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.
Why is that when you clear whole weekends on your calendar for a contest, sometimes that turns out to be the only time left to get serious antenna work done? Months ago l hoped to smoke-test my 40-meter antennas in the 2002 CQ WW CW. Naturally, Saturday, after a great night smoke-testing 80 meters, which didn`t need smoke-testing. I got the last 40-meter Yagi built and in the air Saturday night l finally got to play with my new toys.
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.