Public Invitation for Photos “Hobby × Photography”
Many of the respondents to CIPA user survey during the COVID-19
pandemic said that they were encouraged by photography as a hobby.
While we sympathized with and were grateful for views expressed that“photography is the best hobby,” and we also perceived “the power ofhobbies”.
In the spirit of having the greatest respect for hobbies, we havelaunched “Hobby × Photography,” a public invitation for photographs.

With the fusion of hobbies and photography as the theme, “Hobby ×Photography” is a project that will substitute the photographs ofphotography fans for many of the photos posted on the CIPA website.

1✔ The first stage is amateur “HAM” radio.
This round only, with the aim of communicating the atmosphere andambience of the project, we adopt the approach of making contact fromourselves and introduce their QSL cards.
A QSL card is a verification of radio communication between amateur
radio stations, from captain to captain each other.
Nowadays almost all QSL cards are photo cards.
Amid increasing numbers of gallery closures and suspension ofpublications by specialist media that hold monthly photo contests, many
respondents to the survey mentioned earlier expressed their earnest
desire to “have their photos viewed.”
There must be something lacks in SNS communications.
We would like to introduce one of the solutions to this problem :combining and integrating photography and amateur radio, and QSL
cards.
We believe that there will be a perfect harmony.
2✔ JH1JDI

Saori Kamioka-sanKamioka-san was a “science girl" in her childhood, because
she was strongly attracted to radio receivers.
She became fascinated with receiving foreign shortwave
broadcasts(we call SWL or BCL), which led her to study
languages professionally and become multilingual, which
in turn led her to amateur radio.
The QSL card introduced shows a photograph of Vientianein Laos.
NHK Tokyo's JOAK, Radio Thailand’s HSK9, for example,
are "callsign" given by the same system as that of anamateur radio station, and the verification card isequivalent to the QSL card of an amateur radio station.
Many verification cards show images of scenes such as
typical national or regional architectures and sightseeingspots. She selects her subjects based on the same concept
as the broadcast stations.
Many of the QSL cards were taken with compact digital
cameras, and as you can see, they are framed withincredible accuracy.
3✔ JH1JDI

Please read more …
Kamioka-san is a celebrity in the amateur radio world.
She is now an evangelist of Morse (CW), and the Japanese
Morse, which has many more codes than the English Morse,and she operates it freely and beautifully.
“CW is far more advantageous than phone in long distanceradio communication. You can enjoy it even if you live in anapartment like I do and cannot build a big antenna.
In particular, the appeal of Japanese CW is that you can face
the person you are communicating with one-on-one andhave a deep communication.
The conversation will be delicious.
The right amount of tension will help me to relax and refresh
myself from the fatigue of remote work.”
It seems to rival the immersion and feeling of shooting with adigital camera, which is different from casual smartphone
photography.
We would like to introduce a QSL card that captures themoment of immersion.
4✔ JP3AYQ Mayumi Sanada-sanDiving, amateur radio, and photography…
Sanada-san is performing harmony on“hobby” × “hobby” × “photography.”
Here, we have introduced a QSL card
showing a manta ray with a humorousexpression(she shot another cut at thesame place that won a prize at a photo
contest on Ishigaki Island).
She take underwater photos with a SLR
camera set in an underwater housing.
The QSL card showing a turtle wasphotographed at close range with a primewide-angle lens.

5✔ JP3AYQ

Please read more …
She is so active. She enjoys amateur radio to the full.
For example, she receives still images from the ISS(International Space Station).
The ISS uses an SSTV (Slow Scan TV), a radio wave
type device capable of efficiently transmitting stillimages even on narrow bandwidth radio waves.
Typical SSTV as a means of still image amateur radiotransmitting started well over half a century ago in
the 1950’s, long before methods such as “e-mails withattached photos” or digital cameras appeared.
For example, mobile operation.
As well as operating at home, methods of operation
are available such as using a shared “radio shack”
overlooking a tea plantation in Nara and overseas
expeditions.
Aerial photos taken by a drone were uploaded onto awebsite from the shack in Nara and, before theCOVID-19 pandemic, operations from Saipan were6
captured in photos.

✔ JF1UOX

Misae Soma-san

The most important thing for an amateur radiostation is the antenna.
Just as lens play a major role in the world ofphotography.
Mr. and Ms. Soma built an antenna tower intheir house site in Miura Peninsula, Kanagawa
Prefecture, it is the most beautiful place inJapan, to realize an ideal amateur radio station.
Can't believe that?
Mr. Soma (JF1UOW), who gently watches over
Ms. Soma(JF1UOX), is a skillful drone operator.
Their antenna tower and magnificent images
from the sky can be viewed on YouTube.

7✔ JF1UOX

Please read more …
However, amateur radio fans turn up in unexpectedplaces.
Every weekend, a lot of amateur radio fans who enjoy
mobile operation head out to mountains with goodcommunication conditions. In warm seasons, you canfind them transmitting in concealment or on the peaksof all mountains around Tokyo and Osaka.
With no subjective evaluation by judges, amateur radio
contests are completely fair, with participants
competing to see how many stations and which regions
they can communicate with.
Even if the amateur radio stations owning big
antennas at home, they must put in all their passion
and skills they have, because challengers from outdoor
are extremely tough.
Ms. Soma quietly says “I love contests.
The extraordinary situation give me irresistible
experience. I feel a passionate flame burning in myheart. ”8✔ 8J1RL
8J1RL is an amateur radio station at the Showa Station inAntarctica. Operation of the station set up by JARL (The Japan
Amateur Radio League: President Yoshinori Takao) is supportedby the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition.
QSL card showing a charming penguin that looks as if it has posed
for the camera. This photo was taken by a member of theexpedition at the time.
Amateur radio stations transmit radio waves using a call sign
allocated to only one person (one station) in the world.
CQ... This is a special word that symbolizes amateurs.
CQ... is a universal word that is used by amateur radio stations toindicate that they are available for communication with any otherstation in the world.
Once a communication partner is determined, communication overradio waves and across the sky begins.
Reports indicating the source of transmission and the clarity ofreception of radio waves from the sender are standard, and it is
not unusual for animated conversations, for example “Photography
is a hobby of mine, too. The scenery on the mountain I visited theother day for mobile operation was wonderful and I did nothing
but take photos,” to go on for as long as thirty minutes or one hourfrom the very first contact.

9✔ 8J1RL

Please read more …

And amateur radio stations exchange promises to leave memory of once-in-a-lifetime
exchanges.
“Let’s exchange QSL cards.”
JARL operates a QSL card transmission service that allows amateur radio amateur
stations to post QSL cards to JARL rather than to each other’s addresses.
JARL has a system in place for sorting and transmitting QSL cards that supports
the culture of QSL cards, the pride of amateur radio, the king of hobbies.
On January 29, 2022, JARL opened the commemorative amateur radio station“8J1NAOMI” at the Uemura Adventure Museum in Itabashi, Tokyo and gave ademonstration.
Naomi was an adventurer who took an amateur radio with him on his solo
expeditions.
It can be said that he was one of the greatest amateur radio operators in history.
The description “bite on his transceiver” in severe conditions can be heard in thefootage shown at the Museum.
Known for the outstanding photos he shot as the first Japanese to climb Mount
Everest, he took photos using a self timer with a single lens reflex camera built tospecial specifications with a remote controlled shutter.
It is hard to believe that some of the dynamic photos he left were taken in that way.
This great adventurer was also the pioneer of “selfies.”10✔ JQ1ZTR
This QSL card issued by the radio team of technical club,
Kanagawa Prefectural Kashiwagaya Junior High School.
▶The team is introduced in detail in the “CP+ 2022 CIPA Digital Camera Market Seminar.”
Click here.

The second round of "Hobby × Photography" is scheduled to be held in the spring of 2022 as a publicproject. Please tune in to the "frequency“ of our next "transmission“ too.

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