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NOV'91<br />
to our bus to act as an interpreter<br />
and to direct us on the Russian<br />
"freeway· system.<br />
We arrived in Moscow Friday,<br />
August 16th in the early evening.<br />
The hotel was typical, clean but<br />
very 01 d fash ioned. the tap water<br />
was a kind of weak tea color and<br />
there actually was hot water<br />
avallab1e.<br />
Saturday and Sunday were<br />
scheduled touring days with visits<br />
to the statues of Lenin. Lenin's<br />
tomb, KGB headquarters (outside<br />
only), the Kremlin etc. Sunday<br />
night we visited the Moscow circus<br />
and even without being able to speak<br />
Russian the show was very<br />
entertaining and funny. The only<br />
hint of what was to come was from<br />
the Intourist guide. She kept<br />
remarking that the traffic was<br />
unusually light, there must be<br />
something wrong here because the<br />
streets were almost empty of<br />
vehicles and tourist busses. We did<br />
not know that the coup had already<br />
started, they had closed Moscow<br />
airport and most of the major roads<br />
leading into Moscow.<br />
Monday afternoon we were<br />
scheduled to start our trip north to<br />
Leningrad, but the coup attempt<br />
provided an extra unscheduled event.<br />
At breakfast the noise of the truck<br />
traffic was unusually loud. We<br />
cou1 d not see the road from the<br />
restaurant, but when someon went to<br />
investigate they reported tanks and<br />
armored personnel carriers streaming<br />
into downtown Moscow!<br />
We never felt that we were in any<br />
personal danger, but there was some<br />
apprehension that the trip might be<br />
cut short or we would be evacuated<br />
out of the country. After<br />
deliberation with the Introurist<br />
guide we returned to downtown Moscow<br />
to have a special prepaid Russian<br />
meal with red and black caviar.<br />
Russian champagne, deep fried<br />
ch i eken, s peca i1 vegetab 1 es, etc.<br />
This was our best meal in Russia<br />
and it was done during the sounds of<br />
the public address horns, crowds,<br />
military vehicles and even the<br />
beginnings of hastily erected<br />
roadblocks set up by the people of<br />
Moscow.<br />
We continued on to Leningrad and<br />
began to learn of the magnitude of<br />
the troubles that were going on in<br />
the country. There were no local<br />
television reports or newspapers.<br />
but the Russian people were being<br />
informed from the Voice of America<br />
and the BBC. Telephones to the<br />
outside were down and there was no<br />
way to inform anyone of our status<br />
except by Telex.<br />
In Leningrad we visited the<br />
October Ballet and saw two<br />
Mozart(?sp) ballets. The Marriage<br />
of Figero and The Requiem Mass.<br />
Since I had seen the movie Amadaeus<br />
I was familia r with the mus i c but<br />
had never seen a ballet performance.<br />
We finally left the U.S.S.R. for<br />
Finland and learned the full impact<br />
of the changes that were going on.<br />
Cable News Network (CNN) reports<br />
showed the riots and tanks burning.<br />
but we had never seen any serious<br />
problems during our stay in Moscow.<br />
Even the mayor or Leningrad had been<br />
able to stop a column of tanks that<br />
had been sent to seize power in his<br />
city. The Russian army was not<br />
going to follow orders blindly<br />
anymore and they refused to go along<br />
with the coup leaders. The coup had<br />
failed.<br />
I was able to call from Finland<br />
to the U.S. and my parents were<br />
relieved to hear from me. We<br />
continued our tour and went to<br />
Sweden. Denmark. Holland. finally<br />
returning to London about August<br />
27th.<br />
Pictures and slides are being<br />
developed now. I have quite a few<br />
souvenirs and a lot of interesting<br />
memories. -- 73, John-WB6IQS<br />
(Ed- as Barbara and I watched the<br />
tanks burning we wondered where John<br />
was and if he would be able to get<br />
·out of town." John had left his<br />
itinerary with us so we knew where<br />
he was supposed to be each day of<br />
the coup. We had many anxious<br />
moments.)<br />
- BK <br />
Joe-KC6QXU just received<br />
information that he scored 1st in<br />
California for the 10-10<br />
International phone contest last<br />
summer with 266 contacts. Joe was<br />
only running 85 watts to a Rudy P1ak<br />
inverted V antenna which recently<br />
has been upgraded to a 10m quad beam<br />
•• wait till next year!<br />
- BK <br />
Dennis-N6KI is the Technical<br />
Director of the upcoming 3W3. The<br />
American-Vietnam-DXpedition-Team,<br />
attempting to operate 3W3 in Vietnam<br />
which is one of the rarer OX<br />
countries for many hams. Terry<br />
Dubson from Escondido is the<br />
operations director. Lately they<br />
have been experiencing some<br />
difficulties in getting traveling<br />
permission and we will keep you<br />
pos ted.<br />
- BK <br />
(10-7)Ken-N6AKB on his way to<br />
work handled an ac'cident report<br />
(147.13) from Jeff-N6WDN on Black<br />
Mountain road with injuries •• and<br />
then found out that one vehicle<br />
contained radioactive materials!<br />
(Wonder if my old Geiger counter can<br />
still count Geigers - Ed)<br />
- BK <br />
Chuck-W6IRM who walks every<br />
morning in Oceanside just celebrated<br />
his 80th birthday in October.<br />
- BK <br />
Art Smith, W6INI. San Diego's<br />
ARRL Section Manager. had one of his<br />
articals published in WORLD RADIO<br />
for October 1991.<br />
- BK <br />
The June '91 issue of CQ magazine<br />
lists AA6EE with 3.003 pOints in the<br />
'91 World Radio Team Championship.<br />
SCOPE-NOV'91 EXEC MTG THUR. November 13th, 1930Hr, Jack-KI6JM's QTH Pg. 10
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