9U5M
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INFO 9U5M
9U5M PICTURES
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For work, Michael PA5M was in Bujumbura, Burundi for about six weeks ( 4-02-2004 till 17-03-2004 ).
After waiting for his licence for about 2 weeks he had the green light on the 17th of February, and made the first qso's on that evening. Beside work, the main reason for his trip to 9U was his work for the WFP of the UN but he tried to be radio-active as much as possible. His callsign...... 9U5M
At first, more about 9U:
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OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Burundi
CAPITAL: Bujumbura
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: Unitary Multiparty Republic with Transitional Government
AREA: 27,837 Sq Km (10,747 Sq Mi)
ESTIMATED 2000 POPULATION 6,840,900
LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY: Burundi is a landlocked country in the center of Africa. It is bound by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, Lake Tanganyika to the southwest and Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) to the west. Burundi is a high rolling country that is part of the Great African Plateau while it forms the divide between the Nile and the Zaire River Basins and has three natural regions. (1.) The Rift Valley also known as the Imbo which is a narrow plain along the western border with Zaire. (2.) The eastern zone known as Kumoso which consists of the central and eastern plateaux and the savannas of the eastern border. (3.) The central mountain region which is a series of ridges that lie north to south. The Ruzizi is the most important river which flows into the Zaire River Basin and all other rivers and tributaries are connected to the Zaire and Nile River Basins. Major Cities (pop. est.); Bujumbura 236,000, Gitega 21,000, Ngozi 15,000 (1990). Land Use; forested 3%, pastures 36%, agricultural-cultivated 53%, other 8% (1993).
CLIMATE: Burundi has an equatorial climate that is uncomfortably hot but varies with altitude and season. There are two wet seasons alternating with two dry seasons. The dry seasons are between June to August and January to February with the long wet season between March to May and the short one between September to December. Rainfall is irregular falling mainly in the northwest with violent rainstorms common at higher altitudes. Average annual precipitation in Bujumbura is 850 mm (33 inches) and the average temperature is 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit). The upper elevations of the Kumoso are generally cool with temperatures below 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit).
PEOPLE: The principal ethnic majority are the Hutu who account for 82% of the population with the Tutsi also known as the Watutsi or Batutsi accounting for 14%. The Twa, a pygmoid group account for 1% with Europeans and Asians accounting for the remaining 2% of the population.
DEMOGRAPHIC/VITAL STATISTICS: Density; 216 persons per sq km (560 persons per sq mi) (1991). Urban-Rural; 7.5% urban, 92.5% rural (1986). Sex Distribution; 48.5% male, 51.5% female (1990). Life Expectancy at Birth; 50.0 years male, 54.0 years female (1990). Age Breakdown; 45% under 15, 27% 15 to 29, 16% 30 to 44, 7% 45 to 59, 4% 60 to 74, 1% 75 and over (1990). Birth Rate; 47.0 per 1,000 (1990). Death Rate; 15.0 per 1,000 (1990). Increase Rate; 32.0 per 1,000 (1990). Infant Mortality Rate; 111.0 per 1,000 live births (1990).
Then....9U5M IN BURUNDI
Above : Small radioshack in the hotelroom with the FT 857 in the middle.
Below : The small vertical antenna Michael uses, just above the roof of the hotel.....and it seems to work.
Michael was in Burundi for his work for WFP of the UN as telecom specialist. He left the country again on the 17th of March, but he might return to 9U in the future if that's needed for his work
Off course QRL was the main reason for his visit to the country ,....but beside that Michael tried to be active as much as possible as 9U5M. He simply had too as the licence did cost him a small fortune ( $ 250 for 2 months ).....so the least thing he could do was making as much qso's as possible. Due to very heavy work load this hasn't been as much as he wanted to...but that's just the way it is. His antenna was just a vertical with about 60W output from the FT857 ( lower than the max. 100W to keep the radio 'cool' ). And it even did work quite ok. Pile ups were quite heavy sometimes...but that's what he wanted off course...
If you want your qso confirmed, pse read the QSL rules and please do take some time to sign the guestbook.
9U5M QSL CARD
Some more pictures can be found in the picture section of this website.
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