Omitting each other's call

Lately, many guys are omitting identification, that is, are not sending call signs in the end of their transmission. they finish it with "BK". I have mentioned about this trend before. This habit should not be ignored, I believe. I would comment on it here again.

Those guys seem to take it as a reasonable way of operation. They might believe it will shorten the meaningless message of identification and make the QSO more speedy and cooler.

Wait. "BK", break, is originally meaning breaking in the QSO or cutting the context in the QSO etc. It should be used only in unusual settings. Not in ordinary QSOs. It leaves us a feeling of abruptness. While the other is sending the call signs of his and mine in the end of a transmission, I could be ready for the next message to be sent to him in my next transmission. Without it, we feel that we are hastened. In my experience, those guys will finish the QSOs very shortly. They seem to behave as if they were in contests.

Exchanging reports and promising QSL exchange, which is also frequently omitted, are too trivial. Those informations are not essential as communication contents. Ending with "BK" in transmission always makes CW communication less meaningful. 

When someone finished his transmission with "BK", I always say 73 in a minutes or two. Since it must be what he wants me to do.

Early in the morning

20m was pretty good for the western Eu late at night yesterday. But this morning, the band was skipping even the western Eu but was open only to the Atlantic ocean. Very few signals except for  EA8. Hoping to catch someone over there, I called CQ. Bernd VK6AA/M has answered to me. Despite of my worsened memory, I could guess anyone whom I had a QSO before, at least, in case of a good ragchew. This call did not ring my aged intuitive memory. The signal from his K3 and mobile whip was not loud but was still good to copy.

Bernd introduced himself as ex VK2IA, which sounded pretty familiar to me. It was the guy, I know, who had been active in DX as well as contesting. He told me he was taking breakfast with his wife on the way to Broome, their new QTH from Sydney. They were camping in the mid of desert in VK5 area. The trip is 3200km in total, which they would spend more than a month to run through. He said they would be settled down in Broome, which has only 5000 people as the population.

I haven't asked him about his age but sounded pretty young. His fist was vivid and proficient. He is working as a mining consultant. He told me his job won't choose where he lives. I asked him about the economy in VK land which seemd to be a kind of bubble to me. The real estate prices remain high especially in the mining areas. But the mining industry is driving the economy, so far as Bernd told me.

In the meantime, I thought I had ever seen his call somewhere. I found the FOC roster listing his call. It seems he has entered the club a year or two ago. I was sorry I could not recognize him as a member. Anyway, it was a real good QSO on the band almost dead for Eu or NA. It is enjoyable for me to talk to him staying in the desert area just around the sunrise. It stimulated my imagination. He told me he would send me the photos of the desert when settled down at his new home in Broome.

He went off telling me he should help his wife cleaning the dishes for their breakfast. I wished them a pleasant trip to their new home. Even in this lousy condition, we could find someone for such an enjoyable QSO. Ham radio is still something in our lives, isn't it?

One of the biggest concerns as a retiree

As a retiree, I have been concerned about the possibility of the inflation in the near future.

 Our Bank of Japan is trying to increase the mobility of money in the market. The other national or main banks in the developed countries are taking the same strategy against the on going deflation. It seems like an aimed or planned inflation they are heading to.

I suspect the excessive capital brought in the market under such policy may work as short term investments in the world. They may invest to the commodities or the developing countries' infrastructures or so. They are aimed only to get the profit. As soon as their investments carry off any profits or are endangered for drop, the investors will do something like asset stripping anywhere in the world. It will cause bubble/recession sequences in any places in the world, which will result in the recession of the world economy. How long will it take them to realize such increased mobility of capitals is of little use in such a recession?

The capitalistic system is under a challenge. It is not the problem of the mobility of capitals but of the system in the economy. There have been a lot of people suffering from this bubble/shrinkage process due to the erroneous policy. The Pope used to declare his question against the capitalism in the end of the 20th century after the Pope in the end of the 19th century did the same against the socialism. I believe they have pointed out the right thing at each era.

I don't think there will be another financial panic similar that in the beginning of the last century. But the present policy in finance may cause the more disparities among countries and among people in certain country. It may yield a subtle progress in inflation as well, which will damage the retirees like me or those poor. 

I was convinced again.

After being busy for the past few days, I switdhed on the gear this morning. A cup of coffee was on the table. The paper log was open there as well. Everything was ready for me to spend a relaxing morning.

I have sweeped both 20m and 15m, where I heard a few statessides chatting on SSB.  Unfortunately, since CW activity has been lowered all over the world lately, I am checking the band conditions on SSB, the more active mode than CW. I was sure the bands had been open to the north america.

I  clicked the memory keyer button to call CQ. It has repeated calling CQ in vain for several times. Hum, the listeners might realize it had been from the memory keyer so I should send it with my bug. No calls yet. I peeped the reverse beacon network. The high tech tool, which I seldom watch, is still working. Several skimmers spotted my call there. Not very loud in the north america. but good enough for regular QSO.

The problem is why I have not got any calls. One reason could be that they have been bored with chatting with me. If this was right, there should have been many guys chatting other than me. But I could hear nothing on CW.

The CW operators could have given up regular QSOs. This seems a more probable reason. I don't know why. They hate the low rate of information processing on this mode? They think CW is only for contesting? If these speculations were right, they have given it up too early. If so, they haven't appreciated the value as a communication tool of CW which synchronizes the rate of our thinking. It is an intellectual challenge and never-ending origin of interests.

This morning, I am afraid, I was convinced again that CW is an art vanishing in the world. I still pound the brass calling CQ, though. I would be a man of testimony for this process.

An inflation of the contests

Last week end, at least, two contests were going on while another is being held this week end. I was carefully watching JIDXC last week end, which sounded to have less participants than some years ago. There should be substantial decrease of the contesters all over the world. In addtion, aren't there too many conests held throughut a year? Especially, in the DX seasons, a few contests are held at the same time. It is like an inflation of the contests which lower the value of each contest. It causes the contesters to be scattered to each contest.

Retirees like me could enjoy the ordinary QSOs on the plain week day. The other workers who wish to enjoy the ordinary QSOs must be discouraged to find the bands being occupied by the contesters in week ends. This situation may deprive the ham radio world of its activity as a whole. I am on the side that enjoys the ordinary contact and still feel sorry for the present situation. The ham radio is, in my view, for human communication. Contesting was originally for testing the set ups and the operation skill in the beginning. It should have served for the ordinary contacts, I believe. The infalted contests are against this belief as well.

The contest hosts should consider of restructuring the contests, that is, unitizing the same kinds of contests. It will activate the contests and contribute to the contesters. If they should keep the contests in the same number and style, the contests would decay very soon. I wonder if the contesters would leave it go on as it does at present.

A family trip to the west coast probable this summer

Our daughter might go to Seattle with us and make her debut in the society of CW freaks this summer.

It depended on who would take care for our old cat for even 10 days. This cat is shy and very careful with the people around him, even our family members. A veterinarian told us he could take care for him during our trip even though he had been meowing while he was at the clinic. Thanks to the vet. doctor, you would make our family btrip possible.

Our daughter is the furthest person from ham radio. But she could be sociable to the others, especially, the eloder people. So she won't be bored with the meeting of CW freaks despite of the generation and the hobby gaps. She is a student majoring in nursing. You may ask her how to care for ill people while you should give inquiry on children care to me and on shrinkd head to my wife.

Our sons won't go together due to their reasons. Maybe sometime in the future.

So I should start booking the hotels and the transportations now.

An invitation to ham radio

My wife , a psychiatrist, is still working at her own practice. The local doctors' association has sent her a letter. That invited her as a member to take a ham ticket. Of course, that invitation has been sent to all the members. Having experienced the difficulty in communication at the big earthquake last year, they seem to use ham radio as a replacement for the usual commercial land line.

At first, I was chuckling at this attempt. But, in a few seconds, I thought it was not bad that some doctors would be closer to ham radio even if they might aim at such as emergency communication with ham radio. Ham radio has some deficits as the emergency tool. But it is better than nothing. If a net is formed by the doctors in this area, it might work out in emergency. It might work as a communication tool in the area.

In addition, some doctors may find ham radio an interesting hobby itself. No one knows a few might become indulged in the most brilliant mode of communication, that is, CW in the future as I did.

I remembered that my wife used to have a no code licence years ago. We used VHF like a cell phone at present. Years ago, she used to try mastering code with a cassette tape when commuting to her work. When I drove her car by chance and ran the cassette tape without knowing what it was, CW code came out of the speaker. It made me astonished. She told me she had wanted to beat me with CW skill before I knew that. Unfortunately, as soon as I knew her project, she lost her interests in CW. She never tried to listen CW music any longer.

I might be lucky that my wife had not become like Sonia PY2SO in 1980s, who used to be a fluent CW operator with many fans all over the world. For she would have taken this seat in the shack all the time on behalf of me.

St. Matthew Passion by Bach

It has been a week since Easter 2012. I am not a christian, though I used to learn Bible and to attend a church when I was young. It has been a kind of habit for me to listen to St. Matthew Passion by Bach around Easter every year. Maybe, since my med school days.

Last night, as that habit ordered me to, I listened this music played by Munchen Bach Ensemble Karl Richter conducted. It was the latest recording for him in 1971, I believe. Some people, believers in authentic performance, speak ill of it, or insist that he has returned to old fashioned performance away from his earlier achievement with strict and authentic performance.  I prefer, however, this performance to his earlier ones. The 1st music starts with slower tempo, in which the basso continuo is believed to express Jusus' pace to the hill of Golgotha. Richter might have restored to the old fashioned romanticism. So what? This performance should appeal deeper to the audience, at least, to me. I believe it fits this memorable history of tragedy. Just listen this enormous ouverture to the historical epic. You may listen the sound of Jesus's steps in the basso continuo.

A full blown spring



A full blown spring has come here.





The photo above shows a plum tree with full blossoms. We may expect many fruits.

The photo below is the magnolia. White elegant flowers are full on it. My mother loved this tree so much. It will be the first anniversary of her passing away on Apr. 26th. 

I have planted some vegetables in the yard. Tomatoes, strawberries or lettuce and so forth. I would hardly plant them last spring since the soil could have been contaminated with the fallen radio actives.

I appreciate this peaceful spring coming here again.



How to learn CW

It seems some readers of this blog are CW beginners. I would like to tell those people a small hint toward head copy skill.

Some people discuss which is better to learn CW with, Farnworth or Koch method. I believe each is good and is not a matter to be chosen between. In remembering code, each way must be helpful. It is only the first step and far away from the ridge of head copying. The most difficult thing, especially for those of non English speakers and even for native speakers of English, is to copy without pencil and paper. Writing down the letters or the sentences is a skill necessary for a professional radio operator. We should understand what the other say to you at once. Or you could not converse with CW. Once you are trained to write down every letter and sentence, you would hardly get out of that habit which bothers you to converse freely. I have ever seen those people being troubled with this habit even if they were fluent English speakers.

You should understand the meaning of each word and consequently the meaning of the phrase or the sentence. We could hardly retain the recent memory of more than a few things at one time. You should convert those memory to the meaning of that words or sentences as soon as it shows up in your consciousness. In the form of meaning, you could remember much more things which are related with the other knowledge of things and sorted out them into long term memory. In this process, you will confirm what you understood before the present word or sentence. At the same time, you could expect what would follow to the present word or sentence. This interaction among the past, the present and the future will make conversation much easier. Without this, it would remain a hard work, meaningless and just for the writing muscles. You would hate receiving code in a few days.

Merle, ex K6DC, an elmer of mine, used to write in his autobiography, "Why would you write down what the others say in your usual conversation?". Code is not a language itself but is just a sign directly corresponding to a certain letter or  symbol in actual language. Once you master the correspondence between code and letter/sign, you should go on in the same way on CW communication as in conversation in certain real language.

Conversational Morse

Some time ago, I received the following mail from John WA9AQN. I appreciated this mail so much and asked him to let me post it in my blog. He gave me permission to publish it here. So here it is.

His attitude toward non conversational hams as well as his enthusiasm for true communication through CW is more than wonderful. I am apt to take non conversational QSOs as lower or inferior things in ham radio. Reading this sentnce, I feel I should be more open minded to them. His interests in the other cultures or peoples also attract me much. He used to send me some Haiku, a short poem style originated in Japan, which I put in this blog. some time ago. I should learn much from his this attitude as well.

The biggest sympathy I had for this article was that we may reach the genuine conversation "kindled in the first QSO". That was the way I met John several years ago. 

I know he is going to retire soon. May his retirement be blessed with good health and much joy !  May we have many more interesting conversations in our retirements.


quote;

Conversational Morse

Shin, as the Brits would say, your remarks on the subject of conversational Morse are “spot on.” I wanted to put some of my ideas together and send them to you.

I recently gave a presentation to our local radio club.  The leaders of the club asked me to put on a program about DX’ing for the membership.  Most of the members do very little, if any, HF operating, and even fewer are able to send and receive Morse very well.  In putting together the program, I had to step back and look critically at how amateur radio has changed in the last 50 years, and to put together a presentation for an audience who had not acquired an interest in radio in the ways that influenced many of us who are now reaching the age of retirement.

In thinking through the subject matter, I recalled that many years ago I had come to the realization that a CW operator may very well have to make hundreds of contacts before finding someone with whom to hold a real conversation.  And, added to that one must realize that sometimes a real conversation is one that may only be kindled in the first QSO, and evolve through successive QSO’s in which the participants openly explore subjects beyond the formula RST, name, QTH, followed by rig, antenna, and weather.

In the presentation, I broke DX’ing into three categories.  One category is the DXpedition contact in which nothing other than callsign and signal report are exchanged, even though the signal report isn’t a report on the signal quality of the other station as much as a simple acknowledgment that the other station has correctly copied your callsign.  Woe be unto the uninitiated who attempt to exchange more information than that in a pileup on an expedition!

The second category is also a formula QSO, in which nothing more than the extended formula is exchanged.  Then, the third category is that in which a real conversation is possible, and a potential lifelong friendship can be achieved. 

What I encouraged the new DX’ers to do is to have a prepared list of possible questions to ask the DX station, and to keep a detailed atlas at their operating desk to show more detail of the other ham’s QTH.  With those tools, a ham can inject some question or comment into the formula QSO to see whether the other station will respond and carry on a conversation.  Of course, this technique is not limited in application to DX’ing, either.

It seems to me that in order to have a genuine conversation, or to start one, there are a number of conditions that must exist between the two stations.  Of course, being focused on radio, we require that solar and band conditions must be strong enough to allow the two amateurs to make exchanges for some period of time.  Generally speaking, I think that it is fair to say that many, many of our QSO’s are cut short by eroding band conditions. 

Then, in the DX world, there is the question of language.  Both amateurs must be fluent in some common language. The Internet also presents the potential for direct communication with people in these places, even though we who are experienced amateurs know that there is little similarity in what we do with amateur radio.  This, too, will limit the numbers of genuine conversations that can occur.

Many, many amateurs are involved in DX’ing and contesting as sporting activities, as you well know.  These amateurs seem to be interested mainly in the statistical status they can achieve in these activities.  I have to confess that I had long pursued a goal of attaining the highest status possible in DXCC in one area, my mixed mode total number of countries/entities.  If you attend gatherings of DX’ers and contesters, the conversations center on performance and statistics, and how to improve the operator’s competitive status.  When these amateurs do get to know each other, it is generally in that context and probably not a broad experience that truly introduces one to the culture of the other amateur.

But, these activities are legitimate and those who pursue them are certainly entitled to do so.  No one owns any frequency, and if these activities keep the bands alive and active, so much the better.  I believe that we have frequency allocations protected because our governments trust us to step up and serve in times of disaster, when other communications systems may be down. And, they trust us to shut down when they need the frequencies clear for other reasons. Apart from that, I do not see what compelling reason there would be for governments to keep the frequencies which are set aside for amateur radio; it is certainly not sufficient that amateurs engage in cross cultural exchanges as a tool of government foreign or domestic policy to protect our frequency bands.

I agree that it is disappointing that there are not more opportunities for genuine conversations on the amateur bands, and particularly in Morse.  But all in all, it makes the conversations we do have all that more valuable because of the surprise, the joy and the knowledge that we can touch each other’s lives so profoundly when we do find someone who can take the time to chat. So, to encourage the newcomers, and those who have only experienced contesting and chasing awards, I think it helps to enlighten them to the possibility that by asking something about the other amateur’s home country or QTH, or asking if he or she has seen a particular movie, or read a particular book, or visited Dayton, Friedrichshafen or Tokyo Ham Fair, there might be the start of a conversation and a friendship that will last for a long, long time, with someone they might never get to see, but who means as much (if not more) to them than many people they will see on a daily basis.

In encouraging others to take up Morse and become conversational on the bands, I think it helps to point out that Morse takes a lot of determination, training, and real work to achieve proficiency.  It has been my experience that because of that, Morse will attract people who will be much less likely to spend time on the air grousing and complaining about politics and life in general.  I think that among proficient Morse operators we find a generally positive attitude toward life, and people who enjoy the challenge of the mode, and who especially enjoy the company of people who are positive in their attitudes.  So, while it would be nice to have more conversations on the CW bands, we can also be thankful that the major alternatives on the bands are contests and DX’ing, and not the kind of attitudes that are more common on some of the phone bands!

Even in amateur radio, it takes a special person to see the possibility that the hobby can enrich one’s life and mind, and that one can learn a lot more about the world, its people, and can make life better than simply learning electronics, propagation, and all the other technical matters.  These are really tools to better understanding the world.  And, that being said, however, we, as amateurs who wish to pursue genuine conversations could not pursue our hobby without those other amateurs who see things differently and who do not pursue radio for the same purpose.  Is that Zen?

It is why I get excited and smile when I get a chance to have a QSO with you, Shin.  Your words always help me to realize that we have a special place in the universe.

Be well, my friend.  I hope your cataracts can be healed!  Will you be having surgery for them?

161,  John

WA9AQN

As for restarting the nuclear power plants, who will decide?

The process for the restart of the nuclear power plants is going on in Japan. The power companies are supposed to submit the stress test, which was given by NISA, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, after the test with the same name in Europe. NISA is judging the test result, which is confirmed by NSC, the Nuclear Safety Committee. The government finally determines, being based on the test result, if the nuclear power plants will be restarted their operation. It has been a routine process for the power company to explain and convince about the resart to the local government which has certain nuclear power plant in its area. Recently, The Chief Cabinet Secretary has told that process has not necessarily been based on any law and could be omitted.

There are a few serious problems in this scheme.

How could the government determine if the resart is proper or not? That process should be based on highly scientific research. The government is least appropriate for that. Both NISA and NSC already declared that they won't make that decision by themselves. The administrators escaped from the responsibility for the decision. This political decision seems quite bizzare.

The test is also questioned by professional people such as an engineer of plant group. The test is just a virtual one to qualify the design to be allowable for the assumed intensity of natural disasters. Not like that in Europe, it is not designed to pursue the weakness of the plants nor is under peer review.

Both NISA and NSC, which have been under the influence of Min of Trade and Industry, have been supportive to the parties which have carried forward the nuclear power plant plans. The tragedy in Fukushima revealed they have never seriously considered about the retreat from rigid plans for nuclear power plant construction or about the threats by natural disaters on the nuclear power plants. They are responsible for forming and supporting the safety myth, which tells japanese nuclear power plants are free from any serious accidents. The same organizations will never conclude anything negative from the test results.  

Following after own clock from now on

A good friend of mine has sent me an impressive mail. It is a hit for what I feel for retirement.


I felt to be forced to live after the clock the administrarive agency set for us. It was a reason why I decided to retire. It was a pleasure or, at least, a reasonable duty for me as a clinical doctor to live after my patients' clock. But disgusted to live after the irrational rules the bureaucrats compelled us to obey.


From now on, the main issue for me is how to make my retirement constructive or make my life worth living.


Thanks, Alan, for this valuable proverb.


quote;

Shin

I retired in October 2009. Over the past 2.5 years my greatest challenge is to use my time constructively.

While working, I was always subject to someone else's clock. After retirement, my time has very little external structure. The only structure imposed is from within.
t the hiring agencies were looking for "free" labor in an economic sense - not what I was interested in.

So I imagine that you will enjoy your retirement to the extent that you and you alone give it value.

I enjoy reading your posts and blog very much. When you travel to the United States I hope you might find time to visit the east coast.

161 Alan KF3B

Towards Long-term Sustainability: In Response to the 3/11 Earthquake and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

On Apr 20/21, a symposium titled above will be held by IEAS of UC Berkeley. On the 1st day, Masayoshi Goto, a japanese plant engineer, who used to design containment vessels of nuclear power plants, will make a speech titled as follows;

Can We Really Controll Nuclear Power Plants?Lessons from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident


Goto is a core member of an association of plant engineers, which has published questions for the on going stress test of the nuclear power plants by the government and the administrative agencies. This stress test is aimed only at resuming the operation of the nuclear power plants. The content is quite defective even compared with the same test performed in Europe. In addtition, it is done by the same bureaucrats, NSA and NICS in Japan, as those who have administered the nuclear power plants for the past decades. It resulted in the disater in Fukushima. The high officials of both agencies declared they won't determine if the operation of the nuclear power plants would be resumed or not. It means they won't take the responsibility for the judgement of the stress test. There are parties which gain much profits from nuuclear power plant operation. They should be definitely questioned.

The web site of this symposium is here;

http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/2012.04.20w.html

The symposium is planned to be published through the internet. It seems to be open to non researchers or students.

It is the time of taking off for me, even though it is hard to accept.

A week has passed since my retirement. My brain still looks paralyzed at this reality. Retirement has not become a reality for me yet. I am feeling urged to do something else all the time even though the idea of working at the former office is getting behind my consciousness and is seemingly not occupying my mind so much any longer.

Some friends, already retired, tell me I would have much fun in retirement. The others tell it is difficult for them to accept retirement leaving some thoughts at the former office. When driving on less crowded streets in the daytime, I feel I have become quite free from duties. On the other hand, I won't feel settled down whatever I might do anywhere. Paralysis in brain might come from this mixture of feelings.

In sometime, the feeling of loss might be replaced by the pleasant idea of freedom. I don't know if I could move this way so soon. In the subconsciousness level, I guess, I am still deeply involved in my former work.

I have cared for a boy aged 23 years since his infancy. He used to have pretty severe asthma which made him hospitalized for a few times at a hospital I used to work before starting own practice. He has had some other health problems and has consulted me and my wife from time to time. Now, graduating form a university in Tokyo, he has started working here. In the end of last month, when his mother has visited me at the clinic for medication, she proudly reported about his son. As I told her, however, I would close my office and have it taken over by another pediatrician, her face suddenly clouded.

She has had her eyes full of tears. She told me, even when she and his son were not attending to my office for consultation, she was relieved seeing the sign of the clinic along the street. I was touched a lot by this words. It was a real expression of her faith on me. Such faith from a patient's mother was a real reward to me as a pediatrician. It has made my life meaningful. It was me who should thank to her, I thought. I realized how deeply involved I have been in this job for years.

I believe it is a feeling of being torn that I have had since retirement. It might take me sometime to be cured from this sense of loss. I should make an effort to leave this feeling behind and to go forward anyway for it is the time for me to do so in my life. The parttime job may help me to take off from this career milestone. I am sure I owe those patients so much for they have made my life worth living for years. Having the feeling of appreciation to them, I will depart for the other end of my life.

Operating schedule!

Since I retired this month, I have been apt to fall asleep early in the evening, while watching TV. Then I get up at midnight or even later. I could watch the bands which open to the North America throughout a day.

Very early in morning around 2 or 3 in our local, I often work with the West Coast. In the West Coast, it is late in morning when only few are on the band.

The next path is open on 15m in our morning hours. This path often sounds veiled and sometimes fluttered. It is excellent for it could be open to the whole North America. Actually, some east coasts were coming in even though nor very loud. This path is pretty stable but could be most liable to solar flare.

In the afternoon, 20m is open mainly to the West Coast again. The signals are always very loud. Over the North America, signals from Africa often come through via the long path.

Early in the evening, 40m is the stage to work with the US. I am sorry that only very few old timers stay up and turn on their rig at this time in a day. Except in fall and winter, it scarcely opens to the East Coast. Late at night, 40m opens between both Coasts like kaleidoscope. It starts from the West and moves to the East. It ends up with the West Coast late at night.  

Of all those paths, I like 40m early in the evening most. The band could be noisy and messed with the domestic stations or those from neighbor countries.  But the conditions are always gradually going up as it gets closer to the sunset and are peaking at the sunset here. It was the band and time in a day which I started ham radio in '60s. It is the band of good old days for me.

Yes, I could become dementia soon spending retired days only with ham radio. I still love operating radio in this way. Everyone, I will look forward seeing you and talking of good old days together. Of course, I keep ears open to the other parts of the world when the bands are open. See you.

Where have all the flowers gone?

I stayed up until 3 AM this morning after taking a long nap before the TV last night. I watched and called CQ several times on 20m which was open to Europe. Not many gave me a call. Mostly from the Eastern Europe. They won't converse without routines like exchanging reports etc.

Enjoying the retirement freedom, I got up late in the morning today. Sipping a cup of coffee, I watched 15m. It was open pretty well to the West Coast. Again, the QSOs with a few of them were, honestly speaking, boring. Only reports and names. In this good condx, we may enjoy conversation, not machinery but more human. But most guys seem to want to make only the facts of QSOs. Even on SSB, there were very few chatting. I am inclined to ask them if you would bring the QSL cards into your grave, which you have spent the precious time and energy in your lives to collect.

Where have all the flowers gone? Am I wanting something not achievable these days? While listening a pile up for DX on 15m, I am more worried about the future of this hobby than ever. It is almost like finding a jewel in sand on beach to have a meaningful conversation with anybody. But I still wonder where all the flowers have gone.

Bureaucracy

It has been some time since I renewd this blog. It has been like a storm for me. A lot of works, clearing the office for the new doctor and making paper works for closing my practice etc, have kept me terribly busy.

The peak was today when I had to work for the 1st day of the new clinic as a parttime. As you may know the medical system is a socialized one here in Japan, that is, it is governed by the bureaucrats, the system is becoming more and more complicated and is requiring our meaningless labor.

For example, when we prescribe with the academic name of medicine, but not commercial one, we could get very small amount of extra money, about 2 cents !! per a prescription. It is designed recently by the bureaucrats for us to prescribe more non original drugs, which are less expensive than original ones. If a pharmacist give non original drug to a patient with such aprescription of academic names, he or she are supposed to inform the fact to us, doctors. Then, we should change the description in the chart. What a complicated process! The bureaucrats must consider us as slaves. From their standfpoint, we should work in the way they want us to. It is more than nonsense.    

I know the bureaucrats would like to cut the national budget for social securities and medical services with such an administrative measure. It is, however, only one aspect of this administration. Some retired bureaucrats are believed to work at those pharmaceutical companies producing non original drugs. There are good evidences that the bureaucrats are trying to let those companies take more profits by some administrative means. I suspect this is one of those measures by them. The bureaucrats try to maximize their profits ruling the related undustries and services.

I would advise the new doctor not to take that extra income with this prescription procedure. I am afraid our country may be committing suicide with those selfish bureaucrats.

I am happy to be free from those bureaucracy so far. I don't need to do with their arbitrary administration any longer even though I still must undergo their influences indirectly.

Sorry for such a negative post after some interval! I wish to go and look for some signs of spring in the mountain area later this week. It was one of the aims for my retirement.