[Dx-qsl] Monk Apollo Speaks Out on Illegal Operation from Mount Athos

Sun Jul 26 02:17:39 EDT 2015

FYI I translated what Monk Apollo wrote and here it is:
It is known that many radio amateurs, many years ago, want to come and 
operate from Mount Athos. The older hams know that I helped in the past 
a radio amateur team from Thessaloniki Greece to come and operate from 
Virgin Mary’s Garden. Most of you know also that the Mount Athos refuse 
a license to everyone the last years. Maybe you have forgotten that this 
is a result the way Baldur DJ6SI tried to fool the monks to operate 
illegally.
Unfortunately instead the history guides us, we have seen new tries to 
fool the monks the last time.
Some time ago, some Latvian hams came in Mount Athos and tried to 
operate without any license. They claimed that they had an oral 
permission. Of course they had neither oral or written license and Mount 
Athos went them out. But their try, even they had not the right 
documents, was not good for Mount Athos reputation. Many hams because of 
his desire to have a QSO, blamed Mount Athos for this.
After a short time, a Greek radio amateur operated from Mount Athos. I 
received many messages asking if he is legal or not. He is claimed that 
he has a license from a monastery for training operation without to have 
in mind the Greek law, which says:
“in specific cases and when special security has taken, the owner of the 
station with a valid license may, for educational purpose and aiming to 
progress of amateur radio, to allow the use of his station to a third 
person who is not radio amateur, under his responsibility, supervision 
and instructions, for a short time, not bigger than 20 minutes. In such 
cases he must sign as /T (training)”
But his license is NOT valid because he has not the Holy Council’s 
license as the Greek law says:
“A special call to be issued for operation from Mount Athos, it is 
necessary you have thw written permission of Holy Council”
So we speak for another try to fool the Monks. The same negative picture 
again.
Finally this is what we want? We want to operate even we fool the monks? 
Even we make something bad for Mount Athos? Do we feel ok if we do 
something like this? And finally are these actions against ham radio 
because all these make a far dream a future dxpedition?
Mount Athos is a source of Light that illuminates all of us and a Beacon 
of Orthodoxs through the Centuries.
I asked the Holy Council if a license has been given and they answered 
negatively. The Holy Council having in mind the illegal operations of 
Baldur DJ6SI, the willing of Latvians who wanted to operate without a 
license, the illegal operation of SV2/SV1RP/T or /A at 12 June 2015 and 
many received applications to operate from Mount Athos, sent a decision 
(doc. Nr F.2/27A/1482/28-6-2015) to the 20 Monasteries of Mount Athos to 
make all these clear. With this document, the Holy Community says that 
if someone outside Mount Athos wants to operate, he needs a special call 
and the written permission of Holy Council. Also is mentioned that all 
the answers in relatively applications for a license until now were 
negative. So that means all the operations until now are illegal.
I want to ask everyone to behave more carefully. In our life in general, 
it is better to try something without to offend others, or to raise the 
values and institutions, trying to achieve our goal preserving the law 
and ethics.
Monk Apollo from Docheiariou Monastery.
73 Kostas SV1DPI