Visit to Japan

Visit to Japan

As part of a group tour to Japan, the main stages would be:

  • 10/07 arrival in Osaka

  • 11/07 departure for Mount Koya (apparently Sota JA / WK-009)

  • 12/07 departure for KYOTO

  • 16/07 departure for NAGOYA

  • 17/07 departure for TOKYO

  • 20/07 departure fromTOKYO to France

I would have liked to enjoy some local SOTA. After some information found here and there, I realized that this will not be easy because of:

  • The reciprocal licenses between France and Japan is not obvious

  • The deadline for obtaining a Japanese license seems far too short

  • Difficulty in travelling with my own equipment because of safety rules set by the airlines companies

  • And I would probably forget something :wink:

I therefore ask if there are one or more Japanese OM, interested or not in SOTA, would have a little time to accompany me or to do a small joint activation with their own equipment and allow me to free myself of all material cares of one hand, but also license problems by using his call followed by mine (JA1XYZ/F8CZI as an example).

Thank you in advance for your advice and/or suggestions.

With my best 73’s

Laurent de F8CZI

Bonjour Laurent.
Bon séjour en JA et bonnes activités.
Cordiales 73
André f5ukl

Laurent,

If you act in the next day or so, emailing intl@jarl.org you may get a recip license quickly. In my experience within 30 days.

Cheers,
Andrew
VK3ARR / JI1GBE

Hello Sota friends,

Thanks for our answers.

As Andrew wrote, I sent an email to the jarl for informations. But at the moment I received any answer. I am now very pessimist about the operating possibility in JA. I hope I will be contacted by a JA OM for help proposition.

73 de Laurent, F8CZI

i will give a push to jarl international division.

toru k

Dear Toru K,

Thanks a lot for your replay and for your help regarding my request for a JA license.
Of course, the main topic of this trip is not to do radio operation, but I think it probabely would be for me the only opportunity to activate Sota summits in Japan and for sure have a lot of fun.
If needed, I can send you the adress of the Hotel in Osaka where I will stay the first night and also a copy of my email to the jarl for my request.
Again thank you very much for your support.

73’s

Laurent de F8CZI

So far no response yet, but perhaps due to weekend.
Will follow up.

Toru

Dear Toru,

Thanks for your help. I recived today an answer from the JARL with informations. I am now searching the schematics fo my rig (HB1B YouKits) to add it with my license request.

Best 73’

Laurent

ok GL mate!
toru

Dear Toru,

I have now sent all documents to Ken from the JARL and I hope that the time will be enough to process my license request before I will arrived to Japan.
Again thank you very much for your help.

Best 73’s

Laurent

Laurent

No problem, if you need any help, please let me know

Toru K

Dear Toru,

I just want to thank you again for your help, I got today an email from Ken that inform me that my license for operation in Japan is granted with the callsign JI1UOE.

I asked Ken about the area number that I have to add after my callsign for portable operation from SOTA summits. May be it exist a website where I can find a map to determine the number regarding the qth of operation.

With my best 73s

Laurent de F8CZI

2 Likes

That was fast, congrats & happy operation!

Hi Arnaud,

Merci également à toi pour toutes les informations que tu m’a donné et qui m’ont permis de démarrer ce challenge. Nous sommes maintenant très près du départ et il va falloir faire le choix du matériel à emporter. De toute façon, ce sera la solution “lightweight”.
Bon séjour en France pour tes vacances

73

Laurent

Hi Laurent,

Good to know that you got license!
Have a nice holiday and SOTA expedition!

Take care, mate,
Toru K

Super Laurent, bon sejour et attention a la chaleur et aux insectes en balade (beaucoup d’eau)! :slight_smile:
73,
Arnaud

Dear Toru,
I am now in Japan since 1 week and tried to activate 2 summits:

  • JA/WK-009 that I had to abort at the half way because heavy rain and
  • JA/SI-025 that I had not enough time before the last return of the cable car.

I will stay in Tokyo (Shinjuku) for 3 days and would like to activate summits in this area. Could you please tell me which summits could easely be possible
for one foreign people that not speak Japanese. I have a JR pass and will prefere train trip and of course walking. I will be grateful if you could give me some hints / informations about that.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Best 73
Laurent de F8CZI / JI1UOE

Laurent, try Tsukubasan, IB-003. Take Sobu or Chuo line to Akihabara, then Tsukuba Express to Tsukuba. About 90 minutes. From there it’s a 840 yen bus trip to Tsutsujigaoka and a ropeway to the summit. Take VHF, there’s not much room for HF.

Reverse your steps, but make sure you check out Akihabara as well.

Toru knows more out Kanagawa way, KN-022 and KN-023 seem popular.

Cheers,
Andrew
VK3ARR / JI1GBE

Oh, and ignore the magnitude 5 earthquake centred just west of there :slight_smile: