Amatuer Radio Enthusiasts?

[erok]

Good evening,
Are you an Amatuer Radio operator who is studying Japanese? Well, I am and I have relied on amateur radio to listen in on radio operations from around the world. In fact, I utilize EchoLink to connect (and primarily listen) to traffic in Japan, My only real contact in Japanese has been via EchoLink. Maybe it would be a good idea to start a conference for students to interact with Japanese radio operators..? Any suggestions/comments?

eric
erok

[Psy]

That's a really intriguing idea, but I don't think amatuer radio has much of an audience here. I'd love to hear more about your efforts as they progress, however!

[Alan]

Hi erik,

I've only spoken to Japan on SSB field days as my garden isn't big enough for a decent HF antenna (at the correct height!), which is essential to get over there from the UK. Unfortunately those are of course pretty standard exchanges in the rush for contacts. I have used (by accident) internet linking to the US, when listening in to a repeater which was operating a link & had an american come back. A bit of a surprise. I have considered whether satellite operation would reach over there, but AMSAT contacts are only a few minutes long at best and I've not checked the footprints to see if Japan is reachable that way. Also rather a lot of equipment tinkering is involved and I'm really short on time these days.

A quick look at the Echolink website shows quite a few simplex links in Japan, but no operational repeaters (at the time of writing). Are there any that come up periodically? What times are they active? If so, maybe it's worth registering with echo-link. I'd certainly like to hear about your experiences.

73, Alan

Edit: Found some active repeaters in Tokyo now

Edit2: The UK doesn't have reciprocal licensing with Japan, so I'm not sure whether I can use their repeaters. I guess it counts as 3rd party traffic?

[erok]

Thanks for your repy. Yes, EchoLink is probably the best solution out there, but as you know, it is available on to license radio operators. I like to tune in and listen to some of the traffic but rarely do I chime in. Occassionaly, a Japanese operator will contact me and attempt conversation. Frankly, I need more work!
I also noticed this week that on 7.190 LSB is a Japanese radio show that broadcasts for an hour or two. Whats unusual is that I can understand about 50% of what i being said. Better yet, I recognize 50% of the words - I am just challenged putting it all together.
Check out Echolink!
Thanks for writing,
73s,
Eric
KE7BIJ