Hartmut DK2SC

Hartmut DK2SC had been active from Rwanda for several years in 80s through 90s. I first heard him as DK2SC/9X on 40m in the late 80s. It was long before the UN related ham radio activity became high. 9X was a real rare one for us. At that time, Hartmut was ragchewing a homeland guy in moderate speed of code in German. He was not a ham who enjoys only pile ups. His main interest seemed to know well of the comrade through every QSO. His operation was so impressive to me that I still clearly remember of his signal on 40m I first heard.  

Around 1990, when I was keenly chasing rare entities, I often heard him ragchewing on 20m or 15m. There were some guys who broke in him going on chatting. Some of them called him "Racist!". Because he won't reply to the callers in bad manner. Hartmut always replied them, in a sense of humor, telling to behave themselves and to get disciplined. One day I have finally acquainted with him. Since I also loved chatting on CW, it won't take us too long to become good friends each other.

He was a broadcasting engineer maintaining the relay station in Rwanda. He seemed to have a decent station on a hill near Kigali. His beam always put out a great signal to JA via the long path. It was amazing his signal always went on coming through for several hours on either 20m or 15m. Despite of the breakers or even jammers for us, we always enjoyed talking for a long time once we started a QSO. His interests about Japan has extended to various aspects. Once he knew of my profession, he has introduced about the blood smear specimen of Malaria he collected. The topics went on to our career, our families and other hobbies etc. I was hesitating to go on with him for long time but he never stopped his own way of QSO. 

His operation had to come to an end all of a sudden due to the tragedic riot in Rwanda. He had to come back to Germany, where he could not put up any good antenna. We could  not make QSO  any longer but corresponded a few times by postal mail. He told about his dream to go for a voyage on a boat all around the world soon. I haven't traced him any longer since then..

It was last winter that I had a call from him on 20m CW. I must say I have almost forgotten of him then. Hearing his same fist as years ago, I was so excited. He told me he had actually departed for the voyage by himself in 2001. But, when he was harboring in Greece, he had a cerebral vascular illness, that caused hemipalsy later on.  He had to give it up and was sent back home from Greece. He has been settled down in a countryside. He said he had become a grandpa now. It was when he put up a new antenna there that we made that QSO. The QSL shown above is for that QSO. 

The friendship with Hartmut for the past decades tells me that CW communication should be not only for signal report and QSL card matter but for sharing our lives each other, I believe.