 1995 without the slightest trouble. One QSO was with Cyprus using 2W. There’s a good path all the way up from the village of Agios Isidoros which is to the south of the summit. It took me 2hrs-10 min up and 1hr-50 min down. I went slowly - terrified of the heat and carried 1.1 gallons of water - just in case! I think it’s 14km total up+down. I understand that it’s scrammbly from Ebonas at the north but didn’t try it.
Granted, it’s a long time ago and I only had 2m FM with me up there. I operated close to the ruined concrete building with broken aerials on it but I wasn’t questioned or challenged.
There’s a good radio club in Rhodes town which I was invited to and visited on club night and they were very kind - offering to loan me equipment. I also visited the shack of Vasilis SV5TS not far from the airport and he let my son and I operate his big station. We both had many many /mobile HF QSO’s and HF activity from the hotel balcony at Tholos.
The ‘carrier activated’ repeater then was SV5A on R2 - 145.650 MHz (minus 600kHz input like ours) in Rhodes town and I think on or near Mt Smith. Its equipment was inside the radio club building and it covers the northern tip. Some of the locals I met and / or worked were: SV5DDS, SV5FD and SV5BYP. I’m sure that if you made contact with the club they would be willing to help if there were any ‘difficulties.’
CEPT is was a great invention but in some ways I felt more confortable in the days when you had to apply for a reciprocal licence signed by the local officials. It perhaps counted for more in that it featured the signature of the island governor or similar.
I can recommend a nice beach at Monolithos and there was a big VOA short-wave station at Afantou which may have closed now. Rhodes was the best place I have ever been for friendliness of local amateurs but now of course a minority of young Brits may have ruined it for everybody?
These incidents are a bit like lightning strikes. The DXer got into bother so statistically you should now be safe for 10 years or more. Go for it and take HF or you’ll regret it!
Thanks for the feedback from all especially you John,
Rhodes is my second home, I have lived there, backpacked, mountain biked and walked nearly all of the island with at least 20 visits in the last 30 years. I have walked all the SOTA summits and only because I have now got my full license and my uncle’s donated G1 Callsign can I actually use radio equipment on the island without supervision.
I agree Monolithos has a great beach, but it cannot beat the beach at Afandou! and yes a few years back the Club 18-30 invasion of Falaraki certainly caused major concern for the islanders and the authorities!! Thankfully it has been dealt with and the changes to the resort are certainly helping.
I have a good few greek friends on the island who are Amateurs, so I know I will be supported.
Elaine and I have plans when we retire to move to Rhodes permanently and I will then of course apply for a SV5 license
and of course will then be activating the 5 SOTA summits regulary
As for Ataviros this year I will be setting off from Emponas from my friends QTH and using the now well developed track to the top, if my Arthritis is bad I will be heading up by jeep to just over halfway at a crossroads roughly 850 metres asl and walk the remaining 400 mt ascent to summit top.
I will change my alerts if I can get HF equipment up there with me
It sounds like you know the spot backwards and best how to enjoy it - like drinking the products from the Emery liquers factory for perhaps. I’ve still got some left even now!
It seems there have been many developments since I was there. We did 1800km in our hire car seeing every place we could; much of it on bumpy, dusty roads many of which, I don’t doubt, are now tarmac. I wish the Ataviros track / path you spoke of had been there then. 400m is still quite a haul but it’s only the same as Wild Boar Fell etc. It’s the heat that scares me most especially when the sun reflects from the scrubby higher reaches of the mountain. It’s not as bad lower down through the hollyoaks.
Pleased to hear that the ‘stupidity’ has been largely eliminated! It makes me ashamed.
The lads we met at the club were: SV5RW Dimitris (President), SV5DDS Mike, SV5DDT Chris, SV5AZK Panos (Secretary), SV5BYP Lefteris, SV5ADL Mike and a SWL called Tassos. SV5RDS was about to become the clubcall. Maybe you know some of these but possibly just their descendants!! Everyone was so friendly. We haven’t been back since but it may be safe to try it again soon.
