IB0/K8NY
IOTA EU045 - Isola di Ponza - Pontine Islands
16-17 Oct ,1999
On one of our vacation trips to Europe, I was fortunate to be able to work from the Island of Ponza in the Mediterranean Sea (Tyrrhenian Sea) off the coast of Italy. Two amateurs and fellow members of the Crazy DX Group made this trip possible, Marco (IK0HWI) and Renzo (IK0IZW). Their hospitality and generosity toward my family and me was truly unbelievable. They arranged everything and afforded me the opportunity to operate from an IOTA locale as IB0/K8NY.
When Marco and I arrived on the island (we had his auto transported on a ferry on Saturday morning from the town of Terracina - the hometown of my grandparents and where my family was staying) we visited with a property owner that Marco had an arrangement with and we were able to rent for two days a wonderful home high above the port city (with fantastic views).
At this point in time Renzo was unable to join us but he would follow the next day. Marco had all his gear in his car which included his 14AVQ vertical, a 500w amplifier and his Icom 706G. I also brought with me my IC706G. Additionally I brought my paddle so we were able to work some CW mostly on the standard IOTA frequencies. We installed the vertical (elevated) on the patio of the home and extended radials for all the bands. Then we setup all the gear inside and got the amplifier running (400w Max legal limit). We worked 40 through 10 including 17 and 12 both SSB and CW. On Sunday morning we were joined by Renzo who was able to take a Hydrofoil ship from Anzio Harbor to Ponza. Renzo helped me work CW on 40, 20 and 15.
Our operation started at about 12:30 PM local time and we ceased operation about 12:00 local time the following day (17 Oct). During that period of time we worked approx 1300 qso's - not bad in less than 24 hours including 6 hours off for sleep. It was wonderful to have Marco and Renzo with me, nothing like having locals who speak the language and know the culture of the people we are dealing with on the island. Marco and I took some time off to eat dinner on Saturday and went down into the town to have some espresso and then later, some pizza!
Joining us with Renzo on Sunday morning, some of my family members (xyl Sallie, one of my daughters, Jeanne and my son Robert) arrived at the port. They were fortunate to find our location and we had lunch with them after ceasing the operation. My son Robert had the opportunity of renting a motorscooter and toured the entire island discovering some interesting locations. At noontime we said farewell to Renzo as he had to leave for the ship back to Anzio and we boarded our ship bound for Terracina. At the dock in Terracina we were greeted by my Mom and Dad as well as two other local hams from the Crazy DX group.
I will always have fond memories of the hospitality shown to us by these fellow amateurs and of the wonderful time we had on the Island of Ponza.
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The Island of Ponza Port
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Faraglioni Lucia Rosa |
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Grotto del Core |
Grotto Ponza Pilato |
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Ponza calafonte |
Arco Naturale |
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Cluster Spots for IB0/K8NY 16-17 Oct 1999
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