World traveller and photo-journalist Henryk Kotowski SM0JHF brings readers a snapshot of one of the world’s largest and most impressive amateur radio installations, 4O3A in Montenegro.
The Bay of Kotor in Montenegro is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Most likely, very few of them realize that the antenna towers visible at the top of the hill at the entrance to the bay are actually part of an amateur radio installation.
What would you do if one morning you woke up in a new DXCC country?
On the morning of May 22, 2006 Ranko Boca, YT6A, a leading DXer and contester in what used to be Serbia-Montenegro, got up on the always beautiful and sunny coast of the Adriatic Sea and looked over the crystal clear waters of Kotor Bay. The previous day’s popular vote was close, but Montenegro was now ready to declare its independence as the fifth spin-off (joining 9A, S5, T9 and Z3) of the former Yugoslavia.
Među vijestima koje sam tijekom svibnja ove godine dobio preko brojnih radioamaterskih DX-biltena, jedna mi je posebno zapela za oko: International DX Festival – Montenegro 2006. Onima koji najviše vremena provode na kratkome valu, jasno je o čemu se radi. Odvajajući se od unije sa Srbijom, Crna Gora postala je operatorima zanimljiva jer je time dobila status novog entiteta.
The place is called Obosnik, a hilltop at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Montenegro means Black Mountain and this tiny republic is mountainous, however the mountains are black only when silhouetted by the setting sun. At daytime this country is extremely attractive, The Bay of Kotor itself is regarded as World Heritage by the UNESCO and every day thousands of tourists pass the landmark of Montenegro, viz. the station of Ranko Boca, 4O3A on Obosnik.