[SFDXA] [The Daily DX] Monk Apollo's text in English

[Bill]

From Bernie W3UR:

> I received the following translation from SV1DPI, Kostas.
> 73
> Bernie
> 
> 
> Just to make things more clear...
> 
> The picture below the text is a letter from Holy Council (this is more important from the text itself) which it is addressed to the monasteries and says among other that only the Holy Council is authorised to give a written license (that means that monasteries can not give a license), only special calls are allowed (except for Monks) in Mount Athos (not portable) and no license has given to anyone the last years. So that means that any oral permission is not good (I remind that our friends from Latvia claimed that they had an oral permission from a monastery). Also sv1rp operation was not legal as the Holy Council says that they have NOT given any license and possible Monasteries licenses are NOT good (I remind that George sv1rp claims that he has a license from the Monastery).
> 
> Beside all these Monk Apollo writes that all these tries from several amateurs (including older tries) to suck the Monks to get a license from Mount Athos (for example sv1rp asked for a license for educating purposes) are not the right way for a radio amateur to get a license and finally make the Monks more cautious to a future try by serious dxpeditioners. That is not good for Amateur Radio and for a future dxpedition. He also says that he asked Holy Council if sv1rp operation is legal and they told him NO.
> 
> 73 Kostas SV1DPI
> 
> 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 the 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
> 
> Bernie McClenny, W3UR
> Editor of: The Daily DX 
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